Why does the Maverick gotta have problems?

[C J]

Seriously, story of my life. The ET-732 looks to be ideal, and it's decently priced, but I've read nothing but bad reviews on it. Bad probes, inconsistent temperatures, etc. I'm now looking into the Thermoworks kits which are 4-5 times more expensive, and there is no wireless ability.

Any other options? I really don't want to pay $236 for thermometers....

 

[Boshizzle]

I've had my problems with Maverick but the warranty service is good and they work as advertised.

The problems really start when you try to use them in temps above BBQ temps. As long as I use them at 350* or below, I have no problem with the probes.

 

[Hoss]

I never had anything but good experiences with Maverick,as long as the product was "in warranty",I had problems with the cheap made ET-73's,no problem,replaced em as long as they were "in warranty".Had a couple crap out/fall apart after warranty expired,contacted Maverick to see about repairs.....No repairs available on "out of warranty" products.Period,buy new product.I would have gladly paid for the repairs and emailed them sentiment,Bottom line,made in China,ain't worth fixing,can replace cheaper than repair.X///////////> em!!!!!!!!:tsk:

 

[Hoss]

I've had my problems with Maverick but the warranty service is good and they work as advertised.

The problems really start when you try to use them in temps above BBQ temps. As long as I use them at 350* or below, I have no problem with the probes.

They have hi temp probes available,they work well.

 

[code3rrt]

Ive had my ET732 for a couple years now, no complaints.

 

[stephan]

Mine works it just does not transmit more than 10 feet and the temps will flake out every once in a while. But hey it was cheap enough. All I can say is do some research and make an informed decision

 

[IamMadMan]

Seriously, story of my life. The ET-732 looks to be ideal, and it's decently priced, but I've read nothing but bad reviews on it. Bad probes, inconsistent temperatures, etc. I'm now looking into the Thermoworks kits which are 4-5 times more expensive, and there is no wireless ability.

Any other options? I really don't want to pay $236 for thermometers....

The ET-73/ET-72 were not as dependable as the ET-732 which has better probes and wires. Like anything else, if you use it properly and care for it, it will last a long time. I have had mine almost 2 years without problems.

Do not pinch probe wires in the door, do not put probe wires through the exhaust vent, and keep the temperature of your cooker below the maximum rated temperatures of the probe wires and you should not have any problems.

 

[C J]

The ET-73/ET-72 were not as dependable as the ET-732 which has better probes and wires. Like anything else, if you use it properly and care for it, it will last a long time. I have had mine almost 2 years without problems.

Do not pinch probe wires in the door, do not put probe wires through the exhaust vent, and keep the temperature of your cooker below the maximum rated temperatures of the probe wires and you should not have any problems.

So the only way to use it is to install pass-throughs on the side of the smokers? I know you can't pinch the wires, but I was planning on running it through the exhaust.

 

[Mdboatbum]

I'm pretty happy with mine. (Et-732) I need a new pit probe, but I can live with that. Going on 2 years, great range, only dropped the connection a couple times, and the temp is within 2 degrees of freezing or boiling. I was pissed when the pit probe died, but I hadn't exactly babied it. For the price, I'd say go for it.

 

[caliking]

So the only way to use it is to install pass-throughs on the side of the smokers? I know you can't pinch the wires, but I was planning on running it through the exhaust.

I found that cutting a small vertical notch in the side of both of my drums worked the best. Place the probe in the meat, then place the wire in the notch and put the lid on. The air leak is miniscule and does not make a difference. Works better than threading through the exhaust vent as well as grommet mds of various kinds (i have tried a couple). My et-7-/et-73 have been going pretty strong after ~ 5yrs. I did an antenna mod which boosted the range tremendously and I never have range issues anymore.

 

[JMSetzler]

I have two different maverick temperature probes. I have the ET-85 and the ET-732 most recently. Both work very well for me, but as mentioned earlier here, both have had issues when I'm cooking at higher temps. I have cooked two turkeys and one chicken recently and had issues with both systems at 375-425° temperature range. The problem I'm having with both is that the meat probe reads higher temps than it should, and I think the problem is that heat is radiating down to the probe from the part that is exposed outside the meat. I end up near the end of the cook with a probe reading 15-20 degrees higher than the actual meat temp. I talked to Maverick about it when I discovered that I had two different setups giving me the same problem. They didn't think there would be a problem like I described here. Next time I do a cook like this, I'm going to wrap the exposed portion of the probe in foil to see if the problem goes away or not. Maverick did ask me to contact them after I had done this to let them know if it solved the issue or not.

 

[New Pal Frank]

I have (2) ET-732 units and they both work great. Use them in competitions and at home on my Backwoods and UDS. UDS has a 1/4" hole that I run the probes thru and on the Backwoods has gaskets that don't crimp the cables. Also have good range on them, usually no more than 125 feet away. Keep fresh batteries in them and they will work great.

 

[IamMadMan]

So the only way to use it is to install pass-throughs on the side of the smokers? I know you can't pinch the wires, but I was planning on running it through the exhaust.

Yes drill a hole at food height and install a silicone or high temp rubber grommet. you can also use silicone caulk if you have too..

"Cailking" said he notched the side of his drums and the leak is minimal.

Remember, if you care for your tools they'll give you years of service.

 

[Porcine Perfection]

I returned my ET-732 because of the probes. I now only use the heavier K type probes. I agree that a simple thing like a piece of metal with two wires shouldn't need to be babied.


"You don't win friends with salad!" - Homer Simpson

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Wh1skey6]

I returned my ET-732 because of the probes. I now only use the heavier K type probes. I agree that a simple thing like a piece of metal with two wires shouldn't need to be babied.

I would have to disagree with this. Crimps in any wire will eventually cause the wires to break - most likely within the insulation.

My daughter constantly wraps her headphones in awkward loops and the always have the same results - broken wire somewhere.

You don't have to baby them but I wouldn't just lay the wires on the edge and shut the door on them either.

 

[jasonjax]

I have beaten the crap out of my ET-732 over a couple of years and it is still going strong with the exception of the wiring coming loose on the cooker side of the wire. I'm going to get some heat-shrink tubing and see if that works for now, but overall, I'd say it has held up incredibly well after being dropped a couple dozen times and being subjected to a lot of overall use.

 

[Porcine Perfection]

I would have to disagree with this. Crimps in any wire will eventually cause the wires to break - most likely within the insulation.

My daughter constantly wraps her headphones in awkward loops and the always have the same results - broken wire somewhere.

You don't have to baby them but I wouldn't just lay the wires on the edge and shut the door on them either.

I agree that with such a thin gauge wire the wire will break if folded or crimped. When these probes were originally designed they were not intended for the use that we use them for. That being said, when I had my ET-732 I used and a strain relief bushing and was very careful. Probes went bad after three cooks. With the K type probes you can disconnect the plug and add a layer of metal sheathing which really helps.

 

[SirPorkaLot]

I have had two Maverick thermos in the past 5 years. The 1st one was an ET-73 that was replaced by a ET-732 2 years ago.

I have ordered replacement probes twice in 5 years.

Oh yea. I use mine several times a month.

Not sure where the bad reviews are from, but you won't get one here

 

[fingerlickin']

Ive had my ET732 for a couple years now, no complaints.

Ditto.

Just buy the Maverick. All my original probes still work fine.

 

[aawa]

I have had my ET732 for over 6 months and use them 2-4times a week. I don't baby them, but I dont beat them up either. I make sure that the wires arent kinked, I dont immerse the whole probe when washing them, and I dont pull on the probe from the wire. The only probe of mine that has went bad was the one my roommate washed and he submersed the whole probe for an extended amount of time while doing dishes.

As for using the probes, i feed them through the exhaust vents of my Mini and my OTG without any issues at all. If you use the probes that come with the unit, it might be too short to reach a table, and you will just need to hang it off the handles.