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Thermometers

RevZiLLa

RevZiLLa

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There are always 'adequate' and 'luxurious' options. There are also some inbetween.
 
My experience is that digital thermometers are more accurate than their bi-metal counterparts. They are also easier to calibrate. finally, I like the quicker reading that you get from the digitals. Not to mention that many of the digitals will transmit temperature signal to a remote readout display. That is nice when you are standing by the pit in 100 degree plus summer weather and would like to go somewhere cool but still be able to monitor your temperature. The same can be said for smoking in sub freezing winter weather. For all of those reasons I think they are worth the extra money. That does not say the job cannot be done with an inexpensive local readout bi-metallic thermometer of the type you show.
 
LVBBQMan said:
My experience is that digital thermometers are more accurate than their bi-metal counterparts. They are also easier to calibrate. finally, I like the quicker reading that you get from the digitals. Not to mention that many of the digitals will transmit temperature signal to a remote readout display. That is nice when you are standing by the pit in 100 degree plus summer weather and would like to go somewhere cool but still be able to monitor your temperature. The same can be said for smoking in sub freezing winter weather. For all of those reasons I think they are worth the extra money. That does not say the job cannot be done with an inexpensive local readout bi-metallic thermometer of the type you show.
Click to expand...

The first link for the $5.99 thermometer is a digital instant read that quickly does the job of items costing 10 times the price. Sadly, they only come in black...

The next two links are for spring operated units that measure pit temp. They are much cheaper than most non-digital pit temp thermometers (also spring operated) and they have longer probes too.

The remote thermometers are convenient and I have used mine a lot for monitoring meat temps. Now that I know my processes well, I seldom need it for monitoring the meat, but may want to stick it into a potato to monitor pit temps. It would be great if it had two probes, but I got it years ago and don't think that was an option then.

Don't get me wrong, toys are fun, but a lot of guys on here are about saving money and still getting great Q.
 
RevZiLLa said:
The first link for the $5.99 thermometer is a digital instant read that quickly does the job of items costing 10 times the price. Sadly, they only come in black... ...
Click to expand...

Serious question... How quick is 'instant'?

I've bought a few of those exact same model; smallish medallion style digi-thermo claiming to be instant.

I've never had one give even 'quick' results. The last one I bought actually took 90 seconds to come up to temp when measured against another therm already @ temp.

@ that price, I'd buy 4 or 5 to keep in the kitchen and around the BBQ stuffs, but only if they were true 'quick read' and gave accurate temps within 6-10 seconds.
 
uproar90 said:
Serious question... How quick is 'instant'?

I've bought a few of those exact same model; smallish medallion style digi-thermo claiming to be instant.

I've never had one give even 'quick' results. The last one I bought actually took 90 seconds to come up to temp when measured against another therm already @ temp.

@ that price, I'd buy 4 or 5 to keep in the kitchen and around the BBQ stuffs, but only if they were true 'quick read' and gave accurate temps within 6-10 seconds.
Click to expand...

I haven't timed it, but it is less than 10 and more than 3 seconds. It reads quickest when the probe is deeper in the meat. The downsides are smaller display and you have to be careful not to immerse the head when cleaning. After 4 or 5 years, when it needs a new battery, just toss it.

On edit: I tried it in ice water and it took more like 15 seconds.
 
Last edited:
NRA4Life said:
You get what you pay for. Good luck with that.
Click to expand...

I agree.

Side-by-side you may get accurate temps compared to high-quality models (Thermapen, Maverick, etc). When you spend hours cooking something and find out your crappy 5 dollar thermometer just gave up the ghost and you've overcooked your brisket, you'll see why many here save a little and buy quality units.

That's just me justifying paying 90 bucks for my Thermapen Rev. My wife still thinks I'm... :crazy:
 
When you have 50 pieces of chicken going and you need to give them a "quick check", that extra speed is worth the money.

If the cheaper one takes just 5 seconds longer, that is an extra 4+ minutes if you check them all.


In any case, if it suits your needs and budget, then more power to you. :becky:
 
I don't buy tools from HF either, you get what you pay for......... Not to mention I take pride in buying things that aren't made in China.
 
from my experince of buying every cheap Thermometer I could find, I spent more money on buying all the cheap Thermometers I could find.

That ended when I bought my ET-73, 3 years ago and it still works as the day I first used it.

What you dont realize is that you will spend more money on 5 dollars thermometers then you will on a 50+ dollar thermometer over the long run.
 
Academy Sports has a pretty good medium price selection of thermometers. Around 10 bucks for a 3 inch pit style. Also, if you have a kitchen type outlet store near you, they have a bunch. You can find them at propane outlets, hardware stores, wally world, and occasionally grocery stores.
 
Even cheap digitals (Acu-rite) have issues. When I fired up my Baby Bullet last Saturday, I placed two identical remote read Acu-Rite on the same rack (held up off the grate by potato halves) with the probe tips 1/4" apart. I found that the two thermometers were almost 50 degrees apart.
 
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