[BruceBenjamin]

I have a question for all you Excel 20 owners out there:  What kind of thermometer do you use?  Regardless of what people think is the best, the probe has to fit through the probe eyelet holes in the sides of the stackers.  The probe I have in my digital therm is crimped onto the braided steel lead.  The crimp isn't very wide but it is wide enough to prevent it from fitting through the eyelet.  I might be able to carefully file the crimp down a little but I'm very hesitant to do this and likely screw up the probe.  I've looked at a lot of thermometers online and in person and it seems that many of them have the same type of crimp in the base of the probe.  Any suggestions?  Thanks.

Bruce

[Crash]

Check out the Maverick ET -73.  We swear by them.

[BruceBenjamin]

Check out the Maverick ET -73.  We swear by them.

Yep, that's the name I keep hearing about.  Clearly it's the most popular.  But I just hate seeing so many negative reviews on Amazon from people who have the probes fail.  I'm not thrilled with what appears to be a very short transmission range for the remote.  I've read quite a bit about some very good customer service from Maverick.  I like that but what I'd really like is very good quality control.  It seems that some of these thermometers are excellent and others fail very quickly. 

I guess the real question would be, how many times have you had probes fail and how would you rate the transmission range?  Clearly the probe fits through the eyelets on the Excel 20's stackers.  It seems that you know of what you speak and seeing as how you have the opportunity to use your thermometers a lot more than the average person I respect your opinion.  How reliable has the ET-73 been for you?  Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.

Bruce

[Crash]

In all honesty, we just upgraded to two of the ET-73's about a month ago (the dual probes are great).  Prior to using the 73's we used two different styles of the ET-901.  We have used the 901's for about 4 years and have had almost no issues with them.  The only problem I had was that one of the 901's stopped registering temps after being left outside during a thunderstorm.  It did come "back to life" after it dried out though.  So chalk that problem up to operator error.

I have also heard a few negative things about Mavericks, even here on the site.  It seems like a kind of hit or miss product from what I have read.  Luckily, we ha vent had any problems.

In short, we have had no issues with the Maverick products and we have really beat the hell out of both of the 901's.  I'm actually surprised that they are still functional.  I'll continue to use them until they piss me off.

[toys4dlr]

I have  Costco Business around here and the carry a probe type thermo for around 14 bucks.  They are accurate and cheap. 

I would go with a polder type too and any kitchen outlet place. 

[AzJohnnyC]

I have a Maverick, not sure what model, but I've had the reciever in my bedroom with me while I sleep with no problems.

[Crash]

I have  Costco Business around here and the carry a probe type thermo for around 14 bucks.  They are accurate and cheap. 

I would go with a polder type too and any kitchen outlet place. 

We also just started using a polder for checking meat temps.  Not as fast as the Thermapens, but hey...I got 5 extra seconds to spare.

I know BBQ Island carries them for just under 20 bucks.

[BruceBenjamin]

Thanks much for the info guys.  I guess I have to decide if I want to take the risk with the Maverick ET-73.  I know this isn't a big purchase and maybe for some people it's not that big of a deal if they're one of the unlucky ones.  But I'm one of those kinds that hates having to return something, or worse yet, just throw it away.

  It's rare that I buy anything that has that many negative reviews as the ET-73 has on Amazon.  For some reason it seems that just about any digital thermometer they sell has the same record of reliability as the Mavericks do.  I don't think I've ever searched for a product where the market is flooded with so many hit-or-miss items.  Are all of them just Chinese junk? 

How hard is it to make one of these that don't have such a high percentage failure rate?  You can buy a $20 cell phone that will last for years.  I've used cheap probe instant read thermometers in restaurants and at home that are practically bullet proof.  We had a baby monitor that would probably broadcast through a bank vault wall and it lasted through both of my kids.  None of this is unusual.  I'll bet if Fisher Price made one of these types of thermometers it would function flawlessly for years and cost about the same. Of course it would also have a picture of Mickey Mouse and Pluto on it too. 


Here's what I have now. http://www.kitchencollection.com/Temp_Products.cfm?sku=01060880&RankThis=Y&Searched=thermometer&  It's $15. It's not a transmitter model and it only has a single probe but it's taken more than it's share of abuse.  I even use it as a deep fry thermometer and it's been accidentally fully submerged in very hot oil.  It appears to be virtually identical to the CDN model that I've seen for $25. http://www.chefsresource.com/cdn-combo-probe-thermometer-timer-clock.html The only problem with it is that the base of the probe is crimped and won't quite fit through the eyelet.  I'm thinking of attempting to either file it down slightly or maybe squish it in my vise a little bit.  I suppose in order to make it a remote receiver model I could buy another baby monitor and duct tape it to the thermometer.  That way I'll at least be able to hear the alarm when it goes off.   I dunno...Such a saga!

Bruce

[BruceBenjamin]

I have  Costco Business around here and the carry a probe type thermo for around 14 bucks.  They are accurate and cheap. 

I would go with a polder type too and any kitchen outlet place. 

Unfortunately we only have a regular Costco here and they don't carry any thermometers that I could find.  Thanks for the info though.

Bruce

[Mike P in Tucson]

I have 2 Maverick remote thermometers, each with only one probe (the ET-72, I think).  I have had them for at least 2 years and have had no problems at all.  I even left them out in the rain overnight after one cook.

[azkitch]

No remote function, but I stand by the Taylor digital probe thermo I have for basic use; it's a Polder style. There are several brands that I believe use the same hardware in different cases; the flip up display type. Reads up to 392 or some funky number. One sticky button. Oh well. I could use 2 or 3 like it. Or more. But I can see where remote would be helpful. But 45-60 bucks for a thermometer...Never mind 90 for a thermopen, even if I can look like Alton then...
Good luck with your decision. You'll need 4 or more anyway, so just grab one!
Just followed your link. That's one of 'em I'm talking about...

[ron b]

bruce like i said there are some quirks with the 20 do what i did drill the hole a bit bigger problem solved... for me anyway what i did.
wish the best
ron

[BruceBenjamin]

bruce like i said there are some quirks with the 20 do what i did drill the hols a bit bigger problem solved for me anyway.
wish the best
ron

Drill them bigger?  I considered that but thought that the walls of the eyelet might be pretty thin.  Did the eyelet spin on the bit when you tried to drill it?  It won't take much to allow the probe to fit so if I only enlarge them a little maybe I'll be ok.

Bruce

[ron b]

i pulled rivert first then bored so no no spin just have a metal bit 30 seconds and !!!!!!bam!!!!!!......

[Mike P in Tucson]

AZkitch,  I got my remote ET-72 therms on ebay for 20 bucks each.