I've finally gotten sick of my analog (?) thermometer that never really reads accurately. I'm not even sure if its calibrated right. Anyway, I want to get a new digital thermometer. Anyone have any suggestions? I'm not looking to spend more than 20 bucks on one.
What thermometer should I get?
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Cue the 15 recommendations to spend $90 on the thermopen but if you really want to keep it under $20, I can't say enough about the CDN DTQ450x if you want a simple but GOOD handheld digital. In full disclosure, I sell them, but several people will likely back up the recommendation in a few posts...
KuntzBrewing
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I just use a digital meat thermometer I got at bed bath and beyond, tested it in ice water and boiling water, works fine. Beer turns out just as I expected it to with the temps I hold it at.
I once bought a $20 thermometer that has a long braided wire extention that you "leave in a turkey or meat roast" and can shut the oven door and the base can stay outside the oven. Needless to say I left it in my mash tun, and used it all brew day but when I was done it. Kept reading 186 for like 4 days. That beer turned out not as planned. But chalk test showed that it converted. But the beer was a tad sweeter than expected. Threw that one out
I once bought a $20 thermometer that has a long braided wire extention that you "leave in a turkey or meat roast" and can shut the oven door and the base can stay outside the oven. Needless to say I left it in my mash tun, and used it all brew day but when I was done it. Kept reading 186 for like 4 days. That beer turned out not as planned. But chalk test showed that it converted. But the beer was a tad sweeter than expected. Threw that one out
KuntzBrewing
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Not the beer lol threw the thermometer out. Beer was still good just slightly higher FG, (with proper ferm temps pitch count oxygen etc)
jhorgan1
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So Kuntz I guess you wouldnt recommend getting the thermometer you got? I'm still looking, I looked up the reviews for the thermometer you suggested Bobby and even though there were a lot of good reviews there were also a lot of bad reviews but at 20 bucks I guess you get what you pay for. Anyone else wanna weigh in?
Xpertskir
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http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000P6FLOY/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
I just got this one. I'm going to be using it for more than brewing though.
I just got this one. I'm going to be using it for more than brewing though.
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A lot of the negative reviews came at a time that CDN's newly designed batch arrived from China. There was a major glitch in all of them and they were not accurate and would not calibrate. They took ownership of the problem, recalled all units from retailers and got replacements out to retailers and end users.
In my opinion, those reviews should be more like 3 stars and say "I had a problem with the unit I received but CDN replaced it for me through their warranty. It was a pain to have to ship it back, but at least they fixed it for me."
If you can't give a company credit for owning up to issues and fixing the problem, there really are no products out there that will satisfy. That's my opinion directed at the one-star "this is crap" crowd.
callback79
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Just received my DTQ450x from eBay (US seller), I can't calibrate the thermometer, lower temperature I got is 34.8F.
I tried the ice bath several times.
I tried the ice bath several times.
aubiecat
Well-Known Member
I have the CDN DTQ450x, best $15.00 I have spent. I test it quite often just to be sure and it is dead nuts. Surprised really that a $15.00 China thermometer would stay accurate but I am a believer.
Just my experience with it.
Just my experience with it.
Gitmoe
Well-Known Member
Anybody have a digital probe thermometer recommendation?
HawksBrewer
Well-Known Member
+1 to this model for brewing. Have been using this for a couple of years w/o incident and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone.
Just to spite Bobby_M I just got a thermapen earlier this week, but it's more for grilling and cooking than brewing. Although I'm sure it will find its way into a mash tun or two...
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callback79
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You're right. I wrote to CDN 3 hours ago and I already have the answer from them. They will ship me a new one. Sad the first one has problem, but like Bobby said, we have to give credits to CDN for their excellent customer service.
knotquiteawake
Well-Known Member
I am a Thermapen fan. Don't buy it full price though. Keep an eye out on the forums for their "Open Box" sales. Usually if one of us gets an e-mail from them about the open box sales we start a thread here because the open box is open for anyone with the link (its not advertised on their website, only via e-mail promotion). I think Open Boxed they are only $79
beergolf
Well-Known Member
I had the same problem. I emailed them and they got right back to me and instructed me to send it to them for a replacement.
Thermoworks, the company that makes the Thermapen, also makes a cheaper alternative, the RT600C Super-Fast Pocket Thermometer. It's not as fast as the Thermapen (6 second response time as opposed to 3) and has a narrower temperature range, but it costs $20 and for brewing purposes it's just as accurate and reliable as the Thermapen. I have both; I use my Thermapen for cooking and my RT600C for brewing.
Funny! I must have bought the same thermometer, only mine reads 174 now.
callback79 said:
That is one from the bad batch apparently. Send it back to cdn.
RUNningonbrew
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+1 for thermapen I use it for cooking and brewing
danorocks17
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I have this one and I really like it. Can't beat the price too,
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00009WE45/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00009WE45/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
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itsbeeryo
Well-Known Member
So happy to see positives on this one, I just bought it today after resisting the urge to go for the Thermapen. Thanks
chuckda4th
Well-Known Member
Xpertskir said:
I've had this one for ~2years and really like using it in every step of the AG brew process and cooking due to the alarm and timers, but unfortunately it is no longer accurate on the low end.
Ice water test is now showing about 49 at lowest, although boiling water temp is dead on. Still haven't decided if I'm going to replace with the cheap thermapen or another polder. The weird thing is, I only realized it has been off after my last brew, yet all beers have still been turning out fine. I'm guessing my mash temps are 3-4 deg high though.
Maybe I'll just try the cheap thermapen as a backup and keep using this for the alarm feature.
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Another satisfied owner of an RT600C. I have serious consideration to getting a Thermapen, but reviews for the 600C were good enough that I took a chance on it. Bought it for cooking a couple years ago and use it exclusively for brewing as well. Never had any problems and I've only had to change the battery once.
For cooking, the Thermapen is awesome because you need that speed for things like checking the temp of a steak that's sitting on a hot grill, and you need the wider temperature range for things like measuring hot oil or making caramel. But for brewing, speed isn't as crucial, and the temps you're measuring will always be between 32-212F. Plus I think the RT600C is more water-resistant than the Thermapen - according to the manufacturer, the RT600C is dishwasher safe to 190F.
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Well, I have three of the CDN's that Bobby sells and haven't spent half of that. (Scored two on eBay cheap.) And it's not because there's anything wrong with any of my CDN's. They all work great! It's that I think you have to be crazy to trust any one thermometer. Kind of a "measure twice, cut once" thing. I'd suggest buying something you can afford two of and use both.
edit to say:
A top reading thermometer is the way to go.
Oter
Well-Known Member
+1 on the RT600C. Reads within 5 seconds for me. Also came with a spare battery.
Katahdin
Well-Known Member
I use the RT600C for brewing. I have an older non-waterproof Thermapen I was using for brewing, but the moisture and sticky wort started to cause it to malfunction. The Thermapen stays in the kitchen now for grilling and I dont miss it at all for brewing.
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