Which thermocouple

[Karl Vacek]

My 2016 thermocouple has been fine till yesterday when it spontaneously began giving readings 50 to 100 degrees low.

Realizing that there are no bargains, I thought I'd order a Thermoworks thermocouple, but it's $51 vs all the options for unknown Chinese stuff under $20.

Advice?
Thanks !
Karl

 

[Bryan Mayland]

It is hard to recommend the thermoworks thermocouples because they are incredibly expensive for what they are. Their ProSeries thermistor probes I feel warrant the extra cost because they are just better made, with moisture-blocking molded strain reliefs and solid connectors. Their thermocouples seem to be made of the same stuff as everyone else's though. Sure, they're better than the cheap 5 for $10 versions because they have better sleeving and a slightly upgraded mini jack, but not 10x better.

I find that the thermocouples at Auber seem to be a good compromise between build robustness and cost. They have a good selection of parts, but my top two are the
K Type Thermocouple for BBQ Smoker Oven - $12
K Type Thermocouple w/ alligator clip, Smoker, High Precision - $14

 

[Karl Vacek]

Thanks much. I don't want to spend huge money and have some extra plugs if needed. At that price I can have a spare on hand.

 

[VicusJ]

Ive been using one of these since Sept 2017 and won't hesitate recommending: Thermocouple Type-K - Stainless Steel SEN-13715. The length of 200mm for this part number is just perfect for my UDS application, but could be too long for other applications.

Googling SEN-13715 indicates it is available in multiple countries and all at a very attractive price

 

[MartinB]

Thermocouples are just a bimetallic wire pair.... Welded where they come together at the tip.

But.... At the plug-end they go into a plug and they attached with little screws usually
As thermocouple gets twisted the wires inside that plug can be pulled towards each other till they touch

at which point you begin reading a lot closer to ambient temperature then the temperature at the end of the probe reads.

what I'm saying is to fix a thermocouple really are you got to do is open up the Jack end and fix the wires inside of there... So they don't touch anymore.

 

[John Bostwick]

Over the years, I have had Auber and Thermoworks, I will take Thermoworks over Auber, every time. My auber thermos always fall apart at the tip. I had the clip on that Bryan mentioned and it fell apart on me. I had another and the metal tip came off and exposed the wire.

My Thermoworks, just keep going and going and going. I bought the High heat probe and I havent had the need to remove it from my smoker for over 2 years, and not a single problem. They are just built very reliable and dont fall apart.

 

[Gary V]

I started to make my own. See post that i started

User made Thermocouple ideas and results

I decided to go this route because the thermocouples I was purchasing just seemed to have a shorter life than what I was expecting. After much thought and using products that I used in my last job, I decided to try my approach with a probe that works well for my grill. I purchased some solid...

tvwbb.com

I am extremely happy with results so far. Issues with grease soaked thermocouple cables has been eliminated and after disassembling a few china made couples, mine are better made. I suspect Will Begg feels the same about what he is seeing with his homemade probes. Mine are costing around $20 max per probe. Here is my last cook results where I did play with setpoints during last part of cook. Control is awesome and very very stabile.

 

[Larry Naylor]

Hope this isn't too late but when looking at specs pay attention to the temp rating of the CORD. I bought one with a 700 degree probe but 350 on the cord. I was reminded of the phrase "Houston we have a problem"