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Cheaper alternative to Thermapen? Does not have to be digital.
WDE86
Posts: 69
After doing a couple of smokes, I've noticed that the old meat thermometer I have at home is not accurate. It's very difficult to get a reading past 140f. Thermapens are nice, but my fiance and I are on a tight budget (both working and going to school full time). Is there anything out there that can get me by? I'm not trying to have the fanciest set up right now. Just something I can reliably depend on to help with my cooks.
Comments
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http://www.thermoworks.com/ThermoPop
For the price, hard to top.
Sign up for their email list.
They also have sales all the time.Thank you,DarianGalveston Texas -
Javelin by lavatoolsUpstate SC
Large BGE, Blackstone, Weber genesis , Weber charcoal classic -
Do you have any experience with this? How's its functionality?Photo Egg said:http://www.thermoworks.com/ThermoPop
For the price, hard to top.
Sign up for their email list.
They also have sales all the time. -
Javelin
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( 9 times out of 10) this is what I would be purchasing, but I'm super tight until fall semester gets underway. Can't stop cooking until then.etherdome said:Javelin by lavatools -
+1 for the Javelin. It has been fantastic, for $24 I would get it againetherdome said:Javelin by lavatoolsLas Vegas, NV -
Yes, have a couple and also friends that use them. Very accurate and fast and easy to use.WDE86 said:Do you have any experience with this? How's its functionality?
The Javelin Pro($50) is also nice but 2x the price of the POP but half the price of the Thermapen. Kinda have to look at this as long term investment if you do spend the money on a quality product.Thank you,DarianGalveston Texas -
Exactly. Eventually, I plan on picking up a thermapen. I'm just balling on a budget currently. I won my large BGE and it's been the most fantastic thing I've ever gotten. It's taken my family cookouts and football saturdays to new heights. I'm just trying to maximize functionality without breaking the bank at the moment.Photo Egg said:Yes, have a couple and also friends that use them. Very accurate and fast and easy to use.
The Javelin Pro($50) is also nice but 2x the price of the POP but half the price of the Thermapen. Kinda have to look at this as long term investment if you do spend the money on a quality product. -
@WDE86 pm me your address and I will send you one
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when i started out i just had a cheap oven safe dial meat thermometer for butts and roasts, leave it in and read it thru by lifting the daisy off and looking down. about ten bucks, just make sure its oven safe.
pretty descent temp chart for doneness temps for roasts using a dial gage, some of those cheap oven gages are marked with doneness readings that are way off
http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/meat-doneness-chart/
fukahwee maineyou can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it -
Don't waste your money on the Pen. The Pop is just as fast and it's 1/3 the priceWDE86 said:Exactly. Eventually, I plan on picking up a thermapen. I'm just balling on a budget currently. I won my large BGE and it's been the most fantastic thing I've ever gotten. It's taken my family cookouts and football saturdays to new heights. I'm just trying to maximize functionality without breaking the bank at the moment. -
I hate my Thermopop. Get the Lavatools Javelin ($25). You might even look at the Lavatools Pro if you can stretch the budget a bit ($50).
If even $25 is too much there are a lot of thermos flooding the market these days in the $10-$15 buck range - https://smile.amazon.com/ThermoPro-TP03A-Digital-Cooking-Thermometer/dp/B01IHHLB3W/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1500386550&sr=8-5&keywords=lavatools“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk -
The Javalin and the Pop are both quality products that will not break the bank at about $25.WDE86 said:Exactly. Eventually, I plan on picking up a thermapen. I'm just balling on a budget currently. I won my large BGE and it's been the most fantastic thing I've ever gotten. It's taken my family cookouts and football saturdays to new heights. I'm just trying to maximize functionality without breaking the bank at the moment.
You could have helped this post by stating a price range you feel comfortable spending at this time.Thank you,DarianGalveston Texas -
I was looking for something in the $15-$30 range. Fortunately, I've been helped out by a fellow member here. @slovelad - If you don't want me mentioning this "out loud" I understand. But he's hooking me up with something to try out for a bit.Photo Egg said:The Javalin and the Pop are both quality products that will not break the bank at about $25.
You could have helped this post by stating a price range you feel comfortable spending at this time.
The reason I didn't put a price is A.) I didn't think of it and B.) I just wanted to know, in general, what members here used as alternatives.
I appreciate your feedback as well as everyone else's. This is an awesome place to find info and get assistance on things. -
I have only the Thermapen. If the Pop had been available when I bought, I would probably have bought that (I hadn't yet heard of the Lavatools products).
However, after further review, I don't think I would like the Pop's separate sheath used to slip over the probe. Just something to lose. I prefer the folding design of the Tpen or the Javelin (although that's one more thing to go wrong). For $25-ish, I think I'd rather have the Javelin than the Pop.
The Tpen is a great product and Thermoworks is an awesome company, but if I ever buy another, it'll probably be the Javelin Pro (backlit, rotating display, $50. Mostly because it's half the cost of a Tpen.I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!
MichaelCentral Connecticut -
Sorry WDE86 going to high jack your thread a little. Anyone with a theramapen experienced an issue with it not turning on when you "open" it? I've replaced the batteries and it didn't help. It sometimes takes several tries before it turns on.Large and Small BGECentral, IL
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Not at all! It's all good. Obviously, I've never had this problem since I don't own one, but I've read nothing but positive things about Thermapens customer service. I'd give them a call and see if they can't resolve the issue for you.saluki2007 said:Sorry WDE86 going to high jack your thread a little. Anyone with a theramapen experienced an issue with it not turning on when you "open" it? I've replaced the batteries and it didn't help. It sometimes takes several tries before it turns on. -
I use a thermapen personally but I gave 5 thermapops away as Christmas presents last December. Sign up on the Thermoworks site for free notifications of sales. What's a little extra spam?
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i have one that needs to be opened twice but its been working like that for several yearssaluki2007 said:Sorry WDE86 going to high jack your thread a little. Anyone with a theramapen experienced an issue with it not turning on when you "open" it? I've replaced the batteries and it didn't help. It sometimes takes several tries before it turns on.
fukahwee maineyou can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it -
I have 2 with same issue. One is very minor and the other is getting worse.saluki2007 said:Sorry WDE86 going to high jack your thread a little. Anyone with a theramapen experienced an issue with it not turning on when you "open" it? I've replaced the batteries and it didn't help. It sometimes takes several tries before it turns on.
I need to send it in.Thank you,DarianGalveston Texas -
Yup.saluki2007 said:Sorry WDE86 going to high jack your thread a little. Anyone with a theramapen experienced an issue with it not turning on when you "open" it? I've replaced the batteries and it didn't help. It sometimes takes several tries before it turns on. -
The Pop is quick but not as fast as the Pen. Pop needs 3-4 seconds for a reading. The Pen needs 2-3 seconds. Not a big difference and not significant in many uses.Don't waste your money on the Pen. The Pop is just as fast and it's 1/3 the price
Accuracy is likewise close but the Pen is more accurate than the Pop. For many applications the difference is not significant (0.7ºF vs 2.0ºF).
You likewise see similar differences in the Javelin and the Javelin Pro.Southeast Florida - LBGE
In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’ Dare to think for yourself. -
Thermpop
In four years of egging Ive never made chocolate nor thought, "gee, I wished I had a Thermopen". While many love them, it is not a must have IMHO.New Albany, Ohio -
Guessing you just deal with it. Damn first world problems.DoubleEgger said:Yup.Large and Small BGECentral, IL -
I tested them side by side the other day and there's zero difference.jtcBoynton said:The Pop is quick but not as fast as the Pen. Pop needs 3-4 seconds for a reading. The Pen needs 2-3 seconds. Not a big difference and not significant in many uses.
Accuracy is likewise close but the Pen is more accurate than the Pop. For many applications the difference is not significant (0.7ºF vs 2.0ºF).
You likewise see similar differences in the Javelin and the Javelin Pro. -
I used a Home Depot special for a couple of years (it was calibrated) and then bought a t'pop. Love the t'pop.
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I also have the pop. A orange one.2-XLs ,MM,blackstone,Ooni koda 16,R&V works 8.5 gallon fryer,express smoker and 40" smoking cajun
scott
Greenville Tx -
I have 2 Thermapens and always use them. I used to take one with me when cooking at other people's houses or at competitions and worried about losing it or it walking off when I wasn't looking. So I bought a few refurb thermapops just for those occassions. If a friend likes it and wants one, I just give them the one I am using when I am done. If it disappears at a competition, I'm not that worried about it.
Instant read thermometers are an investment in my book. Don't think of it as an expensive $90 spent today. Think of it as a $90 investment in saving your expensive meat for the rest of your life. What's $90 spread out over the next 50 years? I was at a family reunion last week and my aunt said she always overcooked porkchops. I asked if she used any kind of instant read thermometer and she said no. I said she could buy one for under $25 and she thought that was too much to spend. Really? You'd rather buy meat and cook it to the wrong temps than spend $25 one time to have perfectly cooked meat for the rest of your life? I told her next time she's at my house, remind me and I'll give her one.
Aledo, Texas
Large BGE
KJ Jr.
Exodus 12:9 KJV
Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. -
I use too have a the thermapen. I now have a pop and haven't missed the pen at all. For my use I didn't need a pen. Fits my needs and wants, but everyone has difference in what they like.
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You may not have measured the difference but the folks who make them say there is a difference. I trust them enough to believe them. But as I said the difference isn't much and not noticeable in some applications.DoubleEgger said:I tested them side by side the other day and there's zero difference.Southeast Florida - LBGE
In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’ Dare to think for yourself.
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