With the advent of new cooperative volunteer networks such as the Citizen Weather Observer Program (CWOP), the accuracy of low cost instrumentation becomes an important aspect of data integrity. This study highlights the results of a side-by-side comparison of daily maximum and minimum temperatures and hourly readings recorded by a National Weather Service Cooperative Observer MMTS shield, a Davis Instruments “Daytime” Fan-Aspirated Radiation Shield and a Davis passive radiation shield. The nature of some of the differences suggests the possibility that in some respects the Davis shields may provide shielding superior to that of the MMTS shield. For a vast majority of the observations, the Davis Instruments shields met the accuracy requirements for synoptic needs and, in many cases, the requirements of climate monitoring. The findings of the study suggest Davis Instruments radiation shields perform with sufficient accuracy to support real-time observational and forecast model data needs.