I don't have a thermal camera. I have a tramex and a protimeter. As long as it's reasonably accurate I think I would prefer the versatility of the extech. I am not doing a lot of water damage anymore, just smaller jobs. I think that tool is great for leak tracing. Last year I had a mysterious leak in a apartment bldg. Turned out to be a pinhole leak in a hot water pipe in a ceiling cavity. Came down a wall but so gradually it was hard to detect.