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Thermapen age

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slammmed

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How long has everyone had their thermapen? I am looking to bite the bullet but I'm torn between that and the greatly cheaper rt600c. The temperature range is whats making me lean towards the thermapen but the price difference is staggering.

But... It'd be worth it if I know it's going to pay for itself I the long run. So, how long have you had your thermapen?
 
I know I have had my first one for over 5 years. The second one for at least 3 years. The older one gets used everyday at the restaurant. The second one is the splashproof ultra fast yellow and that is the one I use. I have not had a problem with either one of them.
 
I have 2 Thermopens, one for poultry (yellow) and one for beef and pork (red).

I have had them for two years without any problems of any type. I use the Thermopen rather than total reliance on twist and touch. I like to know just how close I am to target time for scheduled dinner time, this allows me to adjust the cooker to meet my time schedule.

They are indispensable when cooking hundreds of pieces of chicken or 20 to 40 Pork Butts to make sure a safe temperature is reached before putting in the trays to rest. It also allows you to move items around in the cooker to balance out the hot spots.

If you keep an eye out you can get a Thermopen on an Open Box Sale with full warranty. http://www.thermoworks.com/products/thermapen/splashproof_thermapen_open_box_sale.html

Everyone has their own method of checking, and bottom line is that there are differences in the same cuts of meat, so the thermometer is just a guide to assist you, except in the case of poultry. With poultry nothing leaves my cookers until proper temperatures are achieved in each piece of meat.

.
 
My thermapen is about a year and a half old. My dad's thermapen is about 4 years old by now. It used to be mine but eventually I could no longer separate the two of them... :p

At the end of the day I believe I use my thermapen for every cook on the grill or smoker even if its just verification and it also gets used inside for non patio cooking. It is probably my most used cooking tool. There may be a cheaper substitute option that works well but I have no regrets over the cash I've dropped on both of them.
 
I use mine on almost every cook, but I use it for baking too. I make alot of bread and it is invaluable to check water temperature before pitching yeast. It truly is a helpful tool.
 
Great, thanks for the feedback. At the rate I'm dropping on thermometers that break I'm just going to order it.
 
speaking of splashproof, mine went through the washmachine. even like an idiot I open it up right away and was blown away that it turned on. quick turned it off, opened the battery cap, poured out water, left it open for a week to dry out and its working just like the day I got it.
 
I have two thermapens. The older, super fast red one, is now going on 5 yrs. The newer one, screaming fast orange, is abt 2 yrs old. Both doing GREAT......

I recently purchased 5 of the rt600c thermometers, and IMHO, I would not recommend them for a lot of cooking.... they have a rather long skinny probe and a rather small case. I would think that if used a lot, that would be the weak point and break or come apart there.

Bite the bullet and get the pen if you are serious abt a great thermometer that will hold up.

Bill
 
You will find also that the rt600c is a slower responding thermometer, not much, but it is slower, and the accuracy is NOT as good as the real deal thermopens.....
 
I've had mine for 5 or 6 years and never a problem. It's been used at home, comps, and catering in good, bad, and UGLY weather conditions.
 
What I found curious, was I have only entered one competition, but the KCBS reps when they came around for meat inspection, they specifically asked to see my Thermopen, by name...not just a thermometer. My red one is about 4 years old and has been refurbished twice ($15 a pop) my orange one is 2 years old and have not had any issues with that one.
 
wow thanks for the great responses guys, i guess there is a reason they are the best and most popular.
 
And their customer service is superior. I ordered one for my bro as a Xmas gift and when it arrived I immidiately noticed it wasn't working right. I placed a call to them on the 20th of December and explained that compared to my Tpen my bro's was slow and had a delay. Before I even told them that I needed it for Xmas the guy shipped out a replacement and told me to just put to defective one in the box that the new one was coming in and send it back. The whole call to them regarding the issue took about 3 minutes total. Needless to say I rec'd the replacemnt on the 22nd of December and in time for Xmas. That's what I call service.:thumb:
 
Untraceable said:
speaking of splashproof, mine went through the washmachine. even like an idiot I open it up right away and was blown away that it turned on. quick turned it off, opened the battery cap, poured out water, left it open for a week to dry out and its working just like the day I got it.
Click to expand...

Similar story here too. I left mine outside and it snowed 4 inches on it. I opened it to see if I ruined it and it worked. The display was a little sluggish. Still works like a champ.

Sent from my phone.
 
We have two, and because they are so fast, durable, and portable, you won't hesitate to carry and use them. This is especially important when serving your food to the public, or people you really like... :)
 
Ackman said:
What I found curious, was I have only entered one competition, but the KCBS reps when they came around for meat inspection, they specifically asked to see my Thermopen, by name...not just a thermometer. My red one is about 4 years old and has been refurbished twice ($15 a pop) my orange one is 2 years old and have not had any issues with that one.
Click to expand...

mmmmmmmmmm.... didn't think the reps were allowed to specify a thermometer.... I do know that the rules say that when cooling meat to hold, there are specific temps and times that it has to be done within (which meet the minimum health requirements). I would call foul on them saying which thermometer had to be used...... there is NOTHING in the rules saying it has to be brand X, Y, or Z... just a thermometer.

I would report that to KCBS and let them deal with it.... I am noticing a more and more reps are taking the level of terms on their own level and pushing a little too much authority.... they are not being consistent with their requirements.
 
I got my grey thermapen in 2002, just changed the original battery two months ago.
 
I have had my original "GREEN" one since 2008...:thumb: We now have a "WINE" colored one too...:becky:
 
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