Weber Style 32908 Professional-Grade Barbecue Beeper Digital Thermometer Reviews

• Just what I needed.

  
  By on 2004-04-27
  Ever had a meal go up in smoke because you got pulled away from the grill? This solves the problem. Also, I grill a lot about 3 times a week and that's just in the winter. This saves a lot of those trips out to the grill to probe the food and eliminates the need to open the grill cover and lose all that heat. Just stick it in put it on the grill and forget about it.

  I really works.

  1. Just to test things out I wheeled my grill to the far edge of my property then went down to my basement. I still got a full signal about 80 linear feet away through a brick wall and two thick plaster-lathe interior walls.

  2. The monitor warns you when your food is within 5 degrees of your desired doneness so you have time to react..

  3. It really really cooked my steak medium rare.

  4 Minor annoyance: It has handy preprogrammed settings for rare, medium rare, medium etc. for beef, veal and lamb. But it assumes you want hamburger, fish and poultry well done. In case you don't want these foods cooked that well you need to find an appropriate temperature setting from one of the other foods. For example If you need to turn a turkey and want to be warned when it raches 145 degrees you'd need to set the monitor for beef and medium rare, which happens to be 145 degrees. Would have been nice if it had the option to directly set the monitor for a specific temperature.

  Still this thing is absolutely great. Just what I always wished I had.
  
  

• Complete garbage

  
  By A3KTRORYJ3RGXX on 2004-11-09
  At first, I was thrilled. It worked great for one BBQ smoking session, then stopped working, then worked intermittently, then stopped again. Tried new batteries to no avail. I am very disappointed in Weber for putting their name on this piece of junk. Do not buy this under any circumstances.
  
  

• CSI

  
  By A1FR1D6IVKIBH5 on 2006-06-14
  All reviews indicating probe failure are consistent with my findings, which is an engineering design flaw in the choice of low-temp material for the wire insulation that eventually carbonizes with high-temp exposure (my opinion). The thermister sensor itself remains functional (assumming it was always inside food; I disassembled one probe to confirm how it failed). The failure will not usually occur immediately, unless exposed to very high temp, such as a grill on sear. As far as I can tell all probes of different manufactures are essentially of the same design (I have several, and they are interchangeable among the units). The main point to take away is that ALL of these will eventually fail after accumulating enough high-temp exposure time. You are essentially cooking the wire insulation until it carbonizes internally and shorts out the sensor. The silly part of this is high-temp wire probes have been around for decades, so this is just plain bad engineering, not rocket science, but so far (based in part on other reviews) I don't know of anyone doing it correctly in the consumer market (you need an industrial probe). The worst environment for these is the grill, which is why I put this review here; you may get only one use.
  
  

• Great Seasonal Tool

  
  By on 2004-05-08
  The remote sensor is the selling point on this one. The utility of having the alarm unit in the house is wonderful, especially for us year round cooks - no more running outside in the snow to check the meat. Luv it. Got 2 - one for the charcoal, one for the gas. Note: when you screw up and let the probe cord overheat, you can buy replacement probes from manufacturers of similar reading digital temp sensors.
  
  

• When it works it works great, but...

  
  By A3GEYCJWTH0S2F on 2006-09-12
  I purchased this product about two years ago and it's great for cooking meats on the grill. No more second guessing whether the chicken is done (or overdone).
  
  But so far I've gone through three sensor wires in that short time period. Each time they failed (reading of 199° immediately after turning it on), I've had to call Weber and request a replacement. I was always accused of closing the lid on the wire, which I never did -- I would always make sure the wire was placed in one of the little notches on the side of our Weber grill. But to their credit, they eventually would agree to send me out a new one.
  
  After the third sensor wire failed just recently, they sternly informed me that "this would be the last time" they would replace it since I've had the product for more than a year. The unit has a one-year warranty, but I guess it doesn't matter that I never got more than a year out of any of the sensors.
  
  If they improved the durability of the sensor wire then they would have a great product on their hands. As it stands now, I'd steer clear of this product.
  
  
• Great
  By A18HW7TFGPRW9U on 2006-04-27
  It works great but only when you wrap the sensor wire with heavy duty aluminum foil/ I made sure it was wrapped with 4 layers. This stops the direct head that it will get. If you do not do this, it will eventually fail.
  
  I have used this for cooking slow and you have to turn it back on after 8 hours as it turns off to save batteries. The range on the unit is very good and will go through brick walls and cement floors.
  
  I highly recommend this if you take the easy precaution of wrapping the wire in aluminum foil from the probe and any area that will be inside the heat area.
  
  
  
• Weber name, not Weber quality
  By A1FL2YCFDQLVX9 on 2004-09-19
  Weber should be ashamed to have their name on this. No timer, the temperatures are already programmed (rare, med rare, well done), you can't adjust them. After the first hour it lost the signal and I could get it back, turned it on and off, nothing. Spend a few extra dollars and get the Redi-Check, it has a timer, you can set the temperature, and the remote sensor has a temperature read out. I own 2 Weber grills, and I only buy Weber accessories, but this one is junk!
  
  
• Difficult to synch remote probe and unit
  By A1NSHCL8U2HOGO on 2006-05-31
  I bought two of these units. The instructions require you to reset the receiving unit in order to get it to synch with the sending unit. However, it does not seem to work. After many attempts and much frustration, I got it to work.
  
  The unit seems very accurate, and its great to have it remote. However, I have already ruined one of the two probes, as I inserted it into the meat immediately, while I was still searing. My grill temp must have been over the 480 degree limit, as the probe has now been damaged and does not work at all.
  
  
• Worked great until it broke!
  By A2RI4UY30FCOOZ on 2004-09-19
  This was the best thermometer I ever used -- until it broke. I dropped the transmitter about 2 feet and that was it. Now it's dead and I only got about 10 uses out of it.
  
  
• Mine Quit Working!
  By A2C3WHPXV3BQYK on 2004-11-29
  I love this thing! But after using it about 15 times it stopped working. Don't know if it was dropped or not. Tried changing batteries. Tried reseting everything.
  
  
• Probe Failed
  By A13MV6AXJFK75B on 2006-06-19
  The temp probe will fail after a few uses. The temp will read 199 F when it fails. DON"T WASTE YOUR MONEY!!!
  
  
• great while it lasted
  By A37UQWOYQOESES on 2006-07-10
  This product was great for the first 3 months of use. It worked really well and we were very happy campers. Our friend bought one and his lasted through only 2 uses, ours died unexpectedly after s couple months usage.
  
  
  
  
• Beware the limitation!!!
  By A1TBQ5IUP2HD7Q on 2004-06-16
  I returned mine. Why? Because it does not give you a reading for anything over 199 degrees. I purchased mine for use in a Weber smoker. I wanted to measure temperatures up to 220 degrees inside the smoker. This timer only registers to 199 degrees. After that it just beeps to tell you (as the directions say:) "out of range". It worked fine below that, but it was useless with any temps over that. It says the probe can register up to 480 degrees or something, so why limit the readout?
  
  
• A real lemon.
  By A1KXFSVDST2HXP on 2006-08-06
  Used it 4 times and it worked great. The fifth and last time I tried it, (it's now going into the trash can.)it gave such a false reading that I screw up my nice lamb shoulder. Best to use the old fashioned instant thermometer - at least it's accurate. So there you are - $39 for a usless thermometer and $11 for a ruined lamb shoulder.
  
  
• Very displeased!
  By AULX803KQGL12 on 2005-02-05
  You can't choose the temperature, the thermometer decides. Well, I don't WANT my beef cooked to a minimum of 145. I don't want to overcook my poultry to 180.
  
  You have to reset it by taking the battery covers off both the remote and the base every time you use it.
  
  This is a very poorly planned item. I expected better from Weber.
  
  
• Take heed!
  By A3JCT46FPOMTH4 on 2006-05-28
  The first two of these didn't work right out of the package. Even the barbeque specialty store owner couldn't get either of them to work. The third worked for 1 hour even though I was only using it to spot check the meat (didn't leave the probe inside the grill) It is now in the trash, at $3.50 a gallon I won't waste the gas to return it again!
  
  
• The Best There Is!
  By A25WVOF9Y5QOZC on 2004-08-05
  I wouldn't be without my Weber Probe Thermometer whenever I barbecue. Everything, and I mean everything, comes out absolutely perfect! Everyone who's been over for a bbq has ended up ordering one of these because they become as crazy about it as I am. When making steaks, I set the sensor for Beef-Medium, and let me tell you, it couldn't come out more perfectly cooked. No more ruining the meats by cutting into it to check the doneness. All the guesswork is taken out, and having the ability to walk away with the remote makes it all the better. I no longer have to hang around the grill. When the food is ready, the sensor beeps and I know it's time to take the food off the grill. This baby has settings for fish, chicken, beef, pork, hamburger, and each one has different settings for rare, medium rare, medium, well-done, etc. Hamburger and chicken have only "well-done" settings for safety, and I like that too. This has made the bbq season the best yet for us.
  
  
• Great if it works
  By A1R4BQ5PHFZHRP on 2006-05-08
  We had this thermometer for one summer. When we first got it, we were thrilled. It tells you when the meat it done so you don't overcook it on the grill. However, after about 3 months of moderate use (I think we used it about once every 1-2 weeks), it just died. We tried to reset it, changed the batteries, etc., but nothing worked. It would turn on, but it wouldn't read a temperature. We finally threw it away. For $30, I expected it to last longer than it did, but for the short time it did work, it worked great.
  
  
• Best Thermometer I've Used
  By on 2004-06-16
  I've tried several other types of thermometers to no avail. I've used both the standard meat thermomter as well as more expensive digital thermometers. This works better than anything I've tried. The remote saves trips out the bbq and I've never had any trouble reading it. A must buy for any serious bbq.
  
  
• Unreliable near junk
  By AWJWCKB92RJX2 on 2005-01-19
  Weber should be ashamed. This thing has a hard time keeping communication with the probe over ANY distance down to a few inches. Weber says that it has a range of 100 feet. Baloney.
  
  Using it is an exercise in frustration. Do yourself a favor, if you want to buy one, just burn the $30 it costs. At least you will not waste your time trying to get it to work.
  
  This is the second Weber accessory I've bought that is worthless. Also bought the illuminating handle for gas grills. That melted.
  
  I think these guys only know how to make good grills. Nothing else.
  
  
• Cheap construction
  By A35BRW03M9DYIL on 2004-08-24
  I used this product 3 times before it broke. Very cheaply made. Can't find replacement parts. I recommend going with a higher quality product. I guess you get what you pay for.
  
  
• Good but could do more
  By A22432ODP3NH6K on 2005-08-03
  Recently purchased this item. Package was packed adequately and arrived in good order. After a half-dozen grilling sessions I find it easy to use. Probe has a good response. 5-degree warning tone is the best feature next to wireless. The lost signal/out of range alert works well. The belt clip is handy and display is easy to read in sun and shade.
  
  I do not like that you get only a limited number of tempartures (USDA/FDA standards) which guarantee you will overcook your meal every time -- poultry has only the 180F well-done setting -- damn lawyers will ruin everything, including your steak if you let them.
  
  Of course the thermocouple doesn't care which meat it's stuck into. To reduce the risk of cross-contamination, the best time to insert the probe is after your meat has had a chance to sear and kill off any bacteria on the outside. That way you won't push any into the center of the steak when you insert. Just make sure that you get that probe tip centered. If it sticks out and touches the grill or otherwise gets too hot, it's toast.
  
  After the probe is set, I use the beef-rare combination setting (for everything I want cooked more than rare) and then wait for the warning at 130F. Then I carefully watch the display until I get to about 10F from the temp I want. I them remove my perfectly cooked food and let it rise 5-10F more after I take the meat off the grill and let it rest. For med-rare steak on my Weber gas grill set to high, this means that I pull it right when I hear the warning tone for rare. If I wanted rare (I'm a med-rare guy so I don't normally) I'd have to watch it starting just after the 90-100F turn.
  
  Other than overly obfuscating instructions (they forgot the KISS principle), there are a few other possible improvements. The on-off button on the transmitter could use a better confirmation rather than waiting 10 seconds for the LED to flash (or not). Next, the range on this could also be improved -- I can't walk all the way around my house outside without going out of range. But since I get reception in the kitchen, TV room, bar, and office I'm happy.
  
  The internal chip, software, and display is common among several models and brands -- the silver plastic is just a case and Weber is just a label. Shop around.
  
  If you want a model with programmable temperatures and timers -- the Alton Brown wonder-timer, check out Polder or Taylor (among others). Some even come wiresless too for around the same price.
  
  
• Very Disappointing
  By AP7P8D4HATSZ8 on 2005-09-21
  I received this item for my birthday. Initially, it was difficult to set up, and a little confusing. I got it working, and it seemed good. After about 20 minutes with the probe in the meat in the grill, it started going crazy, saying everything was overcooked. I checked it, and it seems the wire had melted. it had not been misused at all, I used it exactly as the manufacturer suggest I use it (on my Weber grill no less), and it melted into uselessesness.
  
  
• Advertised Price A Sham?
  By A2OT2RGMKTQ0XX on 2004-07-20
  This item is advertised on may different websites at $29.99, however when you try to buy it, Amazon suddenly jacks the price up to $34.99?
  
  
• Great for Large Meats!
  By AM1GEAGP36VR7 on 2005-11-16
  So far I have used this on grilling turkeys, pork shoulders, prime rib, and beef brisket. I like using this on large cuts so I can see what's going on without constantly lifting the lid and losing the heat. I don't use this on anything that uses a direct grill.
  
  The wireless distance is very good (across the street watching football at neighbors and it still was reading).
  
  On an indirect grill I make sure the cable does not go over any area above the coals. My neighbors both scorched their cable wires on the probe. One had the wire over the coals on a direct grill, the other had the wire running over the coals on an indirect instead of over the drip pan. Both neighbors replaced their units, kept wire away from coals, and have been grilling since with no problems.
  
  Anything that requires above 190 F like pork shoulders or brisket, I find the turkey selection on the guage goes past the 180 F mark and into the 190's.
  
  Lastly, at neighborhood block parties where multiple weber temp guages are used for large cuts, I like the feature that prevents each temp quage from interfering with other Weber wireless temp guages.
  
  Happy Grilling!
  
  
• Unreliable, finally died
  By A33OFIWVF4C0AD on 2006-05-07
  I had this for a year before it finally died. Even at its best it usually took a few tries (on and off cycles) to get it to connect. Also, there is no user defined temperature alarm, so you are forced to use their presets.
  
  
• Do not buy this product
  By A2FIKD8SISEEPT on 2006-11-03
  Unfortunatly I did not read the negative reviews on this product prior to purchasing. I didn't even get 1 productive usage from this product. It stopped working somewhere during the first usage. I payed $30 and all I got was useless electronics and an undercooked piece of meat.
  
  
• Not really "Weber Style"
  By A2I3O1ZHQ5R4QZ on 2006-11-04
  The quality is not up to Weber Standards. The nominal temperatures for various degrees of "wellness" do not agree with the temperatures published in Weber's cookbooks and they're NOT adjustable. Further, the product needed replacement twice in the first sixty days of ownership. The only good thing about this item is Weber's service & support personnel. They're absolutely excellent.
  
  
• You can get replacement probes - but why should you have to?
  By A7VC3OHVCH47B on 2005-05-20
  I used mine once, and it fried. If you call Weber's absolutely fantastic helpline (really, it is great), they will ship you a new one. The company is good, this product is a victim of the type of thermocouple they chose to use. The Weber help line says the new ones are beefier, but I suspect that they marketed this product without verifying that it can be used in an actual grill. What were they thinking? A grill thermometer that cannot stand the heat of a grill? Stupid. I love my Genesis grill, but the probe is simply inferior. Still, after 1 week, my replacement probe is still working, so there is hope :)
  
  
• This is a great one. Don't touch it to the grill though.
  By A7JGEKN140F4S on 2005-06-06
  I've had several different models of grill thermometers.
  
  In general, it's a great type of device to have. I used to have to cut my meat open to try to determine if it was done. These are simple to use instead. After you flip your meat, you stick the probe in thru the side of the meat to the center and it will give you continuous temperature readings. You know with confidence that your meat is done to the right temp without cutting.
  
  That's true of pretty much all the models.
  
  The things I like about this one in particular are:
  
  1. Price is very reasonable compared to others.
  
  2. The wireless remote is extremely convenient. Set it up and walk away with the remote unit.
  
  3. The interface is simple and intuitive. Others I've had to actually read the manual. This is very straightforward.
  
  4. I love when a company goes the extra mile and includes the batteries! Just open the compartment on both pieces and pull out the strips and you're up and running.
  
  The only downside of this and all other units I've had is that IF you touch the temp probe to the hot grill itself, you'll fry it. Other reviewers have complained about this, or thought it was a battery problem or something. You just have to know that if you do this you need a new one. I've done it several times. I assume there's a way they could have protected the probe from this problem but that it would have made the whole thing more expensive so they chose this design.
  
  Nevertheless, a great addition to your BBQ collection, and you can't go wrong with this particular model.
  
  

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