Cheaper alternative the the Thermapen

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MaxOut

MaxOut

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Has anyone found a cheaper alternative the the Thermapen that has similar accuracy and response time?

(sorry for the typo in the title)


MaxOut Brewstation
 
I use a $5 scientific thermometer from the LHBS. Quick enough and quite accurate.
 
Weezy said:
I use a $5 scientific thermometer from the LHBS. Quick enough and quite accurate.
Click to expand...


I was using a glass one and you know...broke it. Looking for an electronic, quick response option with plus or minus 1 degree accuracy for calibrating thermocouples.


MaxOut Brewstat
 
Weezy said:
I use a $5 scientific thermometer from the LHBS. Quick enough and quite accurate.
Click to expand...


I was using a glass one and you know...broke it. I have a few and they vary as much as 6-7 degrees in readings at various temps. Looking for an electronic, quick response option with plus or minus 1 degree accuracy for calibrating thermocouples.


MaxOut Brewstat
 
I still use floating thermometers for sparge & mash. Stick ons for my fermenters. But an All-Temp laser thermometer for checking temps against the temp strips & the temp of my rehydrate or starters.
 
Thanks for you input but I'm looking for an electronic, quick response option for calibrating my thermocouples. I have several thermometers but they all vary at different ranges and would like to have one I know I an trust. I'm seeing variations as much as 8 -10 degrees between some.


MaxOut BrewStation
 
campbellmike said:
Maverick PT-100 still pricey at $65-70 but similar function.
Click to expand...


I looked into this one but the reviews say the response time is poor although I have found this model for $50.00 so the price is much better than the Thermapen.


MaxOut BrewStation
 
Ive tried so many different thermometers... Thermapen is the way to go as all the others were just a waste of money in the end. Thermoworks always has some special going on.
 
The All-Temp laser thermometer I have has a quick response time, but is limited, it seems, to the material being read through as to accuracy. It reads fine through glass & plastic fermenters, flasks & the like. Not so much with metal. But I got it for some 40 bucks on-lone.
 
The response time isn't as quick but the Thermoworks RT600C is just as accurate as the Thermapen in my non-scientific tests. I don't use mine much as you really do get spoiled by the 2 second response time of the Thermapen, where the RT600C has a 5-6 second response time, however it's only $24 normally and as of this post on sale for $19.

http://thermoworks.com/products/low_cost/rt600c.html
 
I agree that the price tag on the Thermapen is off-putting, but honestly it's worth it. I use mine all the time - brewing, grilling, and in the kitchen. One way or another it gets pulled out of the drawer a couple times per week. I looked for a less expensive one as well, but eventually just bit the bullet.

Can't afford to buy cheap tools - know what I mean?

Just my two cents. Hope you find something that works for you.

Cheers.
 
http://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/cdndtq450.htm

Bobby_M said:
Since the thermapen is so respected, we bought one to compare at least 10 competing budget options. Most of them were so bad, that we wrote them off immediately. The CDN units compared VERY favorably and we think you'll agree when you see the data points below.
thermodata.jpg
Click to expand...
 
With temperature of the mash being critical,a 2* difference makes an attenuation difference between 1.012 or1.010.
Most important tool in box. Spend the money I did and my beers are better for it.
 
I have the $19 Thermpop which is by Thermapen. It is pretty fast and definitely accurate. I've checked calibration quite a bit using the ice bath method they describe on their site and it always measures correctly. I actually found out my other thermometer was 6º off when I got the thermpop.
 
Thermapen is the way to go. I'm not going back anytime soon.

I probably spent the equivalent of the price for a thermapen trying to find a cheaper version that works well. None of them worked as well, and most just stopped working after awhile.
 
Any thermometer can fail, even a Thermapen. If you're not willing to buy two you're taking a that chance. Two or three of the CDN's are still way cheaper than one Thermapen, just as accurate, waterproof (Thermapen is not) and give you a higher level of confidence from more than one reading.


One of my CDN's is over four years old and even after being dropped in the boil, works as well as the day I bought it.
 
itsme_timd said:
The response time isn't as quick but the Thermoworks RT600C is just as accurate as the Thermapen in my non-scientific tests. I don't use mine much as you really do get spoiled by the 2 second response time of the Thermapen, where the RT600C has a 5-6 second response time, however it's only $24 normally and as of this post on sale for $19.

http://thermoworks.com/products/low_cost/rt600c.html
Click to expand...

second this....
 
Am I the only one that uses a basic Kitchen Aid cooking probe thermometer that you would use for roasting meats in the over? I can leave the probe in my mash tun/boil kettle with the cord running out so that I can get continuous readings and not take the lid off, the response time is only a couple of seconds, accuracy is pretty much dead on from what I can tell (without calibration equipment), and the tolerance has to be pretty tight since it is off it could literally kill people.

I think the one I am using now was about $20 from either Walmart or Bed, Bath, & Beyond.
 
I too have, and use, the CDN pro quick thermometer, from Amazon.
It's only around $17 dollars, and it has served me well.
 
metanoia said:
I was thinking about this one from Weber: it's $10 on Amazon, Weber is a great name, and it has 4.5 stars.
Click to expand...

Just be aware that most of the customers using that are likely using it for meat where a +/- 5° fluctuation isn't a big deal. Also I noticed in the questions that one reviewer said it has a 15 second read time. You don't want to cheap out on your brewing thermometer.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I use the Chef Alarm from Thermoworks. They run about $50 on sale and I like the high and low alarms that can be set. The thin probe can be submersed so I use it for mashing and strike temps. I also use the timer feature. I have a bunch of Thermapens from BBQ but find myself using this for brewing.
 
I have an inexpensive CDN thermometer, and it's actually very accurate next to my calibrated thermapen. Read time is another matter. That's where the thermapen really shines. I can poke a chunk of meat in different points and get a very quick exact feel for how it's cooked on the thick parts, thin parts, breast, thigh, and anywhere in between. Likewise I can very quickly take several readings after mashing in and get a very clear picture on how close I've hit mash temps. Are there alternatives? Sure, but they're apples to oranges.

Also I disagree that +/- 5 degress doesn't make a difference for meat. To me it's the difference between a dry overcooked chicken breast or one perfectly cooked dripping with juice.
 
AnOldUR said:
Any thermometer can fail, even a Thermapen. If you're not willing to buy two you're taking a that chance. Two or three of the CDN's are still way cheaper than one Thermapen, just as accurate, waterproof (Thermapen is not) and give you a higher level of confidence from more than one reading.


One of my CDN's is over four years old and even after being dropped in the boil, works as well as the day I bought it.
Click to expand...

I dropped mine in the boil too. Still works great. Response time is about 2-3 seconds from room temp to mash temp. Once at mash temp (on one end of my rectangular mash tun) response time is probably half a second.

Manufacturer also has great customer service and stands behind their product. I had one that stopped working (not the one I dropped in the boil) and they replaced it quickly no questions asked. I have two now in case that happens again but so far no issues.

OP was looking for good quality lower cost alternative to Thermapen. This is it.
 
look for 'type k' thermocouples on amazon as well as cheapo meter to read them. They are a standard in scientific labs where i have worked for 15+ years because they cannot be innaccurate, the temperature is based off of sound materials properties. I got a bunch of probes and meters off amazon for under $50, calibrated them with ice/boiling water just to be sure and it was spot on, as expected.
 
I'm also a Thermoworks RT600C user (Thermoworks makes thermapen).

5-6 second response to accurate temp
±0.9°F accuracy (up to boiling)
water resistant
high temp resistant
dishwasher safe ;)
cheap-ish ($20-25 depending on sale or not)
 
CDN-450. ~$16 shipped (Amazon).

You do need to calibrate it when you get it. Mine was off by 4+ degrees.
Compared with a lab grade precision glass thermometer and it is spot on.
 
I use this $12 right now at Target works fine +/- 1-2° every time I check with boiling water & ice bath and usually +/- 1° when I check it against other digital thermometers.
13370918


It takes about 5-10 seconds to get a reading I don't see why that matters for the $80 difference in price I have no problem waiting a couple more seconds.. Not like that 10 extra seconds is going to hurt anything.....
 
Thanks for all the responses. I ordered a CDN and a Thermapen. I am not one to skimp but just wanted to be reassured the Thermapen was as accurate and quick as stated. After I calibrate I will use the Thermapen as my primary and the CDC for a backup. I could not find a bad review on the Thermapen anywhere but found many other brands comparing their product to the Thermapen. That makes me feel pretty confident the Thermapen is worth the money.


MaxOut BrewStation
 
I have a cheap CDN from like Walmart. It seems accurate enough when tested at freezing and boiling, but I can't say it reads quickly. Sometimes I would wish it was faster.

I'm holding off on a Thermapen until I have my electric system put together with the recirc. I think a PID control display integrated into the HLT will read fast enough since it's sitting in there constantly.
 
mkyl428 said:
I use this $12 right now at Target works fine +/- 1-2° every time I check with boiling water & ice bath and usually +/- 1° when I check it against other digital thermometers.
13370918


It takes about 5-10 seconds to get a reading I don't see why that matters for the $80 difference in price I have no problem waiting a couple more seconds.. Not like that 10 extra seconds is going to hurt anything.....
Click to expand...


If you will only use it for brewing the 5 seconds is no big deal. however that extra 5 seconds is huge when you are holding your hand over a 600F grill!


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 
For the price thermapen should be a bit more bombproof. I'm on my second one and probably won't ever buy another one. Not nearly waterproof... big fail on their part. Also I'm beginning to despise any electronic device that uses ridiculously expensive button type batteries.

Anyway, my main thermometer is a thermocouple type I bought used on ebay for much less than a thermapen. Uses regular batteries, uses a thermocouple probe (you can buy many different types, waterproof ones, etc). It can handle two probes simultaneously. Reads as fast and as accurate as thermapen. I'm much happier with it. The only con is it's bulkier, and has a probe dangling off of it, so in the kitchen setting it's not as simple, but for home-brew I love it. Keep the probe in my mash and watch the temp.

Do a quick search for "thermocouple thermometer" on ebay can check it out.
 
I use the BCS with thermistor temp probes that are calibrated by recording the resistance at three know temps. Generally you will measure 32F (ice in Water) 212F boiling water at my sea level but the middle variable I use is 104F. Without a known accurate source or temp probe to get a reliable reading I am unable to get an accurate resistance reading. Furthermore It is difficult to hold a steady 104F temp, get a reading and record the resistance. The Thermapens quick response will allow me to get a quick reading and record the resistance before the temp changes. I also do a lot of campfire cooking and traditional BBQ so the quick accurate reading will come in handy for cooking too.


MaxOut BrewStation
 

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