Thermometer recommendations

http://www.amazon.com/Splash-Proof-...UTF8&qid=1358697942&sr=8-1&keywords=thermapen

Best thermometer I have owned. Wicked fast and accurate.

 

I've had really good luck with my Taylor digital meat thermometer (the kind with a remote probe that you plug in.) As recommended on HBT I covered the probe cord with tubing and sealed it with rubber washers to keep moisture out of the probe. Pretty cheap and for me it was a big step up from my glass thermometer.

http://www.meijer.com/assets/product_images/styles/xlarge/1000947_TYLR011812_A_400.jpg

 

I've been using glass lab thermometers, but I have a cooler mash tun. I cannot easily adjust heat to fine tune the mash temp, so having a killer thermometer like Vikeman's would be overkill for me. I rely on strike temp and calculations to set my desired mash temp. I'm usually within 2 degrees of desired temp. Perhaps I could do better, but I'm not sure it would matter much.

 

I recently splurged for a laser thermometer and I've been loving it. Can't remember the brand but I got it on Amazon for about $50 with shipping. As long as you stir well then it's fine for measuring mash/boil temps, etc. It's near-instant and gets bonus points for looking awesome.

 

This is what I use for monitoring my mash. Completely waterproof and shockproof. Stores high and low temps. 10 foot cable. Cheaper than thermapen. I love it.

http://vwrlabshop.com/vwr-waterproof-thermometers/p/0013422/

 

Just bought mine. $69 from their open box / refurbished sale. http://www.thermoworks.com/products/thermapen/splashproof_thermapen_open_box_sale_2013.html

 

I have this combo of handheld and probe:
http://thermoworks.com/products/handheld/mtc.html
http://thermoworks.com/products/probe/tc_wire.html (Model: 113-372-T)

I like the thin, long wire probe so you can put it deep in the mash or kettle and even close the lid.

 

9" probe
Batteries not required so it's always ready to use.

~10 USD

 

$90...... whoa

 

I never thought of this but I wonder if this would work? I actually have one.

http://www.weber.com/accessories/category/cook/tools/#weber-style-digital-thermometer-modal

 

What exactly is the advantage of something like that over a lower priced digital thermometer like this which I have been using without any issues for the past 3 years?

 

Accuracy and speed. But if yours is accurate and fast enough for your purposes, then rock on.

 

to quote a wise man: "Best thermometer I have owned. Wicked fast and accurate."

 

THERMOMETER FIGHT!!!!

 

Check the thermometer you're using by measuring the temp of water that has been sitting with ice cubes in it for about 10 minutes and it should read close to 32F. Measure the temp of water that's been boiling for a few minutes and it should read 212F or very close. I worked in a lab that calibrated thermometers/temp monitoring devices for aerospace and military certifications. Some cheap glass thermometer with good resolution, while slow, would be as accurate as expensive digital thermometers, and some expensive digital ones would be fast but inaccurate. Most of the expensive ones have an adjustment screw to allow them to be calibrated dead on but that doesn't mean they're automatically accurate out the box.

 

So a few seconds per reading is worth an extra $75? Just seems like though it may be a great thermometer, there are other ones that do a very good job for less than 25% of the price. And though people say it's accurate, unless you are able to perform calibration tests I don't know how you can make a claim of accuracy. Sort of playing devils advocate, but suggesting a $100 thermometer to someone who is starting out BIAB for the first time seems like a bit of overkill.

 

Home brewing, itself, is a bit of overkill. Wouldn't you agree?

 

Not really. Homebrewing can be done relatively inexpensively. I have made it a very expensive hobby and many others have, but the basics I think are very reasonable. I would say BIAB is the most cost effective way to brew too. All grain so you save on ingredients, and you haven't dumped way too much into your brew system yet.

 

The OP didn't ask about cheap thermometers, or best bang for the buck thermometers, or most expensive thermometers. He said, "Looking for recommendations on what you're using and how you like it."