Thermapen sucks

[bob1852]

Sure, I guess it's okay and relatively instant read. If you can actually get the dumb overpriced thing to turn on and stay on.

My CDN DTQ450X is as accurate, just about as quick (more so, since it actually turns on), and a helluva a lot cheaper. Think I bought it from Bobby_M for about ~$14.

/rant

 

[Gavin C]

Mine works great.

$79 well spent

It stays on for 10 mins as per the settings. You can disable the auto off feature if you prefer.

Breathe...

 

[bob1852]

I'd much rather have ~5 of the CDN's for the cost. I'd give 4 of them away

 

[brewbama]

I love my thermapen. It was a gift so price notwithstanding it's never malfunctioned....ever.

 

[tsever00]

Thermapen is one of the best purchases I've made. Love it. I use it every day for cooking, smoking, beer making. Call Customer service and let them know your problem.

 

[Spartan1979]

I had to send mine in for repair. It was pretty well used. $25 including return shipping. Seemed fair.

The CDN does work very well also.

 

[ChefRex]

Mines at least 10 years old, never had an issue and I cant say I've been particularity nice to it.

 

[balrog]

Wow. Is this like what the rant-flame-religious-wars of old were like when we'd fight to the death over our favorite programming editor or language in the 80's?

I had a CDN and loved it. It got damp and immediately failed. I was surprised but only out $20 buh. I got the longer probe CDN (size matters when you don't want to burn your delicate fingers in the mash) for about $21.

Brew on.

Oh, and WordStar still rules! So there.

 

[day_trippr]

I bought my Screamin' Yellow Splash-Proof Thermapen when they first came out, primarily for kitchen and barbecue use where it truly excels like no other. It has always worked perfectly.

I actually only use it for brewing to calibrate my multitude of digital sensors and kettle thermometers and to check the temperature of yeast pitches. Otherwise I don't find it all that useful due to its short reach - and I use an RT610B-24 to check mash temps instead...

Cheers! (btw, the yellow Thermapens are the fastest )

 

[flars]

Sure, I guess it's okay and relatively instant read. If you can actually get the dumb overpriced thing to turn on and stay on.

My CDN DTQ450X is as accurate, just about as quick (more so, since it actually turns on), and a helluva a lot cheaper. Think I bought it from Bobby_M for about ~$14.

/rant

How long have you had your Thermopen? Does it need a new battery? A new purchase will be replaced at no charge. Thermopen has great customer service.

 

[balrog]

I use an RT610B-24 to check mash temps instead...

The tech specs on those are +/- 1.8°F. I thought we needed to hold mash temps to much closer micro-Kelvin temp ranges to have any chance at making decent beer! I remember freaking out the time I spot checked my mash and could vary 3-4°F depending on how I'd stirred (or not stirred) it.

 

[day_trippr]

Aw, what's a couple of degrees F between enzymes and substrate?

But, fwiw, I always sanity-check against the Thermapen on brew days and the two read within a degree F of each other. But that long probe is so much more useful for checking a mash...

Cheers!

 

[d3track]

Did you contact thermoworks? I had a bad probe and they sent out a replacement 2nd day air. Their customer service is top notch.

 

[bob1852]

I'm too lazy to contact them. Bitching about it on the interwebs is much easier.

Plus, I have my CDN that works great.

 

[Yooper]

Sure, I guess it's okay and relatively instant read. If you can actually get the dumb overpriced thing to turn on and stay on.

My CDN DTQ450X is as accurate, just about as quick (more so, since it actually turns on), and a helluva a lot cheaper. Think I bought it from Bobby_M for about ~$14.

/rant

Mine is hard to turn on, if it has shut itself off. I've had problems with it since the day I bought it. I usually resolve it by taking the batteries and and putting them back in. Sometimes that is the only thing that works. Their customer service was ok, and told me to change the batteries when I called, but it wasn't a battery issue at all (and still isn't).

 

[lschiavo]

I'd much rather have ~5 of the CDN's for the cost. I'd give 4 of them away

Put me down for one. It'll be my Thermapen's bitch.

 

[lschiavo]

Mine is hard to turn on, if it has shut itself off. I've had problems with it since the day I bought it. I usually resolve it by taking the batteries and and putting them back in. Sometimes that is the only thing that works. Their customer service was ok, and told me to change the batteries when I called, but it wasn't a battery issue at all (and still isn't).

There should be a button to turn it on. Closing and opening it again is a PITA. The switch in that mechanism has to be a weak point in the design. Even so, I love mine. The Thermopop has a button and is cheaper but a bit slower.

 

[Yooper]

There should be a button to turn it on. Closing and opening it again is a PITA. The switch in that mechanism has to be a weak point in the design. Even so, I love mine. The Thermopop has a button and is cheaper but a bit slower.

Yes, that is what my suggestion was to them a few years ago! A button. It seems to me that there is a flaw in the "open all the way" part. Sometimes it works, but almost never the first time I use it after a period of not using it. It's a pain, and a button would solve it.

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

how about a link for this "CDN"

 

[bob1852]

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

 

[adiochiro3]

Thermapen is one of the best purchases I've made. Love it. I use it every day for cooking, smoking, beer making. Call Customer service and let them know your problem.

^This^ Plus, my wife loves it as well and also calls it a great purchase -- even after she learned the price! (And she's as Scotch as they come when it comes to spending!)

 

[brew_ny]

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

thank you

 

[lschiavo]

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

I have one of those. Maybe a different name. Mine was way out of whack. I'll dig it up if anybody wants it

 

[govner1]

I love my thermapen. It was a gift so price notwithstanding it's never malfunctioned....ever.

They are great and accurate BUT the probe is too short if you have an MLT 10 gal or larger. You can't really get an accurate read on mash temps.
I use a Cooper-Atkins Cool-Rite. Very accurate, long probe. & good read out.
Also, $36!!!

 

[pricelessbrewing]

I can't support the price tag. I'm sure it's a super high quality product but I can't do it. When I buy a new one, I'll be getting their lower price $25 one rt600c.

 

[zach976]

Haters!!!!!!!!

 

[Gameface]

Love my thermapen.

One time I thought it was off because it wasn't the same as my lab thermometer. I checked because after years using them both my blichmann brewmometer in my kettle wasn't reading where it normally did vs. my thermapen. Anyway, turns out the other two thermometers were wrong and the thermapen was right.

It's basically the standard I use to calibrate all my other temp devices with.

I'm sure those CDNs are good units too. I know Bobby_M vouches for them and I trust in his judgement.

 

[lschiavo]

Love my thermapen.

One time I thought it was off because it wasn't the same as my lab thermometer. I checked because after years using them both my blichmann brewmometer in my kettle wasn't reading where it normally did vs. my thermapen. Anyway, turns out the other two thermometers were wrong and the thermapen was right.

It's basically the standard I use to calibrate all my other temp devices with.

I'm sure those CDNs are good units too. I know Bobby_M vouches for them and I trust in his judgement.

This should be a testimonial.

 

[jsguitar]

I have the same issue with my Thermapen being finicky about turning on. I also bought one of those CDN's and the one I got sucks

Maybe I should send my Thermapen in to get fixed.

 

[Bobby_M]

What sucks about your CDN? Of all the units I've tested, they are badass. I too have a thermapen and it's fast and accurate just like a $90 thing should be. I leave it in my kitchen drawer for cooking and grilling. I use it to spot check a few of the CDNs with every shipment of a gross. See, even though the CDN is less than 25% of the cost of the thermapen, it's reasonably close in performance and I don't care if I lose it or break it. Incidentally I'm still using one I've had for 4 years and it survived one accidental dunk in 175F strike water and one full dunk in a bucket of starsan.