The housing on my Thermopen failed, even though it was never dropped. The plastic has become brittle, developed some cracks and started falling apart. Contacted the company and, because it's three years old, it's outside the guarantee. They offered to sell me a new one at 30% off, but require me to send in the defective unit. Being in isolation I'm not about to go to the post office. A second option is to sell me a new one for 25% off retail. Not much of a break considering they often have it on sale for that price. Very disappointing that it failed sooner than it should have considering it originally cost $100. Anyone recommend a less costly alternative?
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Damn, that's disappointing, I've always had great customer service from them but it's always been with industrial probes that were in warranty.
I use a LavaTools Javelin Pro Duo at home. I've had it for 2 1/2 years, I've dropped it, left it outside stuck to my prep table for days, my wife dropped it in the sink, etc. It's still going strong
They're $55 on Amazon.
That being said, I'd buy another ThermaPen in a heartbeat.
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Founding Member & Pit Barrel Cooker Queen
- Jul 2014
- 7203
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My toys:
Weber Summit Charcoal Grilling Center (WSCGC) aka Mr. Fancypants
Pit Barrel Cooker (which rocks), named Pretty Baby
Weber Summit S650 Gas Grill, named Hot 'n Fast (used mostly for searing and griddling)
Weber Kettle Premium 22" named Kettle Kid, eager to horn in with more cooks in the future
Camp Chef Somerset IV 4-burner outdoor gas range named AfterBurner due to its 30kBTU burners
Adrenaline BBQ Company Gear:SnS Low Profile, DnG, and Large Charcoal Basket, for WSCGC
SnS Deluxe for 22" Kettle
Elevated SS Rack for WSCGC
SS Rack for DnG
Cast Iron GriddleGrill Grate for SnSGrill Grates: five 17.375 sections (retired to storage)
Grill Grates: six 19.25 panels for exact fit for Summit S650
gasser
Grill Grates for 22" Kettle
2 Grill Grate Griddles
Steelmade Griddle for Summit gas grill
Fireboard Gear:Extreme BBQ Thermometer PackagePit Viper Fan (to pair with Fireboard Fan Driver Cable)
Additional control unit
Additional probes: Competition Probes 1" (3) and 4" (1), 3 additional Ambient Probes. 1 additional Food Probe
2 Driver Cables
Pit Viper Fan new design (to pair with Fireboard Fan Driver Cable)
Thermoworks Gear:Thermapen MK4 (pink)Maverick ET 73 a little workhorse with limited range
Thermapen Classic (pink too)
Thermoworks MK4 orange
Temp Test 2 Smart Thermometer
Extra Big and Loud Timer
Timestick Trio
Maverick ET 733
Maverick (Ivation) ET 732
Grill Pinz
Vortex (two of them)
18" drip pan for WSCGC
Ceramic Spacers for WSCGC in Kamado Mode: 2 sets each 1/2", 1", 2". The 2" spacers work best with the 18" drip pan. The 1+1/2 inch spacers work best with the 14 inch cake pan.
Two Joule Sous Vide devices
3 Lipavi Sous Vide Tubs with Lids: 12, 18 and 26 quarts
Avid Armor Ultra Pro V32 Chamber Sealer
Instant Pot 6 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot 10 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Charcoal Companion TurboQue
A-Maze-N tube 12 inch tube smoker accessory for use with pellets
BBQ Dragon and Dragon Chimney
Shun Classic Series:8" Chef Knife
6" Chef's Knife
Gokujo Boning and Fillet Knife
3 1/2 inch Paring Knife
Well that's certainly a bummer, BBQPhil . I'm surprised that Thermapen didn't give you a better deal. How do you think it happened, since you didn't drop it? Placed on a warm surface for a while or repeatedly?
Kathryn
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Have no idea. Just noticed it while using it. The probe rotates easily and I never exposed the plastic to high temps. As a retired product designer/engineer it looks to me like the material just became brittle and disintegrated. That can be caused by a bad batch of material or a molding malfunction. My disappointment is paying $100 and not getting better support or a longer life.Last edited by BBQPhil; May 8, 2020, 09:55 PM.
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Charter Member
- Dec 2014
- 7389
- Grew up in New Orleans, 20 years in Texas, 22 years in Mandeville, LA. Now Dallas, TX
I use their thermopop which is less than half that price. The cracks on yours look kind of weird. If it is a failure in the plastic I would expect it to be in multiple places since you didn’t drop it or drop anything on it. Maybe something was malfunctioning in the hinging mechanism. Is it cracking on the other side, too?
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I also use the ThermoPop. Its a very good little package and only very slightly slower to register an accruate reading than it's more expensive cousin. About 3 to 4 seconds gives me an accurate reading for about $30 or $32 the last time I looked at it. I liked mine so well I purchased one for my son. He really likes his as well.
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Founding Member & Pit Barrel Cooker Queen
- Jul 2014
- 7203
-
My toys:
Weber Summit Charcoal Grilling Center (WSCGC) aka Mr. Fancypants
Pit Barrel Cooker (which rocks), named Pretty Baby
Weber Summit S650 Gas Grill, named Hot 'n Fast (used mostly for searing and griddling)
Weber Kettle Premium 22" named Kettle Kid, eager to horn in with more cooks in the future
Camp Chef Somerset IV 4-burner outdoor gas range named AfterBurner due to its 30kBTU burners
Adrenaline BBQ Company Gear:SnS Low Profile, DnG, and Large Charcoal Basket, for WSCGC
SnS Deluxe for 22" Kettle
Elevated SS Rack for WSCGC
SS Rack for DnG
Cast Iron GriddleGrill Grate for SnSGrill Grates: five 17.375 sections (retired to storage)
Grill Grates: six 19.25 panels for exact fit for Summit S650
gasser
Grill Grates for 22" Kettle
2 Grill Grate Griddles
Steelmade Griddle for Summit gas grill
Fireboard Gear:Extreme BBQ Thermometer PackagePit Viper Fan (to pair with Fireboard Fan Driver Cable)
Additional control unit
Additional probes: Competition Probes 1" (3) and 4" (1), 3 additional Ambient Probes. 1 additional Food Probe
2 Driver Cables
Pit Viper Fan new design (to pair with Fireboard Fan Driver Cable)
Thermoworks Gear:Thermapen MK4 (pink)Maverick ET 73 a little workhorse with limited range
Thermapen Classic (pink too)
Thermoworks MK4 orange
Temp Test 2 Smart Thermometer
Extra Big and Loud Timer
Timestick Trio
Maverick ET 733
Maverick (Ivation) ET 732
Grill Pinz
Vortex (two of them)
18" drip pan for WSCGC
Ceramic Spacers for WSCGC in Kamado Mode: 2 sets each 1/2", 1", 2". The 2" spacers work best with the 18" drip pan. The 1+1/2 inch spacers work best with the 14 inch cake pan.
Two Joule Sous Vide devices
3 Lipavi Sous Vide Tubs with Lids: 12, 18 and 26 quarts
Avid Armor Ultra Pro V32 Chamber Sealer
Instant Pot 6 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot 10 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Charcoal Companion TurboQue
A-Maze-N tube 12 inch tube smoker accessory for use with pellets
BBQ Dragon and Dragon Chimney
Shun Classic Series:8" Chef Knife
6" Chef's Knife
Gokujo Boning and Fillet Knife
3 1/2 inch Paring Knife
You can get the Maverick instant read thermometer from https://snsgrills.com/collections/th...products/pt-55 for $40.
Kathryn
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Club Member
- May 2019
- 1372
- San Clemente, CA
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Sam
SnS Kettle
Napoleon 500 Pro gasser grill
Pit Boss Ultimate 2-burner griddle
Instant Pot Duo Crisper 8 qt
Cuisinart food processor
Kitchenaid Stand Mixer
Breville Smart toaster oven
Anova Sous vide (Pro version and Standard Version)
Cabella 15” Vacuum Sealer
Combustion Inc Wireless Probes
Fireboard v2
Fireboard Spark
Meater2+ wireless probe
Thermoworks IR gun
Thermoworks MK4
Thermoworks Zero
Thermoworks Signals
Grill Rescue brush
7 Shun knives (paring to 12" slicer)
Misen Chef's knife
Dalstrong Phantom Series Boning Knife
8-9 other knives (enough to get an eye roll from wife!)
2 Mandolins, 1 veggie spiralizer
Work Sharp E5 sharpener
Chef's Choice sharpener
And, cigars, wine and some good spirits!
I've had a similar experience with them. I have a Thermapen IR. When opening out the probe, temps readings would fluctuate all over the place. It was under warranty, but TW requires you send the device back at your cost. They will then evaluate and decide whether it can be repaired or maybe replaced. They will not cross-ship a replacement or issue a credit as many other online sellers will.
Otherwise, their products are outstanding. I have an MK-4, a Dot and one of their IR guns, so I'm not bashing, just noting they have a relatively weak replacement/repair process comparatively.
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Club Member
- Dec 2018
- 828
- Northeast Iowa, USA
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Warm Morning G3 propane grill, 1970s vintage, https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/grills-and-smokers/gas/618448-vintage-warm-morning-broilmaster-grill
Weber Genesis II 330 SE, 3-burner propane grill
Hasty Bake Continental charcoal cooker
Smoke Vault 18, propane cabinet smoker
Amazen pellet smoker, https://www.amazenproducts.com/category_s/12.htm
Thermapen, Chef Alarm, https://www.thermoworks.com/
I think the reason why they have this policy about wanting the item back is they've had a lot of trouble with the market being flooded with copycat look-alikes being sold on eBay or Amazon. People think they're getting the real deal at a great price, but they're instead getting a cheap knockoff.
A policy of "no return, no questions asked" customer service means ThermoWorks would not only have to provide support for their legit products, but also provide the same level of service for the look-alikes. I don't blame them if they don't think they need to do that.
I'm not saying they shouldn't provide good service, just that I don't blame them for not wanting to fix other people's problems at their expense.Last edited by IowaGirl; May 8, 2020, 08:43 AM.
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