I love my Thermapen and IMHO it is worth every penny! It is well made, feels solid, and dead accurate. When it comes to proper temps and cooking I would rather spend an extra $30 to get something that will not need to be replaced or fail. And if it somehow does I know that Thermoworks will right the wrong immidiately!
It is tough to find anything today that is very well made. Things are not made to last. Water heaters only last about 10 years now. I still see older water heaters with 30 years still working. And when things fail the parts are so expensive they aren't even worth repiairing. A new car with air bags can be junked because the air bags cost too much to replace.
So when I find a reliable product... Whatever it is... I stick with it. And Thermoworks has me as a lifetime customer!