Feedback about this thermometer for home-brewing? Anyone have experience with IR for same purpose? Opinions as to best thermometer for brewing? Thx!
590210
To be honest...we used this for my daughters science fair experiment where we needed to have 3 different water temperatures. It worked very well in water and was fairly quick getting to the temperature. Not sure if this helps you...but I would recommend this product overall.
590211
It has been a long time since I tried home brewing, but from what I remember (and from studying the culinary arts for many years), I would suggest that the digital thermometer would be more accurate than the IR (I also have one of those and use it almost daily). Unless you already have an IR, don't buy one just for this. If you already have one, try them both out. I am sure you will find this digital the best of the two by far. :) (Right on KWS...it is not "instant", but 5 secs or so is about as instant as you can get without spending $100 or more)
590212
I use mine for brewing. It is not instant - a good reading takes 5 - 10 seconds. I had a different digital thermometer get gummed up by the steam from the wort. This one seems to be unaffected by it. This is a good thermometer if you don't need instant temps.
590213
I don't make beer or wine anymore, but I like this thermometer. You might need to put a cork on it if you want it to float ...
590214
I utilized this thermometer for getting an accurate reading for sourdough starter/bread temperature. I also used this for making perfect tea with the right water temperature.
1836529
Been a while, since I visited the company website--suggest you do that, too!--but I know it was good for any brewing liquid in a glass container that needed no more than 78-80 degree F temps. I prefer 80 exactly for kombucha, so have had to rely on this ONLY during the winter, when ambient temps are far below 80 and when I use a seed mat to boost brewing temps up to 70-80 (or I'd never get kombucha in a week or two . . would take FOREVER). Just know the strip tops out at 78-80, so if your brew needs more than that, look elsewhere for a monitoring product. Good luck.
685069
I purchased this earlier this summer and have used it for home brewing several times since. I have not had any leaks or issues with it, and would highly recommend the product.
212106
I recommend that you do what I did. When I first tried to use mine I found it to be off by at least 25 deg. Throw it away it's not worth messing with, then I went to a local restaurant supply and bought an analog thermometer that always works for the same amount. Your experience prove to me that my decision was the right one. Problem solved. David B.
2124127
The probe is bent to 90 degrees, near the top, to allow easier placement into roasts, etc. That said, I doubt it's manufactured to be repeatedly bent. I think, if you want to measure surface temperature, you'd be better off getting an infrared thermometer (available at Amazon, ranging from about $17 to about $50). They're specifically designed for measuring surface temperatures. You just point the thermometer at the surface and depress the trigger/switch, and the digital screen shows the temperature.
302941
I sent mine back shortly after receiving it because it was very inaccurate. However, with my other Infrared Temp guns I have measured cooking oil temperature.
1103336
Sir, if you are brewing your own beer my suggestion is this. Do what I did, when you get your kit, promptly go to your nearest Kmart, walmart etc, and get a tub of Oxy Clean. Be sure to get the stuff without Chlorine or bleach**! As this would be dangerous. I sanitize all my equipment with this. Happy brewing! Regards, Mattasaurus
665105
Hey Scott, this keg is a perfect fit for Mr. Beer batches. In fact, even though I have moved on to all-grain and other extract brews, my main fermenters are still my Mr. Beer LBK's.Hope you enjoy this as much as I have.
895600
The most important difference between this and a non-contact IR thermometer is that once you read a base temperature you can set the device to give a visual representation of any temperature differences. The way it does that is by changing the color of a bright spot of light it projects on the surface you are measuring. That was important to me because I am in the energy conservation business and I can use it to show my customers where cold air is leaking in around doors or windows or where heat is escaping to the outside. The light will go from green to red or from green to blue depending on whether the temperature is going up or down. Nothing beats a visual indication of what is going on and this gives you that. The light registers when you first read a base temperature then when it changes it goes to blue for colder or red for warmer in 1-5-10 degree increments depending on where it is set. Personally I am no fan of Black and Decker products. I avoid them as being cheap foreign made and low quality. However, this thing works for me and I have had it for two years without any problem.
972488
No, nor would I buy it again! It has a manual temperature controller that never worked. From day one! I have a digital thermometer in the unit and can't get it to 53 degrees, I would highly suggest another unit. Danby apparently makes good products, but missed the mark by a mile on this one. Of I could exchange it, I would but it's too late for me as I tried to get it to fit my needs. If you are just storing beer, I would buy a mini fridge and be done with it. Good luck and I hope this helps you!
861828
Barb, did it occur to you that the advice you conveyed was less valuable than the time you wasted in typing it? Probably not.Let me clarify my original question for the Barbs of this world. Would someone that has the cup that came with the unit kindly pour water in the cup up to the line, then pour that volume of water into a measuring cup and post the actual measurement? The best measurement Waring would give me over the phone was "fill up to the line" which, without the cup, is about as useful as advice from Barb.
840434
Eric:Like you, I was unable to get a direct read from either of my 2 remote sensors. It, supposedly, will use the readings to "average" the temps, but like you, I would love to see a direct read-out on the face of the stat!Sorry I couldn't help you . . .Mike
828109
Similar! But accuracy/procedure different. One is infrared, kitchen temp,accurate is best attained by probe/gauge/ dial, the B&D; leak detector? I have a $2,500.00 so called state of the art, professional contractors tool! And the B&D; does almost as precision results! In closing, very good tool. Only down side/con: I attached a lanyard on the heel of its handle, long enough to hang around neck.or belt clipAs this review just came in, I'm using it right now at customers home. Being in business 51 years this is 5* J.R. Massachusetts
1925401
You know Tony, I'm not sure how it's calibrated from the factory but I compared the Raytek to a thermometer when checking out the temp of a hot cup of water. They were almost exact. For my home use purposes, that is all I need. I guess the manufacturer can answer how exact calibrated it comes from the factory. But out of the box, it appears to be very close.
1032128
It works well with induction. I used it to brew and it got about 6 gallons starting to boil in 25ish minutes. I usually use gas and it worked a lot faster than gas. And I'm talking about the magnetic induction.
720034
I suppose you could, provided you take the necessary precautions in somewhat water proofing the temperature probe. I Initially used mine for home brewing and found it to be about 5 degrees off from other calibrated thermometers which is not good in home brewing. You might want to look around a bit more before committing to this unit.
685333
Daniel, If you're careful you should be able to do that. I use it to check the temperature of tea in a tea pot sometimes and it's right on the money with that. I'd recommend taking a couple readings on different spots and going with what seems to be the most consistent. Id also recommend pointing it at the label instead of the glass. You may in fact be reading the temperature of the glass - but it should be pretty close if not exactly the temp of the wine inside. Also, don't make the mistake of thinking the laser is the exact spot the temp is being taken. Place the larger opening on the gun directly on the bottle. Daniel, If you're careful you should be able to do that. I use it to check the temperature of tea in a tea pot sometimes and it's right on the money with that. I'd recommend taking a couple readings on different spots and going with what seems to be the most consistent. Id also recommend pointing it at the label instead of the glass. You may in fact be reading the temperature of the glass - but it should be pretty close if not exactly the temp of the wine inside. Also, don't make the mistake of thinking the laser is the exact spot the temp is being taken. Place the larger... » Read More Daniel, If you're careful you should be able to do that. I use it to check the temperature of tea in a tea pot sometimes and it's right on the money with that. I'd recommend taking a couple readings on different spots and going with what seems to be the most consistent. Id also recommend pointing it at the label instead of the glass. You may in fact be reading the temperature of the glass - but it should be pretty close if not exactly the temp of the wine inside. Also, don't make the mistake of thinking the laser is the exact spot the temp is being taken. Place the larger opening on the gun directly on the bottle. « Show Less