Digital Thermometer

With the Thermapen I feel confident that my mash temperatures are more accurately dialed in than they were with the cheap thermometer I had before, and the display is SO much easier for me to read.

Could I make do with a cheaper unit? Yes, I could. I did before I got one. But like others on this post, I believe I have gotten good value for the $$$.

 

it was the best brewing-related purchase i've made in a while. i hit my temp targets perfectly.

everything said above is correct.
buy them off of ebay. all the discontinued models are there for $20 cheaper

 

The point being; any and all digital devices suffer from the same single-point failure potential not found in analog thermometers...that being the loss of function when the battery craps out. Mid-brew day and t-Pen goes four-paws up; then what?

The truly anal home brewer always has a spare battery pack on-hand just-in-case.
Everyone else: SOL

 

I feel so archaic using my floating thermometer...

 

The topic is digital thermometers. In that context, the Thermapen is not at a disadvantage in this respect.

I always have a few spare 2032's on hand for key fobs, motherboards, a garage door remote, and a few other things around the house. Lithium button cells seem to last forever. Indeed, Thermoworks advertises a 1,500 hour battery life. I'm not worried.

 

I hate mine.

 

Uncle.

 

no margin of error with those, right?

 

There's a lot to be said for a floating spirit thermometer. They're cheap, they tend to be very accurate and, perhaps most importantly, they tend to be very consistent. Once you dial in your process using a particular spirit thermometer, it's good forever -- or until you drop it.

In my experience, inexpensive electronic thermometers tend to drift as they age. It could be because of how I treat them, or it could simply be the nature of the beast, but there it is. I know it's time to replace it when the beer is not behaving as expected and I eventually discover that the thermometer is 15 degrees off .

FWIW, I've never had to replace a battery in an electronic thermometer because I've never had one outlive its battery. I fully expect the Thermapen to break that pattern.

 

not sure what the margin of error is with a floating thermometer. you should check it side by side with the thermapen.

 

Isn't the scale so small it is by definition +/- 5F? I'm talking about the ~4" tall floating thermometers, not the long skinny lab ones that don't float.

 

My floating thermometer is more like 8'' and it is +/-2F. I hate it though.

 

so there ya go.
more that 50% less error when Thermapen's used. perfect when mashing at 156 F

 

Thermapen Sale:
http://thermoworks.com/products/thermapen/splashproof_thermapen_open_box_sale_july_2014.html