I put 2 mercury thermometers in it and they both read a little lower then the brinsea digital reading so that's why I took it up a little....if that's true about boys I will shoot myself!!!! LOL
I use the brightest LED flashlight that I can find. Most flashlights will have the number of lumens printed on the packaging so you can use that as a reference. I also like to use smaller sized flashlights because they are easier to fit in your hand. If you are having a hard time seeing inside the egg and your light is relatively a good one, try finding a darker space. Maybe my eyes are bad, but I almost need complete darkness to really get a good look.
But, I'm with you on trusting the Brinsea's thermometer rather than a store bought one. I don't have a Brinsea (would love one tho) but I have heard of so many people on here that really like them. I have 4 thermometers in my incubator right now and they are all reading different temps. Although they are within a degree of each other it still makes me wonder which is accurate. I hope you get some chicks soon!
Cell phone lights are bright enough. The trick is getting the focused in the right spot on the egg. That's how I candles my first broody's eggs. Unfortunately she decided on day 8 that she didn't want to sit anymore and I didn't have a bator.
led flash lights will work great. I use a mini one and kind of cup the egg with the light in my hand.
