@uscpsycho I actually need a new meat thermometer, and I almost picked up the ones they sold in March, but held off because of the overwhelmingly negative app reviews.
I went ahead and pulled the trigger on this one, since you can use it without the app anyway. And with summer coming soon, I can’t put off getting a new meat thermometer much longer…
@The_Tim@uscpsycho I got the similar ones last time as well as this one from Morningsave. I got this one because of the dual probes and built in display.
The bad reviews on the igrill app are mostly due to Weber redesigning it in a dumb way. They’re not app people, apparently. But the guts of it as far as function seem to still be from idevices’ original app, and it functions fine for the most part. My biggest gripe would be having the app lose connection if I stay out of range too long and am also doing other stuff on my phone that lets Android’s memory management kick in and unload the Weber app, but that’s only happened a couple of times. Reopen the app and it connects right back.
Incidentally, their customer service is decent. I wrote them and complained about the app when they redesigned it (taking away temperature input via a keypad and making it a stupid dial instead) and they sent me some nice tongs to say thanks for the feedback. Maybe they’ll bring back the temperature input.
@The_Tim@uscpsycho if it’s any consolation, I bit the bullet on the ones in March and haven’t even opened them yet. I guess life has been too busy to even install a new app and set up a new thinger
Also notice this is a “Amazon Choice” which is a new thing they do to help you cut through the bullshit and find the diamond in the rough. These products marked “choice” are well priced, well reviewed, and have the fewest returns in their peer group (supposedly)
@Carebear I changed the /giphy for you. Editing the post will usually bring up a different one. OTOH, /image usually just brings up the first Google image search result, which can differ depending on whether the hyphens are included or not.
Now I can show off my high-tech grilling gadgetry to my techno-challenged family at the July 4th celebration. Thanks Meh for making me the grill master this year!
Nah, I just used the pink oinking pig [pork] meat thermometer that came in my Fuko bag today for the first time cooking spare ribs, and it worked awesomely well.
Who needs another blue toothy gadget that will interfere with listening to tunes on my blue tooth speakers while chilling with my beer, when I have a pink magnetic oinking flashing pig-shaped one that can alert me just fine!
I have the original iGrill thermometer. After Weber bought the company and wrote the one-star iOS app, it no longer supported the original thermometer. Luckily, I had a backup of the original perfectly functional app and was able to reinstall it. I left another in a sea of one-star reviews to complain about how they abandoned support for the original device for no reason and how it soured my feelings for what had always been a brand I respected. To my surprise, Weber contacted me and sent me the thermometer that meh is selling today. I’ve been using it and I’m happy with it. I still haven’t switched to the new app though. From the update release notes it sounds like they’re still trying to restore the lost functionality of the old app. If you have iOS, I don’t think there’s any way to get the old app. But for this price I think it’s worth taking a shot if you want to cook anything to temperature. (If you aren’t cooking sous vide anyway.)
@SSteve If only Weber had been more customer supportive after they bought Ducane Grill.
They pretty much abandoned all the original Ducane grill owners when they gutted and redesigned the entire line.
That meant those original Ducane customers with lifetime warranties had them expired by Weber.
Those original grills are tanks and thankfully the aftermarket has some parts available.
Ours is going strong after 25 years… stored outside, albeit with a cover. Had to replace some of the lower grates but that’s it. The original twist igniter still works great.
I was super disappointed with the ones from March, even with the Weber app, they wouldn’t connect to my phone properly(did once, then never again). And even when they were connected, the temperature was VERY badly wrong, off by at least 50 degrees. Wound up throwing them away because I couldn’t do anything with them anyway.
@narfcake only in the very beginning when it wouldn’t connect the first time. I was behind on Android updates, and installing those made it work the first time. Didn’t think about a warranty at all though. I’m ok, I went back to my old thermometer habits. Didn’t much care for the only display being on my phone. Which this one does have its own display, so I would probably like it alot more.
This looks nice. Does anybody know if this uses a standard Bluetooth profile (RFCOMM maybe, why would it need anything else?) or the Bluetooth is simply a way to obsolete devices when they feel like they are not making enough money? If it does, one can roll his/her own app. I, for example, would like to see a low temp alarm feature (sometimes one has to let the thing cool down, you know …), and use this with a laptop, not a phone.
@qmirage I don’t know the answer to your question but I completely support you finding out. A third party app that supports these and has better features would be great, and there are so many more possibilities from there.
How does one find out what Bluetooth profile it uses?
@djslack You can turn it on and scan with some Bluez tools (on Linux). It has been a while but I believe sdptool can do it. I had some custom tools written for that, too. If it is a proprietary protocol, however, there would be no sdp server and one probably would not be able to connect at all (usually in the name of `security’)
I bought one from Amazon Warehouse a couple years ago (when it was still brandedunder the original name). I’m still running the last old iGrill app instead of moving to Weber because it works fine. I’ve done roasts and steaks on the Weber gas grille, phone 20-40 feet from the probe, and it worked just fine.
We bought this because the standard cable-connected oven probe burned out in the grille over medium heat; these have so far survived a dozen or so extended cooking sessions, though we do remove when searing in blast furnace mode.
So why would this be any better than an old style, perfectly accurate, “dumb” thermometer you stick in the meat? That needs no app, no charged phone, no nothing. And works every time.
@Kidsandliz
They are great for smoking meats where the cook times are long(>4 hours) and you need to be doing something else, not hovering over your smoker. You can set one probe in the meat and another in the other in the chamber and set an alert if the cook temp goes too high or low.
@Kidsandliz My reason is that I usually am grilling, not oven-ing. I also slow-cook, not flame-sear. I can stab the hunk of animal flesh once, then just flip and rotate it to my heart’s content (within the confines of how I have the probe inserted into the meat), never having to singe my knuckles reaching in to stab the meat repeatedly to know where I am in the cooking process. Admittedly, I would LOVE a device that had no wires at all, but devices like these let me keep the lid closed and the heat on low and keep an eye on when supper’ll be ready.
We got the ones in March and they’ve already found the trash can. Great concept but not great execution. Unlike our other wireless thermometer they just couldn’t stand the heat.
After yesterday’s stellar item, I think Meh might have chosen an opening for today’s winner other than "IMPORTANT: The old app is bad. "
Okay, so who got the similar no-display ones last time? Because this bit:
…still seems a bit fishy, considering the reviews over on Google Play:
But I guess at least with the one they’re selling today if the app is really that bad you can just ditch it entirely.
@The_Tim Thanks. Was about to pull the trigger unit I read these reviews. Having second thoughts now.
@uscpsycho I actually need a new meat thermometer, and I almost picked up the ones they sold in March, but held off because of the overwhelmingly negative app reviews.
I went ahead and pulled the trigger on this one, since you can use it without the app anyway. And with summer coming soon, I can’t put off getting a new meat thermometer much longer…
@The_Tim @uscpsycho I got the similar ones last time as well as this one from Morningsave. I got this one because of the dual probes and built in display.
The bad reviews on the igrill app are mostly due to Weber redesigning it in a dumb way. They’re not app people, apparently. But the guts of it as far as function seem to still be from idevices’ original app, and it functions fine for the most part. My biggest gripe would be having the app lose connection if I stay out of range too long and am also doing other stuff on my phone that lets Android’s memory management kick in and unload the Weber app, but that’s only happened a couple of times. Reopen the app and it connects right back.
Incidentally, their customer service is decent. I wrote them and complained about the app when they redesigned it (taking away temperature input via a keypad and making it a stupid dial instead) and they sent me some nice tongs to say thanks for the feedback. Maybe they’ll bring back the temperature input.
@The_Tim @uscpsycho if it’s any consolation, I bit the bullet on the ones in March and haven’t even opened them yet. I guess life has been too busy to even install a new app and set up a new thinger
@The_Tim Don’t forget to check Amazon reviews via FAKESPOT:
https://www.fakespot.com/product/idevices-kitchen-thermometer ’
Also notice this is a “Amazon Choice” which is a new thing they do to help you cut through the bullshit and find the diamond in the rough. These products marked “choice” are well priced, well reviewed, and have the fewest returns in their peer group (supposedly)
OH MY GOD THEY KILLED IRK! And stuck a probe in him. And ate him?
@sammydog01 and he wasn’t that good
@hchavers @sammydog01 probably needed catsup or something.
@sammydog01 Maybe he bothered them more than he should?
@hchavers But he was high in fiber.
A+++++++++ writeup! Would read again.
No animal noises? No thanks.
/buy
@snapster It worked! Your order number is: taut-domestic-aftermath
/image taut domestic aftermath
It seems this might require cooking.
If that’s the case, I guess I won’t be needing one.
Bluetooth-enabled hamburgers. We are living in the future.
Been thinking of trying one of these types for roasting things. Why not?
/giphy ornate-sudden-condor
Well, now it looks like I’m promoting tactical pants for roasting things. I mean, I guess? As long as they can get to the right temperature…
@Carebear I changed the /giphy for you. Editing the post will usually bring up a different one. OTOH, /image usually just brings up the first Google image search result, which can differ depending on whether the hyphens are included or not.
/image ornate-sudden-condor
/image ornate sudden condor
@Carebear @narfcake and what a giphy you got!
Food for thought— hot stuff tonight or meh be not
Now I can show off my high-tech grilling gadgetry to my techno-challenged family at the July 4th celebration. Thanks Meh for making me the grill master this year!
Nah, I just used the pink oinking pig [pork] meat thermometer that came in my Fuko bag today for the first time cooking spare ribs, and it worked awesomely well.
Who needs another blue toothy gadget that will interfere with listening to tunes on my blue tooth speakers while chilling with my beer, when I have a pink magnetic oinking flashing pig-shaped one that can alert me just fine!
They’re here!!!: http://lowvisionchef.com/thermometer-in-piggy-shaped-for-pork/
https://www.amazon.com/Chef-Pals-ET446-Pork-Thermometer/dp/B005GYFTZG
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Chef-Pals-Pork-Thermometer-Light-Flashes-and-Alarm-Oinks-Pig-Probe-Kitchen-/392043911282?_trksid=p2349526.m4383.l4275.c10#viTabs_0
The write up was magnificent.
Six-syllable synopsis: I have this. It is good.
I have the original iGrill thermometer. After Weber bought the company and wrote the one-star iOS app, it no longer supported the original thermometer. Luckily, I had a backup of the original perfectly functional app and was able to reinstall it. I left another in a sea of one-star reviews to complain about how they abandoned support for the original device for no reason and how it soured my feelings for what had always been a brand I respected. To my surprise, Weber contacted me and sent me the thermometer that meh is selling today. I’ve been using it and I’m happy with it. I still haven’t switched to the new app though. From the update release notes it sounds like they’re still trying to restore the lost functionality of the old app. If you have iOS, I don’t think there’s any way to get the old app. But for this price I think it’s worth taking a shot if you want to cook anything to temperature. (If you aren’t cooking sous vide anyway.)
@SSteve If only Weber had been more customer supportive after they bought Ducane Grill.
They pretty much abandoned all the original Ducane grill owners when they gutted and redesigned the entire line.
That meant those original Ducane customers with lifetime warranties had them expired by Weber.
Those original grills are tanks and thankfully the aftermarket has some parts available.
Ours is going strong after 25 years… stored outside, albeit with a cover. Had to replace some of the lower grates but that’s it. The original twist igniter still works great.
I have an Android phone, and the new app wouldn’t work but the old app worked perfectly.
/giphy uplifted-stinky-flower
I was super disappointed with the ones from March, even with the Weber app, they wouldn’t connect to my phone properly(did once, then never again). And even when they were connected, the temperature was VERY badly wrong, off by at least 50 degrees. Wound up throwing them away because I couldn’t do anything with them anyway.
@vdeogmer Did you contact Weber? They have a warranty, y’know.
@vdeogmer I had a similar experience with the Weber app on Android. Couldn’t ever get them to connect and stay connected. They were worthless.
@narfcake only in the very beginning when it wouldn’t connect the first time. I was behind on Android updates, and installing those made it work the first time. Didn’t think about a warranty at all though. I’m ok, I went back to my old thermometer habits. Didn’t much care for the only display being on my phone. Which this one does have its own display, so I would probably like it alot more.
I bought this last time and like it a lot. The device itself functions perfectly and I don’t care about the app which failed to connect.
This looks nice. Does anybody know if this uses a standard Bluetooth profile (RFCOMM maybe, why would it need anything else?) or the Bluetooth is simply a way to obsolete devices when they feel like they are not making enough money? If it does, one can roll his/her own app. I, for example, would like to see a low temp alarm feature (sometimes one has to let the thing cool down, you know …), and use this with a laptop, not a phone.
@qmirage I don’t know the answer to your question but I completely support you finding out. A third party app that supports these and has better features would be great, and there are so many more possibilities from there.
How does one find out what Bluetooth profile it uses?
@djslack You can turn it on and scan with some Bluez tools (on Linux). It has been a while but I believe sdptool can do it. I had some custom tools written for that, too. If it is a proprietary protocol, however, there would be no sdp server and one probably would not be able to connect at all (usually in the name of `security’)
I bought these last time they were up and have used them a couple times. I think it’s great! I love it!!
Paul
/giphy ugliest-deserted-porpoise
I bought one from Amazon Warehouse a couple years ago (when it was still brandedunder the original name). I’m still running the last old iGrill app instead of moving to Weber because it works fine. I’ve done roasts and steaks on the Weber gas grille, phone 20-40 feet from the probe, and it worked just fine.
We bought this because the standard cable-connected oven probe burned out in the grille over medium heat; these have so far survived a dozen or so extended cooking sessions, though we do remove when searing in blast furnace mode.
Specs
What’s in the Box?
1x Weber iDevices Dual Probe Smart Kitchen Thermometer
2x Probes
Price Comparison
$44.95 at Amazon
Warranty
1 Year Weber
Estimated Delivery
Monday, July 13th - Thursday, July 16th
Boo
meh
Mmmmm! Irk! Tasty!
/buy
@UncleVinny It worked! Your order number is: buoyant-tinted-baboon
/image buoyant tinted baboon
Girst for the mill! This is the coolest item you’ve sold in a month o’ Sundays, Meh.
/giphy Andy Richter
Does anyone know if the probes that come with this would work in the iGrill 3?
@magiteck Yes. The probes are interchangeable between iGrill models.
Source: iGrill Mini and iGrill 3 owner.
So why would this be any better than an old style, perfectly accurate, “dumb” thermometer you stick in the meat? That needs no app, no charged phone, no nothing. And works every time.
@Kidsandliz
They are great for smoking meats where the cook times are long(>4 hours) and you need to be doing something else, not hovering over your smoker. You can set one probe in the meat and another in the other in the chamber and set an alert if the cook temp goes too high or low.
@Kidsandliz My reason is that I usually am grilling, not oven-ing. I also slow-cook, not flame-sear. I can stab the hunk of animal flesh once, then just flip and rotate it to my heart’s content (within the confines of how I have the probe inserted into the meat), never having to singe my knuckles reaching in to stab the meat repeatedly to know where I am in the cooking process. Admittedly, I would LOVE a device that had no wires at all, but devices like these let me keep the lid closed and the heat on low and keep an eye on when supper’ll be ready.
We got the ones in March and they’ve already found the trash can. Great concept but not great execution. Unlike our other wireless thermometer they just couldn’t stand the heat.
As seen on The Internet of Shit
Is the range 150 feet or 12 feet? (What phone has a bluetooth range of 150 feet anyways?)
/buy
@Chronicle Sorry, the
/buycommand is currently only available to VMP members./giphy heartbreaking-capricious-cheddar
Great write-up! Even though I don’t have a “smart” phone, in for one.
/buy
@Wookee It worked! Your order number is: unnatural-acidic-picture
/image unnatural acidic picture
