Splash-Proof Super-Fast ® Thermapen

[CDN Smoker]

Limited Time: Buddy Sale! Buy 2 or more Thermapens and pay only $85 each.

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

In my email inbox this morning.

[teesquare]

You guys REALLY ought to look at the Maverick Pro Temp. better feature set, more practical batteries, BIG back-lit display  - just as fast (in real world terms)

AND...it is sold by one of our sponsors here on LTBBQ...Pellet Grill Outfitters! And - Grill Grates sells their version of it as well!


I realize that there is a "fan-boy" effect with Thermapen. And - it is a good product. But, they don't have any interest in us. We get no love from Thermapen.

Isn't it nice to know that you *DO* have a choice?

[sliding_billy]

I totally agree about ThermoWorks not having interest in sponsoring.  They obviously have no interest in discounts other than their email specials.  A fellow on another forum contacted them about doing a large group buy and was basically told "we have the buddy promo going on right now."  That was their final answer.

As for choosing between the two, I am cettainly not alone in choosing the Thermapen because I knew exactly what it would do without question.  I looked at other thermometers including the Maverick (I do own two 732s, so this is not a Maverick bash).  All but the Thermapen had a fair amount of detractors.  Are some of those reviews plants from Thermapen fanboys?... probably.  If the price difference were a bit larger, I might be swayed to give the Maverick a try.  It is simply too expensive for me to take the risk.  Honestly, if I wanted a cheaper alternative I would probably get one of the less expensive ThermoWorks thermometers as a backup (but I have already got a few "reliable enough/fast enough" backups.

[teesquare]

I find the "negative reviews" overwhelmingly suspect......The handful I have read are just - well not being truthful, by my experience un owning and using one all of the time.
After all - Thermapen has occupied the cat-bird seat for so long...some folks just can't imagine the horror of another company producing a product that is within all practical measurement - just a s fast.  From a company that already makes the standard of measurement none the less  - the 732!!!! This Pro Temp a BIG backlit screen, gasketed battery door - and uses batteries that everyone has in their home. Their customer service is great. The price is competitive. ( I don't know if it is cheaper - not my point...)

My point is that I find it humorously frustrating that  - the BBQ universe is ALWAYS willing to jump on a new grill. Guys take pride in "being the first" or being early adopters - though they know the risks, and when those ( much more expensive items - like pellet grills)  do not prove to be perfect - which is often more true than not with any complex device - then - they will find work arounds, or deny the problems!!!

This is a simple frickin' thermometer. With more practical design that the Thermoworks. It is a viable option. But, the "fan-boy" loyalty ( which is a denegrating term - I know, my apology...I just the the the reaction to Thermapen as funny/interesting...o.k. a little crazy... and treated as if they are the only game in town! )

What would you think if instead of Themapen - we exchanged the "exuberance" shown for Thermapen with any other name brand of any category of product out there, of your choosing? I would bet that you would marvel at the public reaction - and say to yourself..." Gee - do you think they understand that they have options, and choices? Some that are as good - maybe better? At comparable prices?

Where would we be if there were still only ONE pellet grill?  Answer: There would not be a pellet grill industry. Having options and choices grows interest.
So, maybe this ramble explains my amazement that we have 2 site sponsors/companies that have reviewed the products int he marketplace - and THEY have chosen to sell the Maverick Pro Temp 100. Now, these are both companies that we know, and have a level of trust/confidence in.....

Wouldn't you think that alone says...Hey! - there are other products that may be worth consideration? Yet ALL i continue to see is "Themapen"....it is just one of my "isms". Because I think it says alot about how we are swayed into assumptions about a product - often in an un-meritorious fashion, and I know we are all more observant about EVERY other category of product in the outdoor cooking arena.
Hat's off to Thermoworks. Thermapen's branding is better than their product. I say this - because it is the ONLY one that folks think about when they think of this product type. And...you have options. Options from reputable companies, that will support their comparable product - and treat you well.

Off the soap box now......

[sliding_billy]

A compelling argument Tee.  Maybe next time you come to TX, you can bring the maverick with you and we can use it to measure a cook. 

[teesquare]

Well...I did not intend it to come off as a "rant" or argument....

But, merely an explanation of the facts as I see them ( does not mean I am right  - just my perspective) and an observation of a nearly lemming like behavior that I see where this one product is concerned.

When I was a kid - you HAD to have a pair of Converse high tops...Why? Because all of the college and pro basketball players wore them....Did that meant they ware better than other offerings? Absolutely not. They were popular because big names wore them....

I think of the Thermapen the same way. Does not mean it is a bad product, it is not. But it gets all of the attention merely because it was the first of it's kind, and many - perhaps most of the big named BBQ guys use it. Free to them? Maybe...heck - likely. But, smart marketing does not a better product make.

[sliding_billy]

I do not disagree with you.  Had I tested the thermometers before I bought one, I very well may have chose another brand.  I am not brand obsessed by any means.  I just went with the one product that I was 100% certain would perform as advertised.  When I got my 1st 732, I wasn't really that concerned if I tested it and found it lacking (and had to return it).  I'm not sure why the difference in my approach except that maybe I had something going on that I really wanted to use the Thermapen for.  I honestly do not remember.

[teesquare]

And I did not mean to single you out Chris... It just interests me when I see buying habits like the Thermapen has fomented for itself in the market. I don't think there is a parallel in the industry. Agin, my hat's off to them for figuring US out so well, as a group.

There is always a curmudgeon in the group. It used to be my job to turn observations and data into a calculable hypothesis  then plans and strategies....Old habit I suppose....

[cookiecdcmk]

And I had to have those Converse High Tops (black) and that is why I probably have bad flat feet now.

[muebe]

Well I love my Thermapen and IMHO it is worth the money.

Last summer I had the thing in my pocket and got into the little pool with my daughter. After being in there for 10 minutes I realized that my thermapen was under water all that time

Shockingly it still worked!

I think that seeing people on television like Alton Brown really helps their market in the US. They have built a strong reputation that they are the best and most accurate instant read thermometer. And seeing popular television chefs using
 them affirms that opinion.

[teesquare]

They have built a strong reputation that they are the best and most accurate instant read thermometer. And seeing popular television chefs using
 them affirms that opinion.


Agreed... in the context that they have been early in the game...and GREAT at marketing! But - that is not what I find amusing.

Here it is: What if Treager were the only pellet grill in the market place for a number of years and they established a huge following...( like...they have...)

THEN - another brand or two come along, and offer other features, and comparable pricing.....that really show that Treager has not improved their product in any significant ways in quite a while..... ( 'cause...that has happened too )

You are looking at pellet grills - would you reach fro the Treager - or would you look at GMG, Louisiana, Rec Tec, etc...THEN make a choice?

THat is what I am saying....As a group - outdoor cooks don't even give another brand of Thermapen type products a look.

That is - at the same time - admirable...and humorous. It says we are emotional buyers of certain products, not "fact based" research first.

[sliding_billy]

How about we all just put away our thermometers and smokers and cook over open fire until "done by feel?" 

[drholly]

How about we all just put away our thermometers and smokers and cook over open fire until "done by feel?" 

Yeah - and the problem with this is... 

[Ka Honu]

Wow!  Haven't seen tee so fired up since he heard a (thankfully false) rumor that bacon wasn't Kosher.

[happyappy]

This reminds me a lot of the Apple vs. Android discussions I get into occasionally.  Very similar to Thermopen, Apple was first with an innovative and tremendously successful product, the iPhone.  They have continued to build on that early success and have done an awesome job with marketing it.

While there are many brands, styles, and quality versions of Android phones; many have grown into worthy competitors to the iPhone.  The latest iPhones now come with features first seen on Android.  Regardless of worthy competitors, many Apple devotees would never even consider anything else.  They march like lemmings to the Apple piper...anxiously awaiting the next opportunity to hand Apple more dollars for the next great thing. 

Anyone remember the Apple Superbowl commercial "1984"?  Here's a link in case you've forgotten. 

Ironic huh?