# Digital thermometer advice.



## Nemo (Dec 17, 2018)

I'm just sounding out the KKF brainstrust about digital thermometers.

I'm using a $20 cheapie which does the job but it's a bit slow. Takes maybe 10 secs to equilibrate.

I've heard that Thermapen is pretty good and equilibrates in about 3 secs. Is this correct?

Any opinions on:
1) What is a good rapid thermometer/ are there any alternatives to Thermapen?
2) What features are useful/ what are gimmicks.
3) Durability of the various options.

Thanks everyone.


----------



## esoo (Dec 17, 2018)

I bought a couple of Termopops when they were on sale. Not quite as quick as the Thermopen apparently, but I find them plenty quick and they were much better than the cheapies I was using before.


----------



## Ryndunk (Dec 17, 2018)

Thermopop works great. A lot cheaper than thermopen . Adequately fast. And no other features to get in the way.


----------



## daveb (Dec 17, 2018)

Thermapen rules. I've used some of the knockoffs at cooking demos - harder to read, slower, don't feel robust. But the store I do demos for sells the knockoffs so....

For normal work and personal I use Thermapen. 

Right now the Mk-4 is on sale for about $70. Get the condom with it.


----------



## Nemo (Dec 17, 2018)

Wow. The mk4 is on sale in Oz for 160 AUD (down from 190). Importer making a big profit?


----------



## HRC_64 (Dec 17, 2018)

+1 Get a thermapen on sale -- they go on sale around USD$60-65 for the older model as well (which I've used and am happy with). The competing Javelin Pro is $50 for reference, the $10 seems worth it for the real thing. 

edit: US they are sold from the OEM and shipping is extra (around $4 domestically), not sure for international what the best alternative is.


----------



## bahamaroot (Dec 17, 2018)

Thermapen Classic $59...but not for long
https://www.thermoworks.com/Classic...740600160225622215731129215340229228131830906


----------



## Bill13 (Dec 17, 2018)

Thermapen Classic is "the one". Worth every penny.


----------



## panda (Dec 17, 2018)

i use this 
https://www.thermoworks.com/proneedle


----------



## Paraffin (Dec 18, 2018)

Thermapen Classic here, it just works. I've used it for years. I'm a home cook, but if I ran a pro kitchen I still wouldn't be looking for a cheaper option. A Thermapen just isn't that expensive.


----------



## Nemo (Dec 18, 2018)

bahamaroot said:


> Thermapen Classic $59...but not for long
> https://www.thermoworks.com/Classic...740600160225622215731129215340229228131830906


Thanks, but I'm thinking that postage from Utah to regional Oz is gonna sting.


----------



## GorillaGrunt (Dec 18, 2018)

+1 thermapen, there’s thermometers all over the place and everyone always wants to use mine... expensive but worth it.


----------



## Nemo (Dec 18, 2018)

Sounds like thermapen is pretty popular


----------



## F-Flash (Dec 18, 2018)

Its one of those things, when you use it in pro kitchen. You won't live without it, ever again. 
When My first one broke, I ordered two more and The one that broke, was warranty replaced by new one, so now we got 3.


----------



## Nemo (Dec 18, 2018)

F-Flash said:


> Its one of those things, when you use it in pro kitchen. You won't live without it, ever again.
> When My first one broke, I ordered two more and The one that broke, was warranty replaced by new one, so now we got 3.


Great to have this sort of feedback from pros. Thanks.


----------



## Nemo (Dec 18, 2018)

panda said:


> i use this
> https://www.thermoworks.com/proneedle


Thanks Panda. I'm still trying to find an Aussie distributor.


----------



## panda (Dec 18, 2018)

the original thermapen is too big, you cant keep it on your jacket pen sleeve, but the one i linked to are the ones made specifically for that purpose.

nemo try ebay


----------



## dough (Dec 18, 2018)

Ya like panda said that’s the main issue with the thermapen. I personally like having both smaller one in the pocket and bigger one with the magnetic glow in the dark condom on the line. We also have a probe style in the prep kitchen. The probe is great but way too big to live in on the line. The thermapen takes an amazing amount of abuse whereas the probe would easily get broken in a couple shifts. Plenty of cooks refuse to even bring a pen or sharpie so having the thermapen readily available is unbeatable for me.


----------



## Vils (Dec 18, 2018)

panda said:


> the original thermapen is too big, you cant keep it on your jacket pen sleeve, but the one i linked to are the ones made specifically for that purpose.
> 
> nemo try ebay


Thermoworks advices against buying their stuff from Ebay and Amazon due to all fakes circulating there.
And thermometers bought from unofficiell suppliers won't be covered buy guarantee.

I don't know if would be cheaper to get one from the British manufacturer. https://thermapen.co.uk


----------



## Vils (Dec 18, 2018)

A bit in the fakes here https://blog.thermoworks.com/thermometer/new-warning-thermoworks-website-2/


----------



## esoo (Dec 18, 2018)

If you're interested in anything ThermoWorks, sign up for their newsletter. They constantly run sales, and you can get some good pricing on open-box, etc.


----------



## Kgp (Dec 18, 2018)

6 oz. package mailed first class to Australia would be $14.25 
https://postcalc.usps.com/Calculato...False&mdt=12/18/2018&mdz=10:59&m=6&dvi=50&o=6

Just guessing at the weight, but I'm sure that Thermapen would give you a fair quote. Great company, and they include Jelly Belly jelly beans in each package!

Ken


----------



## Paraffin (Dec 18, 2018)

panda said:


> the original thermapen is too big, you cant keep it on your jacket pen sleeve, but the one i linked to are the ones made specifically for that purpose.



I get the advantage of pocket-ability, but the problem I'd have with that model is it looks too small for some things. I use our Thermapen to measure oil temp in a Wok for deep fry, over a wide Wok burner. With the Thermapen's large handle size and long probe, I don't need to slip on a glove to hold it. The long probe on a Thermapen is also good for reaching the center of a big loaf of bread, or a big BBQ pork shoulder. From the pictures on the link, the probe on that smaller one looks a lot shorter than the Thermapen probe (unless the hand model has really big hands!).


----------



## Mucho Bocho (Dec 18, 2018)

I've got the thermopen and several other Thermoworks meters. This my favorite set up right now, I like the K-type plugs as it gives you more flexibility. I use it mostly with the sous vide needle.

https://www.thermoworks.com/MTC-PC


----------



## MartinT (Dec 24, 2018)

Amazon's cheapie are bad


----------



## NBrewster (Dec 25, 2018)

The thermoworks thermopop is a pretty great deal. Accurate, slightly slower to read than a thermopen, but costs 30 dollars. Like some above have pointed out with others, it's short, so for some applications it's not deal, you have to hold your hand over the heat to get a reading. But for things like taking oil temp, chocolate when tempering, or just checking doneness for meat, it's quite nice.


----------



## frampton (Jan 1, 2019)

Ive tried quite a few of these. The Thermapen is the undisputed champion. Honestly, it’s one of those rare circumstances where there truly is no competition. The classic model seems to go on sale more frequently than the newer model MK4. The classic is great and, fortunately, quite durable, so you’re not replacing it every couple of months.


----------



## Nemo (Feb 20, 2019)

I ended up finding a retailer in Melbourne for Thermapen Mk 4 .

Not cheap but works great. Super fast.

Thanks for the advice everyone.


----------



## Michi (Feb 20, 2019)

massdrop.com has the Javelin PT12 occasionally. I got mine for $25 there.


----------



## Barmoley (Feb 21, 2019)

Nemo said:


> I ended up finding a retailer in Melbourne for Thermapen Mk 4 .
> 
> Not cheap but works great. Super fast.
> 
> Thanks for the advice everyone.


Thermapen mk 4 is the way to go, good choice. It's not like knives and stones, you just need one decent thermometer so just buy one good one and be done with it.


----------



## podzap (Mar 3, 2019)

I ended up buying an MK 4 too, just got it delivered a few days ago. I ordered the glow-in-the-dark condom with magnets to go along with it - nice because you can stick it onto the side of the fridge when not in use.

The thing that really surprised me about the Thermapen MK 4 was the size of it - I fully expected it to be half the size. It is actually quite huge for a handheld thermometer.

So last night, we had the juiciest pork chops I've ever fried in my life - took them off the pan at 58 celcius and straight onto the plate


----------



## Nemo (Mar 3, 2019)

It is pretty good not having to wait 10 plus seconds to measure the temperature.


----------



## podzap (Mar 3, 2019)

And actually be able to test the temp without leaving juice-draining puncture wounds in your meat...


----------



## 5698k (Mar 3, 2019)

Stick with the original..


----------

