Lavatools Javelin® Ultra-Fast 2-Second Digital Instant Read Meat Thermometer for Grill and Cooking, 2.75″ Probe, Compact Foldable Design, Large Display, IP65 Water Resistant, NSF Certified – Milk

Better than the CDN DTQ450X
Hey all- so I’ve had a CDN thermo for about 6 months now based on the recommendation of The Sweet Home and Cooks Illustrated. It was pretty great to start, right price, very accurate (for my uses). Overall, a great little tool at a great price.But recently, I’ve found it to sometimes be very jumpy and slow to take a temp. Sometimes in chicken breast it will jump +/- 30° in a reading as the thermo moves around. I’m not sure if it’s because the shaft is being heated by the ambient heat from the pan or if there is a loose connection or what. Also, I’ve always felt the probe on the CDN was a little too short, I’d always be almost burning my hand trying to take a temp on some stovetop chicken because you have to hold the bulb in place directly above.Anyway, these things were getting annoying so I was thinking of making the plunge into a Thermapen, putting it on my holiday list (because its so pricey), etc- however, when I was on amazon, I saw this item, the Thermawand, a new thermometer that is clearly putting itself directly up against the Thermapen. At only $24.99 I figured I’d give it a try.It just came last week and I’ve only been using it a bit but I already love it.All the following is in comparison to my use of the CDN:- its more comfortable and intuitive to use, by extending the temp sensor wand it turns itself on, when you close it, it turns off. No buttons.- much bigger, easy read display- overall length is a little longer than the CDN, so you can hold it further away from the heat.- you can use it when the probe is at an angle so you can avoid your hand being directly above the heat/splattering oil.- feels well built. My best friend has a Thermapen (the $96 one) and comparatively, they feel very similar in hand and operate very similarly. The thermapen does have the appearance of being more waterproof/sealed, but otherwise, they are very similar.- product design is much nicer looking than CDN, and this one has color options- For an inexpensive tool, it comes in nice packaging which is a plus!So anyway I did some initial really basic “testing” head to head with the CDN. I put some water on the stove to boil and made a cup of ice water. I then simultaneously put each thermometer from one temp extreme to another a few times back to back to see how quickly they adjusted. The Thermowand was about a half second or more quicker every time and more importantly, it was also quick to stabilize and overall more stable. The temp reading on the Thermowand was not as “jumpy” yet it was still reading in real time, as when I held it in the pot of water, I watched it creep up second by second. The actual numeric readings between the two would vary about a degree, but this wasn’t a big deal to me.I know part of the “jumpyness” could be attributed to the fact that the CDN is technically a bit more sensitive than the Thermowand- however, I’m not talking about being jumpy within a degree or so. I’m talking about being jumpy +/- 5 to 10 degrees- which is a meaningful difference, especially if you are aiming for a specific doneness and want to know a temp with more certainty.Anyway- my testing was far from extensive- but since none of the review sites have been updated- I wanted to give this company some love.It is about $7 dollars more expensive than the CDN, but I think it’s well worth it. I will say, the one silly thing I like about the CDN better is the probe sleeve has a little meat temperature cheat sheet on it- something easily fixed with some screenprinting on the thermawand.Additionally, I can see how its “pen” format allows for better clipping on an apron or chef jacket/shirt- however, that’s not important to me.

Fast and accurate as advertised
This is THE BEST probe thermometer I have ever owned for the price and I’ve been through about 6 different probes in the past 4 years.Pros:First off “NSF APPROVED!” for those who work in commercial kitchens.The color selection is a nice touch but as most may not know these thermometers are actually color coded for commercial kitchens so if all colors were purchased you have almost no risk of cross contamination due to the thermometers. The design is compact yet solid without making the unit too heavy (1.8oz) for a uniform/shirt pocket or the display too small to read.I love the clip and magnet as well so you can clip it to a retractable lanyard if you’re working in a commercial kitchen or just clean and stick to the side of your fridge when using at home.Last but not least this device has a battery saver that shuts the thermometer off after 60 minutes if the probe is left open and is rated for 4000+ hours of use.Cons:I’m being a bit picky with these but there are a few things I would change for instance the battery.WHY would they use a CR2032 battery as opposed to a AAA is beyond me. I guess you could argue added weight but a AAA battery would have been fine! If anyone at Lavatools reads this and a javelin 2 is in the works PLEASE give us a better battery option so that a rechargable battery can be used!Which leads me to the auto off timer that shuts the unit off after 60 minutes. I feel like this should be 5 minutes or 15 minutes max. This is an instant read probe! You aren’t leaving this in food for 60 minutes and if you plan to you should be buying a probe thermometer with a cable that allows you to set timers and temp alarms.Also giving the probe full range of rotation rather than stopping at 180° would be nice but not absolutely necessary so you can accuse me of being picky with this one.Lastly the unit selector switch which is under the battery is such a PITA to get to if you ever need it. Again another design decision that makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. I guess you could make the argument that the device is more durable without any extra moving parts on the exterior but if feel that’s a bit of a stretch.Overall I think this is a great thermometer vs its competitors at a good price point for the average consumer and commercial kitchen staff alike. I personally would like to see a javelin pro mini with an updated battery in the works but in the meantime I’m happy with this as I’m sure most of you will be too.TL;DRPros:NSF ApprovedColor selection/color codedSmall and light weightClip ring and magnet for storageAuto off timer to save battery4,000+ hours of battery lifeCon’s:CR2032 batteryBattery saver shut off time too long at 60 minutesLimited probe positioningTemp unit selector switch requires removal of battery

Ya tengo con el más de 2 años y sigue funcionando igual, y solo le he cambiado una vez la pila.

Not sure why anyone would pay more money for one, this is perfect and instant at reading the temperature. Literally gives you an instant reading, other thermapens Ive used in the past take a few seconds to calculate, not this one!!

Fast reaction, solid construction, lovely colour.