Is there something beside the Maverick ET-732


 
Thermoworks recently added a wireless (Bluetooth) rechargeable transmitter that works with iOS. BlueTherm Pro for iOS

I don't have any experience with it but the other items I've bought from Thermoworks have been great. I don't know that Bluetooth is the right kind of wireless mode for my use though. I seem to recall that Bluetooth's range is shorter and may not carry into the house well enough for my needs.
 
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I have a love hate relationship with my iGrill. When it works, it's awesome but the range isn't very good. At all. Keep in mind I realize this is #firstworldproblem considering I use it so I can see my temps and the graph inside. I love the graph. My expectation was it would make it inside further than just the window. The other thing I will mention is keep a bunch of AA's ready to go.

It is accurate though. Or at least I haven't blamed it for overlooking yet. :) I use the ambient probe and the meat probe. I do also use a $25 non-brand from Lowes for bigger pieces of meat and have a spare Weber brand thermometer that I put through a cork through the vent.
 
I have a Mav ET-732, but I'm now firmly in the camp where you can cook better BBQ without any of that futzing. I've sort of figured out what dome temp on the stock WSM thermo yields the best product. It's all relative -- if my dome says 250 and its actually 265, yet i get awesome butts and ribs, who gives a rip how accurate it is. You just gotta understand the nuances of your cooker. If you are going to invest in anything, get a Thermapen, or save up for the DigiQ ATC which has other tangible benefits besides being a overpriced junky thermometer like the Mav ET.
 
Sorry i'm adding this so after the fact, but I just wanted to share my frustration.

My Et-732 worked 'ok' out of the box, in that it seemed to only lose signal every hour or so. But the front face trim on the receiver did fall off after the very first cook. I should have taken that as a bad sign.

Anyways, in the last year or so my unit loses signal every 5 minutes if it has to transmit through any sort of wall. I tested it out even inside the house. If I keep it in the same room it has no problems keeping signal, but the moment i move one of the units to a different room, it loses signal. Its incredibly frustrating. When I cook the smoker is quite literally about 15-20 feet away from my couch (but outside obviously) and it'll lose signal within 5 minutes every time.

I called up maverick to try and trouble shoot it, and they told me to replace the batteries, which i had already. So after that they check on my warranty (it was over by a probably 6 months or so). After that the customer service rep's exact quote to me was "Buy a new one". I was so put off by this. I wasn't expecting them to replace the unit for free, but I did expect them to try and help me trouble shoot this a bit. Instead i get "replace the batteries" and "Buy a new one"....and then she abruptly said "Is there anything else I can do for you?", in shock i said no, and she hung up.

I've considered buying a whole new et732 when I've seen them go on sale. But just the sheer dismissiveness they treated me with on the phone really put me off and I just can't bring myself to buy another one. The day after dealing with their customer service, I was so ticked off that I wrote a very polite but serious email to the president of Maverick explaining how disappointed I was in their customer service and how I had been treated. I never heard a single peep back from him or anyone else.

Overall, quite the disappointment. The part I find most frustrating is, there really isn't any product other then the igrill to even compete with it. So i'm stuck either buying another one and hoping it works, or not using one at all.
 
Im glad some of you are sharing your experiences. I have been kicking around getting a temperature monitor but cant decide on what the best one would be. Remote monitoring would be very nice but there seem to be quality problems with Mavericks and bluetooth on the Thermoworks unit probably doesn't have a lot of range. I have an android phone so I wouldn't expect the Igrill would work for me.
 
James Welch said:
Coming back in here again, as I'm still researching a new toy for the up coming season.

This seems like it might be a pretty solid alternative to the maverick, without being a ton more money.

http://www.icelsius.com/product.php?p=13

They're not out yet, so there's no reviews to go off of. But it sounds pretty promising.
Click to expand...

Looks promising, but I noticed this part under Operating and storage conditions --Temperature (whole unit): 32° to 95° F (0° to +35° C)
Does that mean you can't use it below 32 or above 95 degs?, or it shouldn't be stored in those conditions?

Tim
 
James Welch said:
Coming back in here again, as I'm still researching a new toy for the up coming season.

This seems like it might be a pretty solid alternative to the maverick, without being a ton more money.

http://www.icelsius.com/product.php?p=13
They're not out yet, so there's no reviews to go off of. But it sounds pretty promising.
Click to expand...

Avoid the iGrill Mini at all costs. What a POS!! I received it as a gift and it works like crap! I quite upset. Anyway I was thinking about buying the Maverick ET-733 which seems to get descent reviews without costing an arm and a leg.
 
Interesting.....2 years here with the ET732 and still on the original probes.... Do you get the probes wet when cleaning?

My smoker is on my back deck and I can walk all over my house and in the garage with it keeping signal.

I smoke 20+ times a year on the WSM.
 
Seems like luck of the draw whether you get a good or a bad one. My first one failed within a couple of weeks, the temperature readings were all over the place. The replacement is going strong though, but it doesn't feel like an especially durable item. I too am confused as to why there is no real quality alternative, you would think that manufacturers would be falling over themselves to make one. Here's hoping.
 
I'm a relative "newbie", but have been using my ET732 for about a year with no real problems. I rarely lose the signal and the probes are cleaned after every use with a warm sponge and soap (followed by a good rinse). I did have one problem a couple weeks ago. I had been storing the pieces in a large ziplock baggie in an outside patio bench. I must not have completely dried the probes or left the baggie open, because when I went to use it, the transmitter would not turn on and there was condensation visible on the inside display of the receiver.

Solution: I filled a 1 gallon ziplock bag with uncooked rice and put all pieces into the bag for a few days. The rice draws out and absorbs the moisture. BAM! Problem solved. Everything works perfect again. I now keep the ET732 stored inside next to the vats of dry rubs and curing mixtures in my pantry. While I was waiting, I was checking Amazon for a replacement and noticed they had them on sale for $49 (free shipping with PRIME), so I picked up a spare using my Chase Sapphire VISA points. I'll leave it in it's original shrink-wrap packaging for now. I know there are some purists out there who still prefer to BBQ "naked" without the thermometers, but I LOVE mine and wouldn't do another rack, brisket or roast without it. Now I have a back-up just in case..... Sort of like having that extra rack of smoked ribs frozen and vacuum-sealed in the freezer..... just in case!
 
@Tim my guess was storing the unit at those temps.

@Richie what about it sucked? I can't imagine it sucks any more then my experience with the maverick products, so what do i have to lose right? After the attitude I got from customer service, and being completely ignored when I wrote an email complaining about the customer service.... i'm not inclined to give Maverick any more of my money unless I exhausted all other options.

@Jason the probes work fine (Well my food probe broke, but i replaced that). It's the reciever that doesn't work in my case.

@James Ya that seems to be the general consensus, mine just got worse and worse over the course of a year, at first it wasn't bad at all. But by last summer it wouldn't hold a signal unless the transponder and receiver were in the same room together with direct line of sight. Even being one interior wall apart causes it to lose signal the very first time it sends an updated temp (2 minutes maybe?). It wasn't always like that, like I said it operated just fine for quite awhile, but now its pretty much unusable. (Note: Yes i did replace the batteries with brand new ones).
 
James:

It won't stay connected past 10'. I literally need to be about 5' in front of it in order for it to reconnect. The app looks nice though. Maybe I have a dud, I don't know. I'm going to need to contact them. I feel like I've had this issue from day one. Mind you I've only used it about 4 times.
 
I've been using my WSM for a 7 years now, I have a probe installed in the dome and I put a long probe through the vent into the meat.
I have never awoke to check on the temp during the night, I sleep with the piece of mind that this is a great smoker that holds temp really well.

I guess I'm a combination of cheap and avoiding ya'lls frustrations.

Dave
 
I gave up on my Maverick a few years ago, never worked right from the beginning. I don't bother with wireless, I just use a $15 wired Taylor from Walmart or Target when I want to monitor temps. I can see where monitoring your pit temp remotely will help. As far as food, I personally don't worry about it, I know when to start checking for doneness, at least after you get used to cooking a certain way.
 
Funny thing, same day I posted above about not wanting your frustrations. My wife bought me a Igrill for my Birthday.
Thank you Dear!
 
Dave Bethke said:
I've been using my WSM for a 7 years now, I have a probe installed in the dome and I put a long probe through the vent into the meat.
I have never awoke to check on the temp during the night, I sleep with the piece of mind that this is a great smoker that holds temp really well.

I guess I'm a combination of cheap and avoiding ya'lls frustrations.

Dave
Click to expand...


For me I just like having the ability to monitor the temps for reassurance. I've only been using a smoker for about a year roughly so besides ribs I don't have a complete comfort level with my cook times yet. And even with ribs I've only recently started cooking withs spares, I was always a baby back guy until I started judging. So I just like to have that crutch while I get a feel for cook times
 
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I never did get the igrill set up. Still using the 732 and buying probes as needed. I seemed to have figured out that moisture of any kind inside the probe kills them. So now when I clean them, I hold them in the direction of water flow so that the water cannot get the gasket wet. In addition, in the smoker, I angle them so moisture can't get inside the probe. This system seems to work. I really wish a company would build something a little more professional. I'd pay a little extra. Looks like the reviews with the 735 are not going to well, based on what i see on Amazon.

I find it interesting that the probes for my temperature control unit has lasted for years without any issues. I have a spare pit probe that's never been used.
 
I started with the cheapo Maverick and it worked just ok. Got a iGrill 2 last year and it's quite good if you have an iPad or iPhone. The transmitter can accommodate up to 4 probes, so you can do one in the flat, one in the point, one in the butt and a grate probe. The app shows you a graph of your temps along a timeline. (When did I last mop the butt? Oh, here I see that I last opened the lid at 3:54.)

I like it a lot for overnight cooks. I can wake up in the morning and check the graph and see just what the pit and meat temps at any time during the night. The key is to leave your iPad or iPhone plugged in overnight and the app open.

It is subject to the range of bluetooth, which will vary considerably due to placement of your pit and iPad. All in all, a good unit.
 
I use the Igrill2 and have the same feelings Kurt expressed. I do experience some loss of connectivity but it is accurate and I am overall happy with it.
 
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