Is Thermoworks Feeling the Heat?


 
Yep the temping different spots helps because it's always a good practice to remove any protein to a resting plate and tent it. So you might have a steak you want to 130 final temp. But, you temp it and find a spot at 120 and another at 130. Pull it, tent it rest it 5 to 10 minutes and it will even out somewhere in between
 
I have both a remote Thermoworks Smoke grate and meat thermometer and a instant read. I think both are great. But, I think an instant read is the first one a guy should have. The leave in kind only measure that one spot in the meat. When temping meat, you want to check a couple different places to get a true reading and trying that with a leave in slow as snot thermometer isn't feasible. To get really great results, just 5 or 10 degrees can make a huge difference.

I would start there and then as you get into grilling more and want to try other things like low and slow cooks for ribs or brisket and such, a remote meat and grate thermometer is really necessary.

Ok, correct the newb. My dad always told me that any extra holes in the meat leads to moisture loss. Wouldn't poking multiple times accelerate that? Or, was I misinformed? Because if I need a better temp pen, I'll get one. I have been grilling pretty seriously for the last year, and want to get better.
 
Ok, correct the newb. My dad always told me that any extra holes in the meat leads to moisture loss. Wouldn't poking multiple times accelerate that? Or, was I misinformed? Because if I need a better temp pen, I'll get one. I have been grilling pretty seriously for the last year, and want to get better.
I think you could get an MK4 for a killer price these days. It’s a great thermometer! I did pick up a Thermapen One and love it as well. I just have to hide it from my wife. She’ll catch on soon and wonder why all the thermometers are now red. :)
 
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I think you could get an MK4 for a killer price these days. It’s a great thermometer! I do pick up a Thermapen One and love it as well. I just have to hide it from my wife. She’ll catch on soon and wonder why all the thermometers are now red. :)
While I am cheap, I am also a buy nice cry twice (or buy once cry once) person, so the new One model would be my jam. Plus, I like color options.
 
Ok, correct the newb. My dad always told me that any extra holes in the meat leads to moisture loss. Wouldn't poking multiple times accelerate that? Or, was I misinformed? Because if I need a better temp pen, I'll get one. I have been grilling pretty seriously for the last year, and want to get better.
I am not an expert griller, but typically you don't need to jab the meat a bunch of times every time you temp it. Just pick the thickest part and when that reaches the target temp, then temp a couple more spots to verify. Having a leave in remote thermometer is better yet. You don't even have to open the lid and you can get accurate readings any time and as often as you like with one poke total.
An example of the remote thermometer is the Thermoworks Smoke. Thermopro also has one for about half the price.
 
I am not an expert griller, but typically you don't need to jab the meat a bunch of times every time you temp it. Just pick the thickest part and when that reaches the target temp, then temp a couple more spots to verify. Having a leave in remote thermometer is better yet. You don't even have to open the lid and you can get accurate readings any time and as often as you like with one poke total.
An example of the remote thermometer is the Thermoworks Smoke. Thermopro also has one for about half the price.
I actually have the Thermopro... something. It is the dual probe bluetooth one. Replaced an older one I dropped that broke. Only used it once since it arrived and it gave me no issues at all.
 
ALREADY???

Thermoworks is already advertising a "Black Friday Now" 20% off sale on their new Thermapen ONE:


$84. Or, you can buy 4 or 5 of these:


Maybe not selling as fast as they hoped? Even so, the Thermapen ONE is the top dog in the instant read thermometer category. The Thermoworks one I linked does a very fine job, but I would never claim it is as good as this new one from Thermoworks.
 
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Yah, a sign of things to come. They are already telling people to start Christmas shopping in lieu of the shortages going on. I imagine companies are hearing and seeing the same thing from their perspective and are looking to cash in on the early surge in shopping that will likely ensue. You will probably see more signs of this kind of thing over the next few months.

That price for the Thermoworks is a bit too high for me yet. I am getting along with my TP19H just fine for now. Of course, I am not a master BBQ guy anyways.
 
I have a thermopen classic and two 5 year year old thermopops that still work perfectly. Also have a smoke that replaced my eight or so year old Maverick that's retired now and is a backup to the smoke or if I need a second monitor.
So we are set here.
 
Reviving this old thread…

Looks like ThermoPro is getting ready to give Thermoworks another headache:

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I guess it is going to be their match to the Thermapen One. Or will they be trying to raise the bar even further?
 
Yeah, but at $99 I'll buy the ThermoPen. We're not seeing that big a difference. I.E. When I bought my ThermoPro it was IIRC about $30. And the ThermaPen was about $100 for the same performance specs. Now we're not talkin that much difference in price.
But, the bigger question................How much is a 1 second difference in read time worth?
 
Is this new Thermopro goign to be $99? I didn't see where the price was released.
 
Yeah, somehow Amazon is already offering it for that $99 price. The reviews are quite positive and frequently reference the quality “feel” that this thermometer exudes. That’s the big thing I noted about the Thermapen One I bought. As far as “one second” goes, the reviews for this new thermometer reflect the same results I see with my Thermapen One. Yes very fast, but they do still “settle” over a couple seconds or so.

If this new ThermoPro product is truly built as well as a Thermapen One, I think it deserves to get a fair price. Will it sell for $99? I don’t know. I think you will see sales for this just like you do frequently now for the Thermapen One.

While I am not sure I agree that ThermoPro is reaching too far, I do think that their price advantage has been a key to overcoming the stellar reputation Thermoworks has earned. I suspect that if a Lightning and a Thermapen One were side by side and offered for the same price, the nod would go to the Thermapen One most of the time. Still, ThermoPro has proven themselves to be a legitimate company with good support for their products. I don’t believe they should be dismissed as being part of the innumerable cheap thermometers offered by oddly named “companies” (rebadgers?) on Amazon.
 
Just trying to sniff out any differences...updated 12/10/22.

ThermoPro Lightning Model TP-622
Released December 5
  • Thermapen ONE has 360 degree display, ThermoPro Lightning has 180 degree display.
  • Thermapen ONE warranty is 5 years, ThermoPro Lightning warranty is 1 year, you must register for an additional 2 years of warranty coverage.
  • Thermapen ONE is IP67 water resistant, ThermoPro Lightning is IP65 water resistant. (IP65 protects against splashing or running water, IP67 protects against temporary submersion at depths of up to one meter.)
  • Thermapen ONE includes Biomaster Antimicrobial Silver Ion Technology to reduce microbial growth, ThermoPro Lightning does not.
  • Thermapen ONE includes NIST-traceable calibration certificate verifying accuracy to national standards, ThermoPro Lightning does not. (This isn't important to the home cook, but is for commercial/industrial customers.)
  • Thermapen ONE is NSF certified, ThermoPro Lightning is not.
  • Thermapen ONE optional accessories include protective zip wallet, leather zip case, magnetic glow-in-the-dark protective silicone boot, stainless steel wall bracket; ThermoPro Lightning has no optional accessories.
  • Thermapen ONE is available in 10 colors and occasional special editions, ThermoPro Lightning is available in black.

  • ThermoPro Lightning has bright red LED display, Thermapen ONE has white backlit LCD display.
  • ThermoPro Lightning lock feature allows you to pull thermometer out of meat and hold/read the temp, Thermapen ONE does not.
  • ThermoPro Lightning includes a kitchen hook and built-in magnet, Thermapen ONE does not.
  • ThermoPro Lightning has anti-slip grip, Thermapen ONE does not.
  • ThermoPro Lightning auto-off in 90 secs, lift to wake-up. Thermapen ONE auto-off in 10-180 seconds (configurable in 10 sec increments), lift to wake-up, and power-down after 10 minutes of no use. Both use 1 AAA battery; Thermapen ONE claims 2000 hours of operation on 1 battery without backlight, no battery claim from ThermoPro.

  • Both units claim 1 second temperature readings, accurate to + or - 0.5*F (0.3*C).
  • Both units allow for some form of user calibration.
  • Thermapen ONE is made in England. ThermoPro Lightning is made in China.
  • Thermapen ONE is rated #1 by America's Test Kitchen. ThermoPro claims to be the #1 rated affordable meat thermometer brand on Amazon.
 
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There is some really good competition in the thermometer market and it sure seems to be benefiting the consumer through quality and feature improvements as well as pricing.
While I would love to own either of the two top end instant read thermometers above, I will stick with what I have, at least for now. If I was a competition or commercial griller, I would likely go with one of the two above. Not sure which however. I would like to see a video review of them side by side going over all the features that Chris outlined above as well as their actual performance measuring food temps.
 
And my guess is that with a starting price of $99, there will be steep discounting on the ThermoPro Lightning in the not too distant future, giving it a price advantage over Thermapen ONE with home consumers, but ThermoWorks maintaining their advantage with commercial users.
 

 

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