What kind of digital/remote thermometer w/ probes do you use?

Ragtop99

I have the maverick. It's good but I don't love it. First one crapped out but was replaced under warranty. My current unit is hard to get the alarms to work. Also the probes are off a bit. The pit probe doesn't bother me being off by almost 10*, but the food probe is also off by roughly 6*. The range is good for backyard use. Beats going outside in the winter to check on the status of a low and slow. For what's out there in its price range, it's a solid choice. If thermoworks made a wireless unit, I'd buy it even at 2x the price of the maverick.

WeberWho

SGH said:

Big_Green_Craig said:

I use the Maverick ET-732. It has a pit probe and a meat probe. You can program it to alert you when it reaches set temps. The range is best out there. I've been down the street at a neighbors house and could still pick up my temps. 

I have used bluetooth thermometers as well. The range is terrible. I tossed it. 

Of the Mavericks, is the 732 the best unit?

* The 733 is currently the top dog for Maverick

pgprescott

If you already have a dual probe thermo of any type and like it, you can add the Party Q and basically have a remote pit controller for not a lot of $. I have the DX model and am happy with it. That being said I really only use it for overnighters and maybe a busy holiday.

DIAD

I use the Maverick 732 and have had no issues.  I just received the PartyQ from FireCraft this week, but have no feedback yet. 
In the Firecraft order they include a catalog, there is a new Maverick ET-735, which is Bluetooth.  They are accepting pre-orders now, but it won't ship until January. 

FarmerTom

What is the difference between a Maverick 732 and the 733?  Newer model or are there feature differences?

Durangler

Jeepster47 said:

Durangler said:

... wrapped the first foot of the probe wire with thermo shield tape as a precaution. ...

Would you mind sharing a name/link to what you're using.  Probes are really a consumable item ... not a "for life" part.  Any protection you can give will only prolong their life, so I'm interested in what you're using.

I've tried to link things in the past, with poor results. I'll try again & if it doesn't work go to Amazon & search Thermo Tec Thermo Shield roll. I purchased the 1.5"x15' roll. 

http://www.amazon.com/Thermo-Tec-14002-15-Thermo-Shield-Roll/dp/B00029KC2U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416571209&sr=8-1&keywords=Thermo+Tec+Thermo+Shield+roll

WeberWho

FarmerTom said:

What is the difference between a Maverick 732 and the 733?  Newer model or are there feature differences?

(733) comes with the two hybrid probes so you can monitor 1 meat and 1 grill temp or 2 meats or 2 grill temps. (732) has one probe. The (733) has higher heat temperature probes. (Main reason why I went 733 over 732). The unit has preset meat temps, bigger sreen, and the range is a little bigger.

Jeepster47

You might want to check out this review of the 733 vs the 732 ... it's a pretty comprehensive comparison of the two. http://grillinsmokin.net/blog_main/blog_2014/files/maverick_et733_first impressions.php

Note his description of the linear set up process on the 733.  Make a mistake and you can't back up ... you must go back to the beginning and start over again!  I find that the more complicated an electronic item is, the greater the possibility I can screw it up some how.  Simple is highly rated in my world.

I'm sure he didn't mean it that way, but the way WeberWho?'s posting reads, you might conclude that the 732 comes with only one probe.  It comes with one meat probe ... and one grate probe.  Difference? The grate probe has a blunt end that would be hard to push into the meat.  The 733 comes with two hybrid (meat probes?) probes that can be used as either a meat or a grate probe.

The advertized distance for the 732 and the 733 is 300 feet for both units.  In our sample of one each, we found them to be functionally equal.  Although, like the gas mileage claims on the window sticker, that's under ideal conditions. 

evie1370

OK, that's it. I have just told my husband what I want for Hanukah. Yep, no jewerly...just a thermapen and a maverick!

tazcrash

SGH said:

Big_Green_Craig said:

I use the Maverick ET-732. It has a pit probe and a meat probe. You can program it to alert you when it reaches set temps. The range is best out there. I've been down the street at a neighbors house and could still pick up my temps. 

I have used bluetooth thermometers as well. The range is terrible. I tossed it. 

Of the Mavericks, is the 732 the best unit?

IMHO, If all you are looking for is a simple pit probe and a meat probe, go with the 732. 

If you want the extra flexibility (and complexity) of letting either probe doing meat or pit or 2 pits, or 2 meats, or a color other than white then you want the 733. 

Good range on both, good accuracy. just keep those probes ends dry. 

edit: gues I should have read second page before posting. 

FarmerTom

With the 733, could one probe replace my eggs' dome probe, or will it fit through the existing hole is what I mean?  Or, would it be possible to clamp a probe, either 732 or 733, to the retaining clip of my existing dome thermometer, perhaps using one of those heavy black binder paper clips?   At  this point, I am more accustomed to referencing dome temp than grate temp.

marine_man

If you're tied to your phone, take a look at the CyberQ as well... had it for a year and been very happy with it; pays dividends when it's below 0 and checking temps.

Dillonjm

Nice thread.. I had the Maverick 733 temp probe on my Xmas list. Might change it up depending on this...

Jeepster47

@FarmerTom ... the short answer is no it won't on mine ... without some modification to the BGE temp probe hole.  Since your mileage may vary, here are some measurements that might help:

My LBGE ... the hole diameter is larger than 0.169" and smaller than 0.173" (checked go-no go style with numbered drill bits)

BGE temp probe ... 0.151"
TruTell LT225F ... 0.151"

Maverick 732 Meat ... 0.182"
Maverick 732 Pit ... 0.178"

DigiQ Meat ... 0.126"
DigiQ Pit ... 0.126"

Jeepster47

To answer FarmerTom's question, I ended up with a bunch of temp measuring equipment out on the table.  That made it a good time to check the calibration on the 732.  And, one thing lead to another, thus I ended up recording the time it took for the measurement instruments to change from reading an ice bath to reading a hot water bath.  The data was crudely taken so take it with a grain of salt.

The Maverick unit checks the temp every 12 seconds which puts it at a slight disadvantage in a race, but the results were outside of the 12 second time frame (48 seconds to record about 160 degrees of change.)  A thermopen was used as the benchmark for temps and a time stick for time.  Normalizing the numbers (same temperature change) to make them easy to visualize here are the results:

Thermopen ... 1 unit of time

BGE & TelTru ... 4 units of time

BGE with BBQ crud on it ... 4.8 units of time

Maverick (both probes) ... 10 units of time

I was trying to prove to myself that the BGE probe was slower at reading temperature swings than the higher tech electronic Maverick unit.  Lost that bet with myself.  Don't know what good the data is except to give me more faith in the capabilities of the BGE probe .. not as crude a tool as I assumed.

Oh yes, my 732 reads about 3 degrees high for both probes.

Durangler

Yeah, my 732 reads a couple degrees high also. I calibrated a bunch of thermometers last weekend in boiling water. Didn't do the ice water test. A couple degrees doesn't worry me, as the thermopen & thermo pop were bang on. 209* to boil water at my elevation. When the meat probe gets close to the desired temperature the Thermopen goes to work.