Is there a decent corded thermometer made?
I bought an Acu-rite thermometer from Walmart about three years ago. I didn't brew much in those three years and only used it probably a half dozen times. When I got back into brewing a few weeks ago, I used it a couple of times and it started giving me bizarre readings. I figured that it was three years old, so I didn't have too much to complain about. I bought another Acu-rite corded thermometer from Walmart. It was basically the same model, except it had a braided metal cord instead of a rubber/plastic one. This one made it through two brew days before it started with bizarre readings (180ish degrees in room temperature water). I had already thrown out the packaging, so I decided to buy another one at Walmart and keep it, then return the old one (well only a couple of weeks old) with the new packaging.
When I went to Walmart they didn't have the Acu-rite model any longer. They did, however, have a Taylor corded thermometer with cordless remote. This was about twice the price of the other one I had. I can be quite impatient at times and wanted to brew tonight so I just bought this more expensive one.
Well, low and behold, after I was halfway through the mash, this one did the SAME FERKING SHIITE! It started with bizarre readings! It would read everything as 170ish degrees F. I was already in the middle of the mash, so I couldn't run out and get another one, so I got my old broken one (the two week old one) and turned it on. It was reading correct (well, what I subjectively thought was correct anyhow), so I continued with this one.
Fast forward to cooling my wort and it seemed like it was taking forever to cool down. I noticed that it stayed at about 100F for quite a long time. I pulled the thermometer out and placed it in a bucket of cold water and it read 120F. Ferking great! I dipped my hand in sanitizer and check my wort temperature with my finger and it felt WAY cold. Now I have a wort that is at probably at about 50F (the temp of the water I was running my immersion cooler with) and yeast that should be pitched at a minimum of 60F.
Am I doing something wrong with these thermometers or am I just really, really ferking unlucky? I am pretty damn pissed right now with three thermometers having the exact same problem. The one constant in all of this (besides me, of course) is Walmart. At this point, I'm assuming it's cheap Chinese-made crap to blame...
Sooooo... anyone have any suggestions for good corded thermometers?
I bought an Acu-rite thermometer from Walmart about three years ago. I didn't brew much in those three years and only used it probably a half dozen times. When I got back into brewing a few weeks ago, I used it a couple of times and it started giving me bizarre readings. I figured that it was three years old, so I didn't have too much to complain about. I bought another Acu-rite corded thermometer from Walmart. It was basically the same model, except it had a braided metal cord instead of a rubber/plastic one. This one made it through two brew days before it started with bizarre readings (180ish degrees in room temperature water). I had already thrown out the packaging, so I decided to buy another one at Walmart and keep it, then return the old one (well only a couple of weeks old) with the new packaging.
When I went to Walmart they didn't have the Acu-rite model any longer. They did, however, have a Taylor corded thermometer with cordless remote. This was about twice the price of the other one I had. I can be quite impatient at times and wanted to brew tonight so I just bought this more expensive one.
Well, low and behold, after I was halfway through the mash, this one did the SAME FERKING SHIITE! It started with bizarre readings! It would read everything as 170ish degrees F. I was already in the middle of the mash, so I couldn't run out and get another one, so I got my old broken one (the two week old one) and turned it on. It was reading correct (well, what I subjectively thought was correct anyhow), so I continued with this one.
Fast forward to cooling my wort and it seemed like it was taking forever to cool down. I noticed that it stayed at about 100F for quite a long time. I pulled the thermometer out and placed it in a bucket of cold water and it read 120F. Ferking great! I dipped my hand in sanitizer and check my wort temperature with my finger and it felt WAY cold. Now I have a wort that is at probably at about 50F (the temp of the water I was running my immersion cooler with) and yeast that should be pitched at a minimum of 60F.
Am I doing something wrong with these thermometers or am I just really, really ferking unlucky? I am pretty damn pissed right now with three thermometers having the exact same problem. The one constant in all of this (besides me, of course) is Walmart. At this point, I'm assuming it's cheap Chinese-made crap to blame...
Sooooo... anyone have any suggestions for good corded thermometers?