Well this
week I got the opportunity to do a review on the Maverick PT-100BBQ Pro digital
thermometer. Later in this review we will also do a side by side comparison
with the popular Thermapen which should be quite interesting. I will also put
both of them to the test so that we can see the performance of both of them. Before I start this review I would like to say a special thanks to Darren Keller from Maverick for providing a sample of there PT-100BBQ Pro digital thermometer to make this review possible.
Here's a little history and bibliography of the company that was provided to me by Maverik:
"Edward Mackin, the current Owner and President founded Maverick
Industries, Inc. in 1982. Shortly thereafter Peter Chapman joined the company
as the National Sales Manager. Together they form the current management and
ownership of Maverick. The company started
making electric barbecue grills and gained immediate acceptance at the higher
end of the retail scale. Most of the
initial customers were Department Stores and Specialty Shops. In the 1980’s the company expanded its line
to include ceramic indoor grills. During
this time the indoor grill business grew to a market of about 3 million units
and Maverick was a leader in the category.
In the late 1980’s – early 90’s the indoor
grill business became saturated with many entries into the category. Margins suffered and prices eroded and the
company expanded into several small electric items including steamers, pasta
makers, toasters, and other basic products while still maintaining a grill line.
In
1991 Maverick introduced the first digital cooking thermometer – the BarbBChek. It was introduced as an instant read cooking
thermometer for outdoor grilling. The
unit was an instant success and achieved widespread distribution. It was still a minimum part of Maverick’s
business but growth was steady and the product line was expanded with a model
with more detailed cooking temperatures, a digital model, and a long probe
model. In a very short time the
thermometer line became a major part of Maverick’s business.
Also
during the 1990’s the USDA embarked on a campaign to educate American consumers
and cooks to use a meat thermometer to test all of the foods to make sure that
they were cooked to the proper temperature.
This safety issue contributed to growth of the sales of meat
thermometers.
In
the 1997 the first Thermometer Fork was
introduced in an infomercial and became an instant success. The product was made for all major retailers
and Maverick produced the product for such companies as Williams-Sonoma,
Restoration Hardware and Sharper Image.
We are holders of a design patent on this product in our version. The product was heavily promoted, discounted
and quickly the lower end of the market went through the marketing curve and
within two years the product was down trending due to quality problems at the
low end. During this time Maverick’s
higher quality products continued to sell well at the upper end of the pricing.
In 1998 Peter
Chapman had the idea to make a remote cooking thermometer and developed the
first unit – the ET-7. The unit is
covered by five US Utility Patents.
Again this unit met the customer need and was a real success at upper
end retail. The product has been written
up in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times with favorable reviews. The company expanded the remote thermometer
line with a single probe ET-72 and a Smoker Thermometer ET-73. The ET-73 was improved up with the
introduction of the ET-732 which increase both the range and the heat
resistance of the probe and wire.
Maverick
is currently one of the leading
producers of digital thermometers in the United States. The company holds eleven utility patents and
two design patents on thermometers. The
line has been extended to include Candy & Deep Fry Thermometers,
Refrigerator/Freezer thermometers and digital oven thermometers along with a
complete line of bi-metal products.
Maverick
supplies products under the BarbBChek
brand, RediChek brand, Williams-Sonoma brand, Sur La Table,
Hamilton-Beach brand and Chef’s Catalog brand. In addition Maverick makes
digital thermometers OEM for several resellers such as “Big Green Egg” and others. The company has the capability of designing
special product for each customer and maintaining margin requirements."
Here are
the features of the Maverick PT-100BBQ Pro digital thermometer from there website:
·
·Commercial
Grade Thermometer with NSF approval
·
·
Type K Thermocouple with integral stainless precision micro tip probe
·
·
Water & Dust resistant to IP44
·
·
Shock resistant against multiple 3’ drops onto concrete floor
·
·
High Contrast LCD with Big .5” Backlit Blue-White Digits on Black Display
·
·
Temperature range: -40F (-40C) – 450F (230C)
·
·
100% Factory Calibration Certificate included guarantees performance &
accuracy to NIST standards
·
·
Dimensions closed: 7.4” x 2.2” x .7”
·
·
Probe length: 5”
·
·
Auto Power Save after 5 minutes of inactivity
·
·
Unit turns ON/OFF automatically when the probe is pivoted
·
·
LCD Resolution is: .1C/.1F
·
·
Low battery indicator
·
·
Selectable Fahrenheit or Celsius
·
·
Handy Cooking Chart on body
·
·
Uses 3AAA batteries (included)
When I
first look at the Maverick PT-100BBQ Pro digital thermometer in its package I was impressed that it had
rubber bumpers on it to protect it from falls. It’s also well packaged to
protect it during shipping. Another thing that coughs my eye looking at it in
its packaging is that it has a nice temperature chart right on the Thermometer
itself. This can be very useful especially for guys like me that has tendency
to keep forgetting the safe internal temp of certain food.
Front view of packaging
Rear view of Packaging
Quick reference Temperature chart
After
opening the package I found that it came with its own calibration certificate
which includes a guarantees performance and accuracy to NIST standards. It’s also
calibrated to accuracy of +- 2° F.
Calibration Certificate
What came with the Maverick PT100-BBQ Pro digital thermometer
After
playing with the PT-100BBQ Pro digital thermometer for a few minutes it felt quite rugged,
comfortable, and sturdy in my hand. You can tell the PT-100BBQ Pro thermometer was
designed to be tuff and build to last with its built in rubber pads around it. You
turn the unit “On” and “off” by simply folding and unfolding the stainless
precision micro tip probe on the side of the unit. I love the fact that its
design to withstand multiple falls of up to three feet. Which is real good to
know since I drop quite a few thermometers while BBQing or working in my
kitchen before and lost count on the ones that I broke this way.
The Maverick PT-100BBQ Pro folded
The Maverick PT-100BBQ Pro partially unfolded
View of one of the rubber pads.
It has a
large 0.5” back lite LCD display which makes it easy to read in dark
environment. I find this to be extremely useful for Grillers that love grilling
at night or bright sunny days when you’re actually wearing your polarized
sunglasses. The temperatures on the display are large enough and very easy to
read which is very useful for folks with vision impairments or old eyes like
mine. Also right underneath the Large LCD display it has a nice food
temperature chart for quick reference.
Has you can see its a bright, large and clear LCD Display
This
thermometer uses three AAA battery’s which are commonly found in many stores and
are more readily available in everyone’s household compared to the regular watch
type batteries which tends to be harder to find. The battery compartment is
easily accessible by the flush tab that you slide down on the back side of the
PT-100BBQ Pro digital thermometer which makes battery changes real easy and fast.
Slide tab to open
Easy access battery compartment
This
digital thermometer came with a nice quick release carabiner which can be handy
for hanging you PT-100BBQ Pro on your belt loop when not in use.
The Maverick
PT-100BBQ Pro-Temp Thermometer is water and dust resistant to IP44 and has a
temperature range of -40° F to 450° F. It has a stainless precision micro tip
probe which will not puncture a large hole in delicate food and has a temperature
response time of 3-4 seconds. The temperature can be easily set from either
Fahrenheit or Celsius via a small set point hole activated by a ball point pen or
toothpick on the back of the unit. This Maverick unit is also NSF approved for
professional use which means it’s a good quality thermometer.
Picture of the thermocouple probe
Picture of the set point hole
To change set point from C to F you can use a pointy object like a toothpick
Here a side
by side comparison for accuracy at room temperature with the Thermapen and the
President Choice Meat Thermometer.
Side by side ambient temp comparison only 0.3 Degree F difference between the three
On the picture above you can also see the Maverick is quite accurate and its display is quite bright and easier to read and brighter.
Now lets compare the famous Thermapen against the Maverick PT-100BBQ Pro digital thermometer . The maverick PT-100BBQ Pro is better protected against falls due to its rubber padding. The Battery compartment on the Maverick PT-100BBQ Pro is also easier accessible and uses 3AAA batteries which is easier to acquire then the watch type battery used in the Thermapen. Also the Thermapen you need a Quarter to open the battery compartment which can be inconvenience.
Side by side view of the rear and view of Batt Comp
The Thermapen you need a Quarter to open Battery Comp.
The maverick you just slide the battery compartment tab and open
The Thermapen is less bulky in size but the Maverick is surprisingly has a more comfortable grip and feels more rugged but that can be personal preference. The maverick thermocouple probe end has a longer skinny point then the Thermapen.
The skinny tip is longer on the Maverick
Ok now we will test the Maverick PT-100BBQ Pro digital thermometer and the Thermapen for accuracy in boiling water. I am at sea level of 60 Meters so the boiling point should be around 212.5 F. You can get the sea level boiling point here:
Altitude water boiling point
As you can see only 1.4 Degrees F in difference between the two.
Pot of boiling water.
As you can see from the picture above they are both pretty accurate. I also tried with the president choice one and got a reading of 216 Degree F.
As you can see they are pretty close to each other.
Now we will do a glass full of ice with a little water to compare at the low end.
1.7 degrees F difference between the two.
From what I have seen they are both pretty accurate Thermometer in boiling water and ice. A difference of 1.4 to 1.7 degrees F between the two won't make a difference on what your cooking on the grill.
The Maverick PT-100BBQ Pro digital thermometer is definitely worth considering when choosing a thermometer for BBQing. Lots of folks out there swears that the Thermapen is the best thermometer out there. Well from what I found playing with both of them is that the Maverick is actually a better buy, more impressive, and just has good of a thermometer for accuracy. You get a easier to read LCD with the Maverick and it also comes with a built in rubber bumpers on the corner and middle section of the thermometer which provides protection against accidental drops. The Thermapen sells a protection sleeve which will set you back extra $20 or so dollars to provide protection against accidental drops. Also the maverick probe tip as a longer skinnier section which is very useful in preventing large hole in delicate foods while taking temperature readings. The maverick also features a large back lite LCD display which makes it easy to read in dark environment which the Thermapen doesn't provide.
Company contact info:
Maverick Industries, Inc.
94 Mayfield Avenue
Edison, New Jersey 08837.
1-800-526-0954
Tel: (732) 417-9666
Fax: (732) 417-9673
Happy Grilling!
