If you’ve been eyeing one, now’s the time.
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A little history: There was the Classic Thermapen, then there was a Classic Thermapen with backlight, and the latest version is the Thermapen MK4 with “intelligent” backlight.
This is the original Classic Thermapen without backlight. The backlit Classic is no longer sold. I called the Toll Free number to verify this.
Thanks for posting. I ordered it anyway. A backlight isn’t worth $40 to me. (The MK4 is $100.)
Edit: Shipping is only $4.
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Thank you for sharing. The total came to $62.99 with shipping, which finally got me to add a Thermapen to my kitchen tools.
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You’ll wonder how you ever got along without it.
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In addition to the Thermapen, they also sell the more affordable Thermopop and RT600C thermometers. I have used all three extensively.
The Thermopop is very accurate, only a second slower than the Thermapen, and has a backlight. The main advantage it has over the Thermapen for me is that I can easily rig the Thermopop in different positions for extended use (like a clip on thermometer). Unfortunately, you can’t disable auto-off and the backlight turns off after a few seconds. Also, the display only gives whole numbers, not fractions. I think that has mattered for me exactly one time. The Thermopop can’t be recalibrated, either, while the others can.
The RT600C is just a hair slower than the Thermopop. It doesn’t have a backlight. And it won’t work for deep-frying because it won’t read past 300F. (Don’t worry if you forget, it won’t break with hot oil, just gives an error.) Auto-shutoff is one hour, though, and it does display fractions. The RT600C also has a Min/Max function with which you can observe, e.g., that meat temp actually does keep rising after you stop cooking.
The Thermapen is like Acura to Thermopop’s Honda. Sure, 0 to 60 in 12 seconds is great, but once you’ve experienced 8 seconds, it’s tough to go back. Besides the feel, I like that it turns on when you flip it open, that you can disable auto-shutoff, and the design is such that it won’t get dirty as fast. (I don’t know how to further explain the design aspect.) If I had never used it, however, I would be perfectly happy driving to work in my Thermopop.
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The MK4 will probably be on sale again for $80. The advantage is the backlight, rotating display and it’s splash proof.
Congrats. Next step: ThermaQ, also now on sale.
Also, the magnetic boot for Thermapen is nice. Not crazy about the glow-in-dark, though…
Aloha,
Kaleo
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Actually, the Thermapen Classic is splash proof. The MK4 is supposed to be waterproof, even better.
The mk4 also uses aaa batteries, not cr 1032 (iirc) coin style batteries. Still, 60 bucks for the classic is a great way into thermapen world. The speed is really useful in painting a picture of meat temps at various levels as you insert it. Love this tool!!
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Apparently there’s an open box sale - $76 - ending today.
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If anyone’s eyeing a Thermapen for the upcoming holidays, a red or green Classic Thermapen is going for $59 during a 48-hour sale.
I purchased one in the spring, thanks to this thread, and find it even more useful than I expected.
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Thanks for the heads-up. I got one to give as a Christmas gift (I already have two) and got myself a second Extra Big and Loud timer, which allows me to leave stuff cooking on the stove while I do other things and still not burn the house down.
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I use the Thermapen far more than expected, too. At first, I didn’t appreciate the faster response time. Then, in August, we ran a popcorn chicken stand at a fundraiser and served at least a hundred orders. We checked each piece of chicken to make sure it wasn’t undercooked. The fast response time was a lifesaver. That’s at least a thousand pieces of chicken.
However, I really do wish it had a backlight. During that fundraiser, we kept frying until late night and it was hard to see the temp after sunset.
Unfortunately, it does get annoying for caramel, candymaking, and deep frying, because I can’t clip it on and have to constantly grab it to check the temp. I can rig a Thermopop for this purpose but the auto-off bothers me. Plus, I can’t use it with hot oil. Any solid recommendations for this purpose? I’ve tried the 4+ stars cheap thermometers from Amazon, but those always stop working after a few months. (I deep fry a lot.)
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https://www.thermoworks.com/ThermoPop?tw=SERIOUSEATS
I own this for some time and its just as great as the pen for a better price. SE wrote about it as a must have starter kit item.
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Anyone with a thermapen/pop have an infrared/laser thermometer? Curious about pros/cons/comparison - so far accuracy difference within a degree or two is what I’ve read.
I can’t help with the Thermapen. I do have a Taylor mechanical thermometer and a Fluke infrared thermometer that I send back for calibration each year (it’s for work, but that doesn’t mean I can’t use it in the kitchen!). Getting precision less than a degree with the Taylor is not realistic. The Fluke is way better than that. The challenge is that any insertion thermometer measures internal temperature and the infrared measures external temperature. The closest I can get to apples and apples is when I’m heating milk for yogurt. A good stir and the mechanical Taylor and the Fluke are within a degree of one another.
The easiest way to check the accuracy (note that accuracy and precision are very different things) is to check your Thermapen in boiling water and see how close it is to 212°F, correcting for altitude if necessary. For extra credit freeze the probe in water and look for 32°F. In the latter case you’ll want to catch it right at the point of freezing to avoid super-cooling. That’s close enough for cooking purposes.
Great to know about the ThermoPop. I wondered how it stacked up to the Thermapen, which I find wonderfully useful.
I can see myself gifting these to family members and thus ending debates about when food is at temp. My husband and I have fewer, um, loud discussions at dinner time since we added a Thermapen to our kitchen tools. 
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Changed my grilling game thats for sure. I have gifted a handful as gifts and recd raves later for introducing them to this gadget; most were unaware of the product. I use it all the time to check myself!
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