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OT-New ThermaPen not what it seems

hayhonker
hayhonker Posts: 576
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Just gettin this off my chest.

So....Long story short the new ThermaPen is no longer made in the US. It says Made in the UK by ETI for ThermoWorks. It's water resistant, harder to open, and a number of other different things some better, some questionable IMO.

Well, I suppose this is the way things are going but if you go to the ETI website you can buy them for $68.54. Then they add shipping and VAT which brings the price to $91.

Now why would ThermoWorks contract out like this if they only make $5 per pen (they sell for $96 at ThermoWorks)
How much did they make when they were actually made in Utah? How much do they actually pay for the UK ones? Inquiring minds want to know?

http://thermometer.co.uk/2-thermapen-thermometers.html

http://www.thermoworks.com/products/thermapen/splashproof_thermapen.html

Comments

  • WessB
    WessB Posts: 6,937
    Glad to know I got an original....that just aint right...the US is goin down the tubes every corner you turn..
  • cookn biker
    cookn biker Posts: 13,407
    Hey Jason, I've got a gently used one for $75, with a real nice cover. :laugh: :laugh: :lol:;)
    Molly
    Colorado Springs
    "Loney Queen"
    "Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it."
    Bill Bradley; American hall of fame basketball player, Rhodes scholar, former U.S. Senator from New Jersey
    LBGE, MBGE, SBGE , MiniBGE and a Mini Mini BGE
  • looked at my old ThermoPen thermometer and it doesn"t say "made in the USA". If I remember correctly the
    original instructon sheet stated where it was made.
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    No real surprise here. If you look at the fine print, so to speak, this is what you will find under "About Us" at the Thermoworks website...

    While a few of our products are manufactured here, many are made for us by partner factories in Europe, Asia and the USA. Most of our in-house staff is engaged in marketing, technical support, product definition, design, and operations. We run our own calibration lab and service departments. Most products can be repaired right here. We do not outsource our order desk nor our warehouse and fulfillment. All of this is done by ThermoWorks staff so you can speak directly with people that know something about the products and the status of your order.

    As for the VAT charge from ETI, for every purchase I have ever made from UK companies, VAT was waived for shipments to the US. Carriage charges only. So it might be even less expensive.

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • cookn biker
    cookn biker Posts: 13,407
    Mine does. When did you purchase yours?
    Molly
    Colorado Springs
    "Loney Queen"
    "Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it."
    Bill Bradley; American hall of fame basketball player, Rhodes scholar, former U.S. Senator from New Jersey
    LBGE, MBGE, SBGE , MiniBGE and a Mini Mini BGE
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    Jason,

    Thermaworks is an American company that sells Thermapen. ETI of the UK makes them. I believe they always have.

    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    Michael,

    That is true. We import from the UK and export to the US and other countries. VAT and our GST do not apply to foriegn shipments

    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • Bobby-Q
    Bobby-Q Posts: 1,994
    Not to burst any bubbles but the original Therma Pens were made in the UK.

    I have the third one ever made with the made in the United Kingdom printed on the big back label.

    My old contacts with the company are not there anymore but I imagine they are being made back in the old facility.
  • hayhonker
    hayhonker Posts: 576
    That is very interesting. Yes, it seems the company's have a partnership of some sort. Maybe they were made here while the UK re-tooled for the new style?
    Maybe it's all just conspiracy theory at this point?
    I just know my old one said made in the US, and now it don't.
    Not that I have anything against being made elsewhere.
    canada-goose.com? Steven, what do real Canadians think of this company? Overpriced tourist trap or the real deal?
    http://www.canada-goose.com/7p_faq.htm
    It just bugs me when companies that I have pledged my support/business to change things up and outsource, cut jobs, and still charge the same retail. I rant about this from time to time as I watch all the brands I became fond of, over 14 years of retail in the outdoor industry, move and leave folks here looking for work.
    Maybe I'm becoming a grumpy old man at 38. Just don't stop my steaks keep coming out at 128!
  • smoker62
    smoker62 Posts: 80
    So where is the best place to buy one , direct from the co?
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    Jason,

    I've never heard of the company but we aren't shy of geese. They are protected and they overflow on every little bit of water everywhere.

    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • hayhonker
    hayhonker Posts: 576
    might be worth more after all this discussion! :woohoo:

    Too funny
  • The Naked Whiz
    The Naked Whiz Posts: 7,777
    I don't know that Thermoworks makes most of their stuff. You can find identical looking devices on other manufacturers' websites. Not sure what they make and what they simply distribute. I know for a fact that they don't make the jelly beans! :-)

    I suppose I should also point out that a) the price you quote is retail, Thermoworks isn't paying anywhere near that, and b) VAT is something like 17% but you don't pay VAT on products taken out of the UK. Of course there is the question of customs, but Thermoworks isn't paying anything like what it would cost an individual to buy one.
    The Naked Whiz
  • Ripnem
    Ripnem Posts: 5,511
    smoker,

    e-mail 'mollyshark' through the forum. She'll hook you up right. ;)
  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 11,458
    Looking at my original, purchased from Molly Shark in December'08. Fine print on the unit label reads "Manufactured in the UK by E.T.I. Ltd. for Thermaworks, Alpine, Utah...."
    canuckland
  • cookn biker
    cookn biker Posts: 13,407
    Well heck, the price just went up. B)
    Molly
    Colorado Springs
    "Loney Queen"
    "Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it."
    Bill Bradley; American hall of fame basketball player, Rhodes scholar, former U.S. Senator from New Jersey
    LBGE, MBGE, SBGE , MiniBGE and a Mini Mini BGE
  • smoker62
    smoker62 Posts: 80
    Ripnem wrote:
    smoker,

    e-mail 'mollyshark' through the forum. She'll hook you up right. ;)


    Thanks Ripnem , will do just that.
  • hayhonker
    hayhonker Posts: 576
    Well that was interesting and helped with the old 'buyers remorse' and thinking I should have kept the one I had. I learned that the TP was made in UK, then here for a little while, now back in UK. It's definitely a quality product and used at the highest levels in cooking.

    The overall quality did not go down with the recent update, and the Jelly Belly's are as yummy as ever. They aren't hiding the fact that only a few of their products are made here. I'm glad they put that on their website.

    This thread reminds me of the old forum and how "Live" it felt. Gotta try and keep up as it moves WAY faster.
    Bed time here in MD. Thanks for playing!
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    You better get straight £ and $ or you will be in for a big surprise.

    If they are prices in US dollars then consider shipping from the UK to the USA, most of the time it is pretty safe, however, a lost product if not insured is lost.

    Do you want to go to EFI should there be a problem. As we have read year in and year out Thermoworks have been great in helping folks out.

    The ETI products have always been a UK product - never made in the US.

    Thermoworks is the exclusive US distributor - they do not make them.

    Just some thoughts.

    GG
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    Made in the USA or distributed in the USA? As I understand things they have been a UK product. Mine is pretty old and the package says made in the UK as does the sticker.

    Kent
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    US customers cannot purchase From ETI. When you email their Export Sales Manager and ask whether they waive VAT for US orders, he refers you to Thermoworks and explains that they (ETI) do not ship here. Kind of odd as they DO have an option on their web site to show pricing in USD.

    I already have a Thermopen, but I asked ETI anyway. A Public Service Announcement for the forum. :)

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • Ripnem
    Ripnem Posts: 5,511
    GG,

    Hayhonker sold an old model to Molly and it was made in USA. :huh:
  • James MB
    James MB Posts: 359
    I thought they'd always been made (here) in the UK too. Mine was ;) but then again it reads in Celsius and all the references here are in Fahrenheit, though I believe you can switch ranges on the newer ones.
    Oh - and why "dis" the product because it's made in Blighty :) - we used to make lots of great stuff.
    Did I mention Thermapen as a UK product?
  • cookingdude555
    cookingdude555 Posts: 3,188
    I live in Utah, so when I decided to buy a Thermapen, I drove directly to their office to make the purchase. Andy handled my purchase (here he is on their contact site -> http://www.thermoworks.com/contact_us.html), and he openly said they did not make the devices. It kind of seemed like they outsource them to the UK, but maybe they are just a distributor. Either way, I love it and its the best thermometer I have ever used.

    When my 97 year old grandmother died a few years back, I was given her 30 year old Kenmore mixer. It was made in the UK, it's a tank, and I dont see myself needing a KA for years to come, it just works. Kudos to UK manufacturing!
  • The Naked Whiz
    The Naked Whiz Posts: 7,777
    FWIW, I just checked my old-style Thermapen and it doesn't say on it where it was manufactured. I just bought a couple of data recorders from them, and sure enough, when you install the software, you find out the company that made them. Thermoworks just puts their sticker on them and rebrands them. I don't think they make much of what they sell. If you look at the incredible array of devices they sell, they'd have to be one big company to make all that stuff, write all the device drivers and applications, etc.
    The Naked Whiz