# Maverick ET-733 thread



## damnthatsgood

Guys, I had to get a real remote thermometer, because my old one just sucked.  A lot of research on the net and here pointed me to the ET-732.  Then I started reading about the new ET-733, so I read up on it and bought it.  I got the one with two 3' hybrid probes.  Figured I'd do a little unboxing for you.

First thing you should notice, is it say's:  "Black Unit" on the front.  Don't know about you, but that's funny to me.













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Once you clip this to the back, you can spin it around to make it a stand or a hanger.













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Here's the instruction manual.  I've read that the ET-732 manual sucked.  This one is concise and easy to read.  The amount of buttons and stuff might seem daunting to you old-timers, but it's no more difficult than setting the time on a watch back in the '80s and '90s was.  Basically you hold one button for two seconds, hit up or down, then hit the first button again.













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Here's the backs. As you can see, only the transmitter (the small one) has the screw-on battery cover.













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For those of you turned off by all the threads complaining about the little screws that hold the cover on being such a pain in the ass, don't fear.  Almost any screwdriver will take them off.  The one in the bottom-middle, in Layman's terms, is a "normal" phillips screwdriver.  All the rest are a little smaller.  The "normal" sized one will *not* work.  It needs to be smaller than that.  So in the pics below, any one will work, except the bottom, middle one.  FYI, the "normal" one is a No.2, and bottom left is a No.3.  (I used the No.3 to remove the cover)













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This is the little kickstand for the receiver. (the Big Black Unit)  *Ahem*  If you look at the top prongs, you can see the little slits.  If you squeeze the smaller inside parts, you can remove the stand from the unit.













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As you can see, the transmitter has actual metal inserts for the screws instead of just threading them into the plastic.  That is a great feature that will help eliminate cross-threading, and stripping.













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I did shrink tube mine.













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If you look hard, you can see that I added a second, shorter piece in the middle to make that connection a little bit stiffer.













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See how the bottom right number is 81*?  It's actually blinking because it is under the low temp (200*).  Cool thing about this thermometer is, the alarm on the low temp won't start going off until it has went over the low temp at least once.  This is because it assumes your smoker is coming up to temp, so there is no point in setting the alarm off.  So basically, once the smoker goes over 200* for the first time, then the alarm will be "armed", so to speak.













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I am so far, very pleased with my Black Unit.

If you guys have questions, let me know.  Hope this thread was informative, and I look to add to it in the future, so it can be a "one stop shop"  for 733 resources.

Happy smoking!


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## damnthatsgood

This will the the FAQ section of the thread.  As you post comments below, I'll add them here with the answers.  So read this section first.  If your question isn't in here, or it just isn't answered good enough or with that little twist you need, then post your question.  You can also feel free to provide answers, or just plain good advice, and of course, Qview.

Here is how you can contact Maverick.  (Thanks, Bear)

*Maverick Industries, Inc.*  
94 Mayfield Avenue
Edison, New Jersey 08837.

1-800-526-0954
Tel: (732) 417-9666
Fax: (732) 417-9673
[email protected]

This unit basically uses two "modes".  One mode is used when putting the probe in the meat, and one mode is used when using it to monitor the grill temps.  If it is showing weird temps, make sure your in the correct mode first.

With this unit you can monitor two pieces of meat, or the same piece in two different places.  Or you can monitor the meat, and monitor the grill.  Or the grill in two different places.  But you must make sure you have selected the proper mode for each probe.

FYI, you *cannot* calibrate these units.  My personal 733 is accurate right along side my Thermapen.  If you would like to test the accuracy of yours, you can make an ice bath, or test it in boiling water.

First, what elevation are you at?  The higher you are, the lower the boiling point.  Here is a website that tells you what it should be.

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/boiling-points-water-altitude-d_1344.html

Here is the right way to make an ice bath (even has nice video):

http://www.thermoworks.com/blog/2010/10/making-a-proper-ice-bath/

This one shows an ice bath, boil water, and has an elevation chart:

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/thermotest.html

*Shrink tube*

Guys, I put shrink tube on mine because the joints, like any probe, are kind of flimsy feeling.  And, maybe it will help with water ever getting in there.  But on the flip side, it might also help to "trap" water in there.  So use it at your own risk.  There is a debate about the need for shrink tube that is almost as hot as whether or not you should mop your smokes.  (basically, shrink tube is probably just as useless as mopping your smokes, but doesn't it make you feel good  that you're doing it?  :-D )

You can go to your local parts house and buy some that will fit.  Once it's on, it will be fine when exposed to normal smoker temps.

Also, I don't know if this will void any kind of warranty.

*Probe replacements*

If your probes fail the ice water/boiling water tests, you might need to get them replaced.  If the temps are "all over the place", or going from LLL to HHH and whatnot, try to swap the probes to see if the problem follows the probe, or if it's the actual unit that's bad.  Also, you MUST make sure the probe is inserted into the transmitter all the way.  (I know it sounds stupid, but just check it, K?)

There are people who have problems with the probes.  I don't know if there are a lot of people or not, because people generally only complain when something is wrong.  Right?  So ten bad probes may very well mean there are 10,000 good ones.  I don't know, and I'm not an authority on the subject.  But if you are having problems with the probes, here is a place you can buy new ones.  And, they are 6' long, which can be more convenient than the 3' probes.

http://www.amazenproducts.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MAVET-732PROBE

*Multiple units at the same time*

It has been confirmed that you can use multiple units at the same time.  You need to turn on and "lock" the transmitter to the receiver for each unit before you turn on the next unit.


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## dreadylock

i just got mine today . i think it has a slight learning curve. it came with only one grill clip and it's white

testing in my oven (oven set to 225 but it says my oven temp is  260 did i need to calibrate it if so how would i go by doing this)

i put a small corn beef  in without using the pickling spices (i rubbed it with my own rub) i'll slice it when done and make sandwich using broccoli slaw marinated with seasoned rice wine vinager

but so far i love that i can be somewhere else and monitor temps  

i'm going to boils some water and check temp tomorrow to see how off it is compared to my kitchen therm

as forv that one grill clip i'll contact amazon then manufacturer and see why i only got one clip

thanks for this great informative unboxing


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## dr k

dreadylock said:


> i just got mine today . i think it has a slight learning curve. it came with only one grill clip and it's white
> 
> testing in my oven (oven set to 225 but it says my oven temp is  260 did i need to calibrate it if so how would i go by doing this)
> 
> i put a small corn beef  in without using the pickling spices (i rubbed it with my own rub) i'll slice it when done and make sandwich using broccoli slaw marinated with seasoned rice wine vinager
> 
> but so far i love that i can be somewhere else and monitor temps
> 
> i'm going to boils some water and check temp tomorrow to see how off it is compared to my kitchen therm
> 
> as forv that one grill clip i'll contact amazon then manufacturer and see why i only got one clip
> 
> thanks for this great informative unboxing


Boiling @ 212* at sea level and compensate for your altitude is the best test.  The temp you set your oven is the average temp.  It fluctuates above and below the set temp.  My gas oven probe sensor is clipped to the inside of the oven at center rack level.  You want to test your oven temp at the same level the oven probe is at.  I'm thinking a gas oven fluctuates more because it's vented vs. a completely sealed electric oven.


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## damnthatsgood

Dr K said:


> Boiling @ 212* at sea level and compensate for your altitude is the best test.  The temp you set your oven is the average temp.  It fluctuates above and below the set temp.  My gas oven probe sensor is clipped to the inside of the oven at center rack level.  You want to test your oven temp at the same level the oven probe is at.  I'm thinking a gas oven fluctuates more because it's vented vs. a completely sealed electric oven.


^^^This.


dreadylock said:


> i just got mine today . i think it has a slight learning curve. it came with only one grill clip and it's white
> 
> testing in my oven (oven set to 225 but it says my oven temp is  260 did i need to calibrate it if so how would i go by doing this)
> 
> i put a small corn beef  in without using the pickling spices (i rubbed it with my own rub) i'll slice it when done and make sandwich using broccoli slaw marinated with seasoned rice wine vinager
> 
> but so far i love that i can be somewhere else and monitor temps
> 
> i'm going to boils some water and check temp tomorrow to see how off it is compared to my kitchen therm
> 
> as forv that one grill clip i'll contact amazon then manufacturer and see why i only got one clip
> 
> thanks for this great informative unboxing


First, thank you for the kind words.

Second, have some faith and read what I've written below.  The ET-732 is the go-to workhorse, and the 733 will be no different.

Mine is dead on 211* with both probes in the water right next to a Thermapen.  When left on the counter, both probes and Thermapen again read the same temp.  If you know anything about Thermapens, you know they are about the best we humble cooks are going to want as far as accuracy is concerned.  So getting the same result as a Thermapen is pretty dang good in my book.  Now that's not to say you don't have a bad probe, or even a bad unit.  Best thing to do would be to make an ice bath and boil some water.

Boiling water is the easy part.  The final temp it boils at may vary depending on your elevation.  So figure out what it boils at where you live.  After that, water will not go over the boiling point (except in special cases that we don't need to be concerned with for this test).  No matter how long you boil it, it will not go over.  That is because as soon as it goes over, it immediately does a phase change from liquid to gas.  So just boil the crap out of it, and stick the probe in.  Try and aim for the middle of the pan with the end of the probe.  In other words, don't let it touch the pan.  A word on safety---if you burn yourself, it's Natural Selection at work.  :)

Ice bath--the other easy part.  Crush up some ice.  Fill it with water until the water is about 1/2 inch BELOW the top of the ice.  Stir it up good.  Insert probe.  Try to get probe to not touch any ice if you can, but make sure it is surrounded by ice.  (not below ice surrounded by only water.)  You're shooting for 32-33* here.  A word on safety---if you drown in the ice bath---again, Natural Selection.

Now finally, do you have the unit with two HYBRID probes?  Not sure if it matters, but it's probably worth investigating.  And you can't calibrate it.  This is from their website:

*"I tested my thermometer in boiling water and it reads 208ºF instead of the expected 212ºF. Is there anyway to calibrate my digital thermometer?*

There is no way to calibrate our units. All of our digital thermometers have a tolerance of +/- (3-4) degrees F so it is normally for the temperature readings to be off by a few degrees."

So if yours is way off in ice or boiling test, then I'd just send it back and get a new one.


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## buck1949

I have the ET 733 and absolutely love it.  Mine is the White model.   (just wish the probes/wires were a bit longer).  I did the boiling water trick and registered about around 210.8 degrees...and I am at about 1100 feet elevation.  So no problems there.  One thing I did (cheating a bit here) was to go to You Tube and watch a video on the use of the Maverick.  That saved me reading the ( I don't need no stinking ) instructions.  Anyway just to reiterate........... i am happy with it !!!!


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## damnthatsgood

Buck1949 said:


> I have the ET 733 and absolutely love it.  Mine is the White model.   (just wish the probes/wires were a bit longer).  I did the boiling water trick and registered about around 210.8 degrees...and I am at about 1100 feet elevation.  So no problems there.  One thing I did (cheating a bit here) was to go to You Tube and watch a video on the use of the Maverick.  That saved me reading the ( I don't need no stinking ) instructions.  Anyway just to reiterate........... i am happy with it !!!!


Amen.  Another happy customer.  No company is above producing a lemon every once in awhile, but this is a Maverick!


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## Bearcarver

Great Thread, DTG !!!

I started with an ET-73.

Then about 4 years ago I got an ET-732, and demoted my ET-73 to basement Meat Fridge Duty.

If-or-when my ET-732 goes, I'll probably get the ET-733 thanks to your post.

Thanks,

Bear


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## damnthatsgood

Bearcarver said:


> Great Thread, DTG !!!
> 
> I started with an ET-73.
> 
> Then about 4 years ago I got an ET-732, and demoted my ET-73 to basement Meat Fridge Duty.
> 
> If-or-when my ET-732 goes, I'll probably get the ET-733 thanks to your post.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Bear


:)  Thank you very much!


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## wizit247

I just ordered a copper 733 on friday. Anxiously awaiting its arrival!

My poor taylor will probably go to Kegerator duty.


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## runt

My Copper 733 just arrived this afternoon.

Very nice and can't wait to try it out!


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## timberjet

Just one note for any of you that have problems right out of the box. Those batteries are cheap as all get out. Go get yourself some quality batteries before you send it right back for a new unit. If you find the range is real short or it won't stay connected with the base unit that might be your problem. This has happened to me twice on the last two units I got from maverick. No big deal though. great probes.


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## damnthatsgood

wizit247 said:


> I just ordered a copper 733 on friday. Anxiously awaiting its arrival!
> 
> My poor taylor will probably go to Kegerator duty.





Runt said:


> My Copper 733 just arrived this afternoon.
> 
> Very nice and can't wait to try it out!


I hope you guys love them.


timberjet said:


> Just one note for any of you that have problems right out of the box. Those batteries are cheap as all get out. Go get yourself some quality batteries before you send it right back for a new unit. If you find the range is real short or it won't stay connected with the base unit that might be your problem. This has happened to me twice on the last two units I got from maverick. No big deal though. great probes.


Thanks for the tip, timberjet.  Hopefully this will help out a future frustrated customer!


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## munkiestyle

Great review! I'm looking to invest in a remote thermometer and have been eyeing the 733. I'm not gonna lie... I want to get 2 so I can have 4 probes. Too bad mavrick doesn't have a 4 probe model.


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## jtstitzel

I read this thread a few days ago and decided since I just got my WSM 22.5 I might as well get an equally awesome thermometer. UPS delivered the unit today and the first thing I had to try was the actual range between the two units. Needless to say it works all over my yard and even over to my neighbors pool. I haven't done the boil test yet but will be doing that a little later. I love the heat shrink idea and will be doing that tomorrow before I fire up the WSM for a 10 pound butt cook.


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## munkiestyle

Just got a red and a silver 733 in the mail. Its like christmas! I tried 3/16 and 1/4 heat shrink but neither sealed the wires anywhere near tight so I am pondering using high temp room temperature vulcanizing sealant (same as used on jet engine thrust reversers)  where the wires enter the probe. Has anyone tried this?


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## Bearcarver

MunkiestylE said:


> Just got a red and a silver 733 in the mail. Its like christmas! I tried 3/16 and 1/4 heat shrink but neither sealed the wires anywhere near tight so I am pondering using high temp room temperature vulcanizing sealant (same as used on jet engine thrust reversers) where the wires enter the probe. Has anyone tried this?


FYI:  I have a 5 year old ET-73, and a 4 year old ET-732, and I never covered the joint. 

I never had a problem with the probes going bad, but I never submerge them in water.

Bear


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## munkiestyle

Thanks for the FYI bear. Just been reading alot on failing probes and wanted to protect my investment.  Do you just clean the wires with soap and water?


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## Bearcarver

MunkiestylE said:


> Thanks for the FYI bear. Just been reading alot on failing probes and wanted to protect my investment. Do you just clean the wires with soap and water?


I just get a scrub sponge hot and soapy, and pinch the probe, and then the wire, in the rough side, and pull it through a few times.

Be careful how you pull it, so you don't pull it apart. I cleaned my ET-73 like that for a year without problems. Then the second time I did it with my brand new ET-732 the cable pulled right out. Turns out when the 732 first came out they had a problem with their probes. They sent me a new one, and I got an extra. That was 4 years ago & I'm still using the same probe.

BTW: I also sterilize my meat probe with an alcohol wipe before I insert it into the meat. They're cheap at the drug store, if you buy a box of them. I got a box of 250.

Bear


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## dreadylock

thanks Damnthatsgood

the pics are very good i used the ones with the manual to figure out how to setup my probes and change temp settings

also if any one has a pdf copy of manual can i get a copy i seem to misplace mines


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## smokeymcgee

MunkiestylE said:


> Just got a red and a silver 733 in the mail. Its like christmas! I tried 3/16 and 1/4 heat shrink but neither sealed the wires anywhere near tight so I am pondering using high temp room temperature vulcanizing sealant (same as used on jet engine thrust reversers)  where the wires enter the probe. Has anyone tried this?


 I work on planes for a living and I wouldn't trust it. I've found 90 % of the stuff used on planes has some very nasty chemicals in it. Nothing I would want around my food at least.


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## radioguy

I just hit mine with some red rtv (NSF) let them dry and put heat shrink over top.

RG





MunkiestylE said:


> Just got a red and a silver 733 in the mail. Its like christmas! I tried 3/16 and 1/4 heat shrink but neither sealed the wires anywhere near tight so I am pondering using high temp room temperature vulcanizing sealant (same as used on jet engine thrust reversers)  where the wires enter the probe. Has anyone tried this?


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## smokeymcgee

My et 732 just arrived from amazon. I got a great deal and overnight shipping free!  (Amazon rocks!).   I can't wait to open it up and play with it tomorrow.  What kind of heat shrink are you using guys??? I've got some automotive heat shrink laying around,  but I don't think it's high temp grade. I'm curious if this is something I need to order or if they have it at the home improvement depot?? Thanks in advance!


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## radioguy

Any heat shrink will work.  It has to get to about 700
degrees to shrink...it'll handle cook temps.

Have fun with your new toy!

RG


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## damnthatsgood

Bearcarver said:


> FYI:  I have a 5 year old ET-73, and a 4 year old ET-732, and I never covered the joint.
> 
> I never had a problem with the probes going bad, but I never submerge them in water.
> 
> Bear


This is good advice.  People usually have problems when the probes get submerged, or used in wet smokes.  I don't want anyone to think you have to cover them in shrink tube, or that I endorse it.  I did it because I just can't handle things being "stock", and because the joint seemed kind of wimpy (like all probes), and I wanted to _beef_ it up. *ahem*


dreadylock said:


> thanks Damnthatsgood
> 
> the pics are very good i used the ones with the manual to figure out how to setup my probes and change temp settings
> 
> also if any one has a pdf copy of manual can i get a copy i seem to misplace mines


Glad it helped.  I don't know if there is a PDF out there, but I bet Maverick could help you with that.


SmokeyMcGee said:


> I work on planes for a living and I wouldn't trust it. I've found 90 % of the stuff used on planes has some very nasty chemicals in it. Nothing I would want around my food at least.


We were building an engine once, and using Permatex black RTV in some places, and the gray RTV from International in others.  When the two touched, they started smoking and giving off a noxious fume!!  Totally cool, but probably not for human consumption.  Now once these sealants vulcanize, I'm sure they're safe.  But like SmokeyMcGee says:  "Who knows?"


SmokeyMcGee said:


> My et 732 just arrived from amazon. I got a great deal and overnight shipping free! (Amazon rocks!). I can't wait to open it up and play with it tomorrow. What kind of heat shrink are you using guys??? I've got some automotive heat shrink laying around, but I don't think it's high temp grade. I'm curious if this is something I need to order or if they have it at the home improvement depot?? Thanks in advance!


I would think you could use any that wasn't garbage.


RadioGuy said:


> Any heat shrink will work. It has to get to about 700
> degrees to shrink...it'll handle cook temps.
> 
> Have fun with your new toy!
> 
> RG


That ^^^


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## sbatty

I already have a ET732 that I love but I would really like to have multiple meat probes. Does anyone know if all maverics operate on the same frequency or could I use my 732 and a 733 at the same time? This would give me 3 meat probes and 1 bbq probe. I was originally thinking about making a switch box that I could plug multiple probes into and then connect it to the transmitter but it would be nice to be able to view the temps all at once. If someone has two maverick therms could you try running them at the same time?

Thanks


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## Bearcarver

sbatty said:


> I already have a ET732 that I love but I would really like to have multiple meat probes. Does anyone know if all maverics operate on the same frequency or could I use my 732 and a 733 at the same time? This would give me 3 meat probes and 1 bbq probe. I was originally thinking about making a switch box that I could plug multiple probes into and then connect it to the transmitter but it would be nice to be able to view the temps all at once. If someone has two maverick therms could you try running them at the same time?
> 
> Thanks


If I'm not mistaken, when you turn the units on in the proper order, they lock on to the one you want them to lock onto.

I believe you might have problems without doing that, but I'm not sure of that.

I'm sure someone knows more about this than I do.

Bear


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## radioguy

Give it a try and see if they interfere with each other.  What's to lose?  They may use the same components for the radio link on both units....give it a try....let us know what you find out.

RG


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## JckDanls 07

I use my 73 and 732 at the same time..  and my buddy has a 732 as well and we use them all at the same time...  no problems...  as Bear said..  just turn on one set at a time so they lock together..  wait a minute and start the other set....  

as far as heat shrinking probes...  i did as Radioguy did..  I cut my tubing to length and then marked my probe and wire where the tubing is gonna be and then red rtv'd in between marks...  put the tubing over and heated to shrink it...  cleaned off any excess rtv and let em set overnight...  no problems with water now....


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## munkiestyle

Yes they do work at the same time













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__ munkiestyle
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## daricksta

Man, I got the ET-732 for Christmas, haven't even used it yet and now it's already out of date. I hate technology. But instead of returning my Maverick I'll use it until it stops working and then get the new 733. Lots of guys have been using the 732 for years and loving it. Also, I don't need the extended range of the 733 because I place my MES 30 right outside my family room window. The family room...where the TV is.


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## Bearcarver

daRicksta said:


> Man, I got the ET-732 for Christmas, haven't even used it yet and now it's already out of date. I hate technology. But instead of returning my Maverick I'll use it until it stops working and then get the new 733. Lots of guys have been using the 732 for years and loving it. Also, I don't need the extended range of the 733 because I place my MES 30 right outside my family room window. The family room...where the TV is.


I have my ET-732 since they came out---about 4 years, and the only problem it has is shooting through me Steel Front Door. It has no problem with the log walls.

Bear


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## daricksta

Bearcarver said:


> I have my ET-732 since they came out---about 4 years, and the only problem it has is shooting through me Steel Front Door. It has no problem with the log walls.
> 
> Bear


No steel doors in the back for me to worry about. During the spring-fall I'll have two open windows to transmit and receive through. I assume that Hardie siding shouldn't be a problem either.

Did you build yourself a log cabin home? I've got a bro-in-law also did that (with lots of help) about 20 years ago.


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## daricksta

I got mine from Todd Johnson through his A-MAZE-N site. Just checked the price of the 733. It may have new features and such but it also costs $20 more than I paid for my 732--which I also have yet to use.


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## Bearcarver

daRicksta said:


> No steel doors in the back for me to worry about. During the spring-fall I'll have two open windows to transmit and receive through. I assume that Hardie siding shouldn't be a problem either.
> 
> Did you build yourself a log cabin home? I've got a bro-in-law also did that (with lots of help) about 20 years ago.


I didn't actually build it, but I was here every day, all day, and helped with all the woodworking parts. The carpenters were great, and we got along really good. Wish I could say the same for the concrete & electric guys!!! That was 12 years ago.

Bear


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## daricksta

Bearcarver said:


> I didn't actually build it, but I was here every day, all day, and helped with all the woodworking parts. The carpenters were great, and we got along really good. Wish I could say the same for the concrete & electric guys!!! That was 12 years ago.
> 
> Bear


Sounds like your electrical guys also worked on my house as well, but that would have been a REAL commute since we don't live even remotely near each other. But I feel your pain, every time a circuit breaker flips or an electrical outlet smolders and blackens.


----------



## Bearcarver

daRicksta said:


> Sounds like your electrical guys also worked on my house as well, but that would have been a REAL commute since we don't live even remotely near each other. But I feel your pain, every time a circuit breaker flips or an electrical outlet smolders and blackens.


I know so little about electric that I couldn't see their screw-ups when they were doing them.

I got a hint when the carpenter plugged a small portable table saw in the garage outlet & he kicked the breaker for the living room lamp's outlet.

I made them run a new separate wire for the garage outlets.

However now whenever Mrs Bear runs her vacuum cleaner from a living room outlet, we have to turn the kitchen lights off first, so the breaker doesn't kick !!!

Bear


----------



## daricksta

Bearcarver said:


> I know so little about electric that I couldn't see their screw-ups when they were doing them.
> 
> I got a hint when the carpenter plugged a small portable table saw in the garage outlet & he kicked the breaker for the living room lamp's outlet.
> 
> I made them run a new separate wire for the garage outlets.
> 
> However now whenever Mrs Bear runs her vacuum cleaner from a living room outlet, we have to turn the kitchen lights off first, so the breaker doesn't kick !!!
> 
> Bear


We bought and had "installed" a triple-wide manufactured home on land we had also purchased. The only we could afford to build a house on the land WAS to go with manufactured. When the two techs did what was supposed to be the final walkthrough we pointed out our bedroom ceiling light wasn't working and they probably jerry rigged something to fix it. You can tell where each separate area circuit is by what goes out. If family room power outlet goes down it takes down a couple of other outlets with it. If the front bathroom power GFI outlet goes south, so does everything in the hall just outside it. We had two fluorescent light panels in our kitchen that over the years took longer and longer to light in cold weather. I replaced the light tubes and ballasts but one finally stopped working. We had a contractor friend install a new lighting system and we've had an abundance of instant-in lighting ever since. I've replaced some power outlets twice in the 13 years we've lived here. Then there are some recurring plumbing problems as well, AND we found out you can't hang anything heavy from the walls or ceiling. Old-style Japanese house paper walls are sturdier than the thin drywall used in manufactured homes, well, almost anyway.


----------



## cdank22

I just ordered my ET-733 Black tonight via Amazon. I should have it Thursday. Going to try and use it on Saturday. I have yet to use my Masterbuilt Extra wide Propane Smoker. This will be the first time I have ever smoked anything. Looking forward to it.


----------



## mikeybfromtn

Quote:


MunkiestylE said:


> Just got a red and a silver 733 in the mail. Its like christmas! I tried 3/16 and 1/4 heat shrink but neither sealed the wires anywhere near tight so I am pondering using high temp room temperature vulcanizing sealant (same as used on jet engine thrust reversers) where the wires enter the probe. Has anyone tried this?


Did you have any issues syncing, with 2 units being run together?  I would think not, but just checking.


----------



## munkiestyle

No problems at all. I can use bolth 733s and igrill all at the same time.


----------



## daricksta

RadioGuy said:


> I just hit mine with some red rtv (NSF) let them dry and put heat shrink over top.
> 
> RG


What's rtv and what's heat shrink?


----------



## Bearcarver

daRicksta said:


> What's rtv and what's heat shrink?


 RTV (Room Temperature Vulcanization) silicones are used for their ability to withstand stress and temperature extremes.

And Heat Shrink is tubing that fits loosely over a wire or splice, and when heated shrinks tightly around the wire.

Bear


----------



## timberjet

daRicksta said:


> What's rtv and what's heat shrink?


RTV is a sealant you get at auto parts stores to make and help seal gaskets with. Heat shrink tubing is a plastic tube that you slide over an electrical connection. Once you hit it with heat from a heatgun or lighter it shrinks very tight to seal the connection. You can get Heat shrink at radio shack or the auto parts store you get the RTV at.


----------



## manman

Sorry if I missed this somewhere in the thread, but there were 2 things I was wondering about

1) Is setup as bad as the amazon reviews sound?  Seems like a lot of people have issues with configuring it and find it confusing. 

2) Is it not possible to set your own fully custom temps for alarming (if temp goes either above OR below, for at least one probe like the 732).  I couldn't tell for sure, but it seemed like many people were upset that they couldn't set their own custom temps and had to use the built in pre-sets by food type or soemthing? 

These Mavs (and it seems like wireless thermometers in general) seem to be so hit and miss on quality.  Reviews are either great or terrible, and my 732 confirmed that for me when I bought it a few years ago.  I've had a love hate relationship with that thing ever since.  Probe readings are sometimes perfect, other times range from 10 degrees off, to fully wigging out (from the dreaded LLL/HHH, to just giving me totally different temps each time I try to 'fix' it by turning off/on, disconnecting/reconnecting probe.   Each time I basically have to use my thermapen + other methods to figure out if it's off, by how much, and that the discrepancy is at least consistent throughout the cook...

But on a 16-20 hr cook, there's just no substitute for a wireless, alarming remote to let you get some damn sleep!  lol.  At least at my experience level...   I'd gladly shell out big bucks for a thermometer/probes that I could count on being accurate every time, with solid hardware/software build quality....


----------



## dirtsailor2003

Bearcarver said:


> I just get a scrub sponge hot and soapy, and pinch the probe, and then the wire, in the rough side, and pull it through a few times.
> 
> Be careful how you pull it, so you don't pull it apart. I cleaned my ET-73 like that for a year without problems. Then the second time I did it with my brand new ET-732 the cable pulled right out. Turns out when the 732 first came out they had a problem with their probes. They sent me a new one, and I got an extra. That was 4 years ago & I'm still using the same probe.
> 
> BTW: I also sterilize my meat probe with an alcohol wipe before I insert it into the meat. They're cheap at the drug store, if you buy a box of them. I got a box of 250.
> 
> 
> Bear



I'm with Bear on this. I've never had any moisture problems with my 73, 732, or iGrill probes, I scrub the same way, but I don't alcohol swap. If I die eating my Q I hope Bear chainsaw carves my epitaph!


----------



## helmrod

This may sound like a dumb question but when you put your meat probe in do you do it so that the probe is entirely into the meat or do you just stick it in so that its in the middle and leave the rest exposed to the inside of the smoker? I was under the impression you wouldn't want to leave any of the meat probe open to read the temp inside the smoker.


----------



## dirtsailor2003

Helmrod said:


> This may sound like a dumb question but when you put your meat probe in do you do it so that the probe is entirely into the meat or do you just stick it in so that its in the middle and leave the rest exposed to the inside of the smoker? I was under the impression you wouldn't want to leave any of the meat probe open to read the temp inside the smoker.



The tip of the probe is where the reading comes from. You want the tip to be in the middle of he thickest part of the meat. The rest of the probe can be exposed.


----------



## Bearcarver

dirtsailor2003 said:


> The tip of the probe is where the reading comes from. You want the tip to be in the middle of he thickest part of the meat. The rest of the probe can be exposed.


Like Case said, It's the tip that does the reading.

Depending on the manufacturer, it could be from the very tip to up to 1.5" from the end, but the rest of the probe should not affect the accuracy by being exposed to the hotter smoker air temperature.

Bear


----------



## daricksta

timberjet said:


> RTV is a sealant you get at auto parts stores to make and help seal gaskets with. Heat shrink tubing is a plastic tube that you slide over an electrical connection. Once you hit it with heat from a heatgun or lighter it shrinks very tight to seal the connection. You can get Heat shrink at radio shack or the auto parts store you get the RTV at.


Thanks, I wasn't aware of those products before I read your comment. I just got the Maverick ET-733 and I want to try it a few times before considering if I want to mod it. I've been given tips on what causes the probes to short out so I'm going to follow the how-to's and what-not-to's before making any changes.


----------



## daricksta

Bearcarver said:


> RTV (Room Temperature Vulcanization) silicones are used for their ability to withstand stress and temperature extremes.
> 
> And Heat Shrink is tubing that fits loosely over a wire or splice, and when heated shrinks tightly around the wire.
> 
> Bear


Thanks, Bear. I like using stuff as designed and without mods, mainly because I'm not very mechanical and I also like to keep things as they were manufactured. When it comes to using my new Maverick ET-733, I really don't want to seal the wire connections to the probes because from what I've read and been told, most probe failures are do to user error: leaving probes in a cooker that's 400 or more degrees and/or pushing/pulling the probes where they connect to the wires. I have another brand dual probe therm I've used for a couple of years which still works fine; it's just not as good as the Maverick.


----------



## Bearcarver

daRicksta said:


> Thanks, Bear. I like using stuff as designed and without mods, mainly because I'm not very mechanical and I also like to keep things as they were manufactured. When it comes to using my new Maverick ET-733, I really don't want to seal the wire connections to the probes because from what I've read and been told, most probe failures are do to user error: leaving probes in a cooker that's 400 or more degrees and/or pushing/pulling the probes where they connect to the wires. I have another brand dual probe therm I've used for a couple of years which still works fine; it's just not as good as the Maverick.


I'm about the same way, and so far the only probe that went bad on me was bad to begin with, because the first or second time I cleaned it, it came apart at the probe to wire connection, and I've been cleaning the others that same way for years.

Bear


----------



## daricksta

dirtsailor2003 said:


> I'm with Bear on this. I've never had any moisture problems with my 73, 732, or iGrill probes, I scrub the same way, but I don't alcohol swap. If I die eating my Q I hope Bear chainsaw carves my epitaph!


I also think alcohol swapping the probe is not necessary. The internal temps meats reach when they're done are sufficient to kill most bacteria, including e coli and salmonella. Undercooking is one of the prime causes of food poisoning.


----------



## daricksta

Bearcarver said:


> I'm about the same way, and so far the only probe that went bad on me was bad to begin with, because the first or second time I cleaned it, it came apart at the probe to wire connection, and I've been cleaning the others that same way for years.
> 
> Bear


I gotta look at


Bearcarver said:


> I'm about the same way, and so far the only probe that went bad on me was bad to begin with, because the first or second time I cleaned it, it came apart at the probe to wire connection, and I've been cleaning the others that same way for years.
> 
> Bear


I need to look at the probes to see which is the "rough" side. Besides, I would think that doing a mod on the wires would void the warranty.


----------



## Bearcarver

daRicksta said:


> I also think alcohol swapping the probe is not necessary. The internal temps meats reach when they're done are sufficient to kill most bacteria, including e coli and salmonella. Undercooking is one of the prime causes of food poisoning.


I do it all to be safe for others who eat my stuff---Too late for me to worry for myself.

Yes---High heat kills bacteria, but not the toxins that the bacteria produced. Others can explain this better than I, but I never tried to learn how to explain it----I just believe it, and do it.

So----I don't keep everything clean. Then Smoke for 3 hours to kill all nasties on the outside for 3 hours before inserting my probe. And then insert a Non-Sterile Probe deep into the meat I'm smoking. I don't take a shower & put on dirty underwear either.

I learned from some of the best safety guys on this forum, and I don't think it takes that much effort to do it safely, the way they taught me.

Of course it doesn't mean everybody, or anybody has to do it the way I do it. I just put it out there as information to use or ignore.

Bear


----------



## daricksta

Bearcarver said:


> I do it all to be safe for others who eat my stuff---Too late for me to worry for myself.
> 
> Yes---High heat kills bacteria, but not the toxins that the bacteria produced. Others can explain this better than I, but I never tried to learn how to explain it----I just believe it, and do it.
> 
> So----I don't keep everything clean. Then Smoke for 3 hours to kill all nasties on the outside for 3 hours before inserting my probe. And then insert a Non-Sterile Probe deep into the meat I'm smoking. I don't take a shower & put on dirty underwear either.
> 
> I learned from some of the best safety guys on this forum, and I don't think it takes that much effort to do it safely, the way they taught me.
> 
> Of course it doesn't mean everybody, or anybody has to do it the way I do it. I just put it out there as information to use or ignore.
> 
> Bear


Aye but it's a winding and circuitous road when talking about foodborne illnesses. I learned that there are viruses and toxins in fish and shellfish that can't be killed by cooking. As far as I know, adequate heat and time kill nasties in beef, pork, and poultry, but I don't think heat kills hoof and mouth disease or mad cow disease nasties.

The one thing I've been lax about is cleaning the inside of my MES and the one thing the guy who taught a 6-hour BBQ class was a stickler about was cleaning the inside of smokers. I kept waiting for him to mention the word "creosote" but he never did. I only clean the inside of mine when I think there's too much buildup.

As for the meat temp probe, washing the thing with soap and warm water before inserting it in the protein of my choice is protection enough for me.

Oh, Bear, you may not worry about yourself but I had a nasty case of food poisoning which I refused to allow to ruin a very romantic 29th wedding anniversary weekend with the wife at a B&B by a river. You gotta worry about yourself, my friend. If not, who will BBQ for family and friends like only you can?


----------



## smoke slinger

I have had my Maverick for 6 years now and never put any RTV or sealant on it and it still reads fine. Adding it would be the individuals choice.

Craig


----------



## timberjet

I have had my newest maverick for over a year now without rtv or heatshrink and everything is working like a charm. I did learn my lesson on the first redi check I ever had to not throw the probes in dishwater to soak. Only did it once.


----------



## smokinadam

I plan on getting one of these but wonder if I need to get different probe to measure my rig temperature or if one of the probes does that? 
Thanks


----------



## timberjet

The et 732 and 733 both have two probes. One for the meat and one for the smoker. You can purchase an extra meat or universal probe in case you want to monitor two hunks of meat or two smoker chamber temperatures.


----------



## cinnamonkc

Thanks for sharing your "black unit" with us!


----------



## damnthatsgood

Wow!  I've been at work, and not really looking at the internet lately.  Surprised to see so many replies.  Thanks to everyone for keeping the Q&A going, especially Bear.  I'll sort through this stuff when I get a second, and put it in the FAQ section.  Right now I just got off work for the night, and there's no days off in sight.  Guess there's worse things.


----------



## daricksta

Damnthatsgood said:


> Wow!  I've been at work, and not really looking at the internet lately.  Surprised to see so many replies.  Thanks to everyone for keeping the Q&A going, especially Bear.  I'll sort through this stuff when I get a second, and put it in the FAQ section.  Right now I just got off work for the night, and there's no days off in sight.  Guess there's worse things.


Yep, like being unemployed. I know that one first hand. But I'll be using my new ET-733 for the first time this weekend.


----------



## timberjet

CinnamonKC said:


> Thanks for sharing your "black unit" with us!


Tee Hee......


----------



## Bearcarver

daRicksta said:


> I gotta look at
> 
> I need to look at the probes *to see which is the "rough" side*. Besides, I would think that doing a mod on the wires would void the warranty.


It just dawned on me that you were confused about the "Rough Side".

If you read that again, you'll realize I meant the "Rough side of the scrub sponge", not the rough side of the probe.

Bear


----------



## welshrarebit

timberjet said:


> The et 732 and 733 both have two probes. One for the meat and one for the smoker. You can purchase an extra meat or universal probe in case you want to monitor two hunks of meat or two smoker chamber temperatures.



The 733 comes with two hybrid probes so you can use two for meat or two for smoker temp. The readout by default meat probe temp and smoker temp but you can change the receiver readouts; dont ask me how! I usually hand the instructions to one of my daughters and ask them to figure it out.


----------



## daricksta

Bearcarver said:


> It just dawned on me that you were confused about the "Rough Side".
> 
> If you read that again, you'll realize I meant the "Rough side of the scrub sponge", not the rough side of the probe.
> 
> Bear


Oh jeez. Bear, did you ever watch the classic Bugs Bunny cartoons where he said "What a maroon"? I'm who he was talking about even though it was a few years before I was born.


----------



## dandl93

I used my ET 733 for the first time today.........The probe for the smoker worked like a champ.The other probe for the meat was wacky all day and most of  the day it read LLL. Finally I unplugged the meat probe and just used the  thermapen every thing came out great.

Dan


----------



## buck1949

dandl93 said:


> I used my ET 733 for the first time today.........The probe for the smoker worked like a champ.The other probe for the meat was wacky all day and most of  the day it read LLL. Finally I unplugged the meat probe and just used the  thermapen every thing came out great.
> 
> Dan


I have had that happen to me.... especially when the meat was cold....... I simply unplugged the probe from the unit..... reset to start...and after a few minutes (around 5 minutes) things came back to normal.  Hopefully that is all that was wrong with your probe/reading.


----------



## dandl93

Buck1949 said:


> I have had that happen to me.... especially when the meat was cold....... I simply unplugged the probe from the unit..... reset to start...and after a few minutes (around 5 minutes) things came back to normal.  Hopefully that is all that was wrong with your probe/reading.


I tried unplugging it all day and resetting it nothing worked.I will in the next week call Maverick service and see whats up.I hate paying those oversea phone charges almost cheaper to throw it away and get another.hahahahahahah

Dan


----------



## welshrarebit

dandl93 said:


> I used my ET 733 for the first time today.........The probe for the smoker worked like a champ.The other probe for the meat was wacky all day and most of  the day it read LLL. Finally I unplugged the meat probe and just used the  thermapen every thing came out great.
> 
> 
> Dan



That happened to the first time I used it. I found out the probe wasn't plugged all the way into the transmitter. Try pulling it out and put it back in all the way; that cleared it up for me and hasn't happened since.


----------



## Bearcarver

dandl93 said:


> I tried unplugging it all day and resetting it nothing worked.I will in the next week call Maverick service and see whats up.I hate paying those oversea phone charges almost cheaper to throw it away and get another.hahahahahahah
> 
> Dan


Maverick has a "Help" Email Address, and a Toll Free Number:

*Maverick Industries, Inc.*  
94 Mayfield Avenue
Edison, New Jersey 08837.

1-800-526-0954
Tel: (732) 417-9666
Fax: (732) 417-9673
[email protected]

Bear


----------



## dandl93

Bearcarver said:


> Maverick has a "Help" Email Address, and a Toll Free Number:
> 
> *Maverick Industries, Inc.*
> 94 Mayfield Avenue
> Edison, New Jersey 08837.
> 
> 1-800-526-0954
> Tel: (732) 417-9666
> Fax: (732) 417-9673
> [email protected]
> 
> Bear


Bear 

Thanks for the info I am going to play around with it today.Then I will try the email addr the 800# will not work from where I live.

Dan


----------



## Bearcarver

dandl93 said:


> Bear
> 
> Thanks for the info I am going to play around with it today.Then I will try the email addr the 800# will not work from where I live.
> 
> Dan


Oh Crap----I didn't look at your location!

I see why it doesn't work.
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





My Son's Field manager went to Canada two weeks ago, and he got a lot of business calls for tower work, while he was there. Even though he was only a few driving hours away, the cell calls were $1 per minute!!

Bear


----------



## dandl93

Bearcarver said:


> Oh Crap----I didn't look at your location!
> 
> I see why it doesn't work.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My Son's Field manager went to Canada two weeks ago, and he got a lot of business calls for tower work, while he was there. Even though he was only a few driving hours away, the cell calls were $1 per minute!!
> 
> Bear


I have Magic Jack on my computer sense it is hit and miss with are internet service here.It works ok with calling family and friends but for business it is not that great. If they put me on hold the phone call would cost more then a new therm.hahahahahaah

Dan


----------



## daricksta

dandl93 said:


> I used my ET 733 for the first time today.........The probe for the smoker worked like a champ.The other probe for the meat was wacky all day and most of  the day it read LLL. Finally I unplugged the meat probe and just used the  thermapen every thing came out great.
> 
> Dan


Very interesting. I also used my ET-733 yesterday for the first time and the meat probe read HHH so I unplugged it. I was smoking baby back ribs so I didn't need it anyway. Next weekend I'm smoking a beef brisket and I'll see how the meat probe works then.

I've got the CDN version of a thermocouple instant read therm which works great but I didn't need to use it yesterday.


----------



## rob sicc

Hi,

I am a newbie so I hope my question isn't too simple or just dumb.

I ran my first successful smoke this past weekend. I've read your thread and have one important question. How do you use it? What is it for?

There are 2 probes. I'm guessing the probes are to monitor 2 pieces of meat at once, am I correct rigth? This has all been so foreign to me, I thought I'd ask.

This is strictly to measure the temp of the meat as it's smoking? The thermostat on the CC door is still to monitor the chamber temp? Do I have this correct?

If I have one of these thermometers does that mean I don't need an instant read thermometer? At least I don't need an instant read thermometer right away?

Please let me know and again, I"m sorry if I am wasting your time.  I do feel that I know so much than I did last week.  I also feel like I don't know anything but I love learning about smoking.

Ciao,


----------



## addertooth

Rob Sicc,

The purpose of each of the "hybrid" thermometers is programmable.  You can set one or both thermometers to measure meat temperature.  You can program it to give you a BEEP warning when the center of the meat has hit a target temperature like 165 for birds, 205 for pulled pork.  You can set one or both thermometers to monitor grill temperature instead.  You can program it to give you a warning BEEP when the grill gets too cold (adjust the vents, stoke the coals or add coals/wood), or when the temperature gets too high (close the vents, or if desperate, remove excess burning coals). It's range is much better than my wireless ChefMate from Target.  It requires 2 AAA batteries for the transmitter/base and 2 AAA batteries for the remote monitoring unit.  My only gripe about the unit concerns how its configuration isn't terribly intuitive.  Fortunately, there is a great thread on this forum on configuring the ET-733.  It is yet another great tool which allows you to smoke meat without hovering over the smoker like a nervous hen-mother.  My next toy will likely be a Pitmaster IQ110/120.

                                   Addertooth


----------



## knifebld

I could not live without mine!


----------



## dr k

Thermometers that come with the smoker most likely aren't at the level your food is at so a probe can be set on the rack with your food and one in the meat your smoking,  Adjust your smoker by the chamber probe you put at food level.


----------



## rob sicc

Addertooth,

Thank you so much for your patience in giving such a great explaination.  I guess I could in theroy use one probe as a CC thermometer and one in the meat if I wanted.  Is that correct?  This sounds like a must have tool.


----------



## dandl93

Rob Sicc said:


> Addertooth,
> 
> Thank you so much for your patience in giving such a great explaination.  I guess I could in theroy use one probe as a CC thermometer and one in the meat if I wanted.  Is that correct?  This sounds like a must have tool.


I was doing more study on my ET 733.You have options with your 2 probes you can use them as 2 meats or 2 CC or 1 meat and 1 CC.I am a long way from being a techy so it will take one of my neices or nephews to get it to work correctly then they can teach me .

Dan


----------



## addertooth

Rob Sicc,

Yes, you can use one to monitor grill temperature (with high and low temp warnings), and one for your meat (with meat is at done temperature warning).  This is how I use mine.  If I have two pieces of meat, the Chefmate single temperature probe is stuck into the second slab of meat.  The chefmate also has a warning when the meat reaches a specific temperature, but has no low temperature warning.  The lack of a low temperature warning makes the chefmate unsuitable for monitoring grill temperatures (on charcoal and stick smokers), but quite useful for meat.

   Addertooth


----------



## timberjet

Rob Sicc said:


> Addertooth,
> 
> Thank you so much for your patience in giving such a great explaination.  I guess I could in theroy use one probe as a CC thermometer and one in the meat if I wanted.  Is that correct?  This sounds like a must have tool.


Rob, I have to suggest you do Jeffs E=course. It is free and will give you all the basics you need. I was very clueless years ago when I started smoking. I basically winged it and got most of my recipes and stuff from the manual that comes with A Little Cheif Smoker and then my ECB. Until I found this website and did Jeffs course I was doing almost everything wrong. It takes a few hours and will make you understand so much more about what you are trying to achieve. Hope this helps. I actually got it for my dad who has improved his skills so much it is unbelievable. The thermometer on your smoker is most likely wrong. I have seen them wrong by 50 degrees or more. A good quality remote two probe unit like the maverick is indispensable. I use one probe for the chamber temp and one for the meat.


----------



## timberjet

Welshrarebit said:


> The 733 comes with two hybrid probes so you can use two for meat or two for smoker temp. The readout by default meat probe temp and smoker temp but you can change the receiver readouts; dont ask me how! I usually hand the instructions to one of my daughters and ask them to figure it out.


It is actually quite easy. The technology might remind you of setting a digital watch. The only thing that sucks is the very very tiny print on the instructions. I found the manual online somewhere though and could actually see it. lol


----------



## gopher darbid

Tested my brand new ET-733 yesterday. The probe in port 2 read perfectly for boiling and ice water. The probe in port 1 was accurate for boiling water, but would not drop below 45F in ice water. Not sure if it's the probe itself or the whole unit, but I really don't want to wait to ship it back and get a new one......


----------



## addertooth

Gopher Darbid,

Unplug and swap your thermometers in the 733 unit.  If the 45 degrees reading moves with the thermometer (moves from port 1 to port 2), then you have a bad thermometer.  If the problem stays with the 733 port (port 1) then you may have a problem with your 733 unit.  Make sure thermo 1 and 2 are set up for measuring meat, and not one  for meat and the other for BBQ grill.


----------



## gopher darbid

Addertooth said:


> Gopher Darbid,
> 
> Unplug and swap your thermometers in the 733 unit.  If the 45 degrees reading moves with the thermometer (moves from port 1 to port 2), then you have a bad thermometer.  If the problem stays with the 733 port (port 1) then you may have a problem with your 733 unit.  Make sure thermo 1 and 2 are set up for measuring meat, and not one  for meat and the other for BBQ grill.


Oh I wasn't aware that one was for meat and the other was for grill. I suppose reading the user manual might help, huh?


----------



## addertooth

I think the default factory setting is one is grill, the other meat, but you can change it to TWO meats or TWO grills if you wish.


----------



## gopher darbid

Addertooth said:


> I think the default factory setting is one is grill, the other meat, but you can change it to TWO meats or TWO grills if you wish.


Does this make a difference in terms of temperature range/readings? I guess I'm not seeing how switching between settings would affect the temp reading.


----------



## timberjet

Gopher Darbid said:


> Oh I wasn't aware that one was for meat and the other was for grill. I suppose reading the user manual might help, huh?


Get out your microscope. Very small print there. I found a pdf online for my 732 when I got it. Do a search or checkout Maverick's website. I can't remember where I found it.


----------



## rob sicc

timberjet said:


> Get out your microscope. Very small print there. I found a pdf online for my 732 when I got it. Do a search or checkout Maverick's website. I can't remember where I found it





Gopher Darbid said:


> Oh I wasn't aware that one was for meat and the other was for grill. I suppose reading the user manual might help, huh?


It's not that 1 is for meat and 1 is for grill.  AS you know there are 2 probes.  you can have both for meat.  you can have both for grills, and you can have 1 for meat and 1 for grill.  It is all programabler.

Here is a good instructional video from youtube showing how to change the modes for each probe.  Please let me know if this helps.


----------



## gopher darbid

Rob Sicc said:


> It's not that 1 is for meat and 1 is for grill.  AS you know there are 2 probes.  you can have both for meat.  you can have both for grills, and you can have 1 for meat and 1 for grill.  It is all programabler.
> 
> Here is a good instructional video from youtube showing how to change the modes for each probe.  Please let me know if this helps.



Thanks, that was helpful. I wouldn't except switching a probe from BBQ to meat mode would affect it's temperature reading, correct? I'm hoping it's just a probe issue


----------



## rob sicc

you should defnitely try swapping out the probes like someone (sorry I forgot who) suggested.  That will confirm it's the probe.


----------



## shrekastac

VERY detailed thread thanks a lot man! Just ordered mine from Amazon...gotta love Prime!


----------



## daricksta

Can't find if I already posted to this thread. I've used my ET-733 twice and it's performed well. Had an initial issue both times with the Food probe displaying HHH but I got it to work the second time and over my 5 hour brisket smoke it performed beautifully. I'm very impressed.


----------



## rob sicc

Look what came in the mail just in time for my birthday!.  WOOO HOOO!

I can't wait to try it this weekend.  I need to go supply shopping tonight.

Lets see my high level check list.

Brine

BBQ Sauce

BBQ Rub

Birds

Turkeyt legs

Ribs!

Duck Sauce

Did someone say FATTY?!  (that might be wishful thinking)

I hope I get the time to do some of this.  My daughters may have other plans for me for my birthday.  lol













20140813_204510[1].jpg



__ rob sicc
__ Aug 14, 2014


----------



## shrekastac

Yo Rob Happy B-Day brother!! What color is that? It looks red but wasn't sure they made it in red. Is it copper?


----------



## rob sicc

Hi Shrek,

The color is RED.  I normally go black or Orange with most things.  I thought the red would be easier to find.  lol

Thanks for the birthday wishes.  It's actually this Saturday.  I'm hope to fill up my smoker and get some action.

The only problem I have with smoking is that none of my family eats smoked food but me.  lol  I really find that so funny.  It would be the first time I cooked 10 pounds of something just for me to eat though out the week.

Thanks again for the birthday wishes.

Ciao,

Rob


----------



## welshrarebit

Rob Sicc said:


> I'm hope to fill up my smoker and get some action.



If you wanted some action you should have got the 'black unit!' ;)


----------



## rob sicc

I usually do.  lol


----------



## daricksta

Rob Sicc said:


> Hi Shrek,
> 
> The color is RED.  I normally go black or Orange with most things.  I thought the red would be easier to find.  lol
> 
> Thanks for the birthday wishes.  It's actually this Saturday.  I'm hope to fill up my smoker and get some action.
> 
> The only problem I have with smoking is that none of my family eats smoked food but me.  lol  I really find that so funny.  It would be the first time I cooked 10 pounds of something just for me to eat though out the week.
> 
> Thanks again for the birthday wishes.
> 
> Ciao,
> 
> Rob


I'm lucky that my family loves smoked food but they're a little fussy about _which_ smoked food. They devoured the two racks of baby back ribs I smoked a few weeks ago which were the best I ever made. My family also loves smoked cheeses (I smoke mozzarella and sharp cheddar) in Panini sandwiches and in grilled cheeseburgers. Last weekend I made the best brisket I've ever made but my daughter doesn't like brisket. My wife and son thought it was great but I still wound up over the week finishing up all the leftover brisket myself. It was outstanding but I've had my fill of smoked brisket for awhile.

You must try smoking salt. Can't tell you how that adds an extra dimension to many dishes. Some people smoke pepper as well. You could even make your own smoked paprika.


----------



## ryanl

Is it pretty common for the probes to die on the 733? I just bought mine abut a week ago, I've used it only a few times including today when I was using it to monitor a couple of 7lb butts, and the probe in the meat seems to have died. It was never submerged or subjected to high heat. For a while it was just saying LLL, but it has kicked back in a couple of times, and now seems to be jumping all over the place. My meat should be about 180, and it's jumped from 158-196, and everywhere in between. Is that typical behavior of a bad probe? I've already contacted Amazon for a replacement, just in case.


----------



## timberjet

RyanL said:


> Is it pretty common for the probes to die on the 733? I just bought mine abut a week ago, I've used it only a few times including today when I was using it to monitor a couple of 7lb butts, and the probe in the meat seems to have died. It was never submerged or subjected to high heat. For a while it was just saying LLL, but it has kicked back in a couple of times, and now seems to be jumping all over the place. My meat should be about 180, and it's jumped from 158-196, and everywhere in between. Is that typical behavior of a bad probe? I've already contacted Amazon for a replacement, just in case.


I had one get a tiny cut in the wire one time from closing the lid on it a million times. Make sure it is plugged all the way in. I have had this happen before and luckily figured it out before panic set in on the big old rib eye roast I was cooking.


----------



## addertooth

AmazeN products sells replacement probes; they are with 6 foot cables.  This gives you more options for transmitter placement, due to the fact they are 3 feet longer than the factory probes.  I ordered 3 recently.


----------



## meatbone

That's why I love this place!!

Thanks for taking the time to post that excellent review.

Just bought mine in red.


----------



## wraunch

The probes on these Maverick ET thermos are garbage.  I have now been through 2 in just over a yr.  there has to be a design flaw here with that joint that allows water in and shorts so easily.


----------



## damnthatsgood

Okay, I've added some stuff to the FAQ section.  One of you mentioned a good thread on configuring these units.  If you could dig that up so I could add the link to the FAQ, I'd appreciate it.

FYI, setting up this thermo is so easy a caveman could do it. So if any of you need some help, drop me a line in the thread, or in a PM.  I want to make this thing as user friendly as possible.

When in doubt, get your wife to read the directions to you!  Happy smokin'.


----------



## naimbeg

I just put batteries into the ET-733 and noticed that when looking at it, the display is just a little fuzzy/faded looking it directly, and continues to fade to the point where you cannot see the reading at all as you lay it down in front of you. Now if I look at the display from the other angle (top down) it's sharp.

On my prior meat thermometers I tend to lay them down on their backsides next to the grill instead of using their stands (as I tend to knock them over in their stands).

Is this normal for the display to fade out?


----------



## radioguy

naimbeg said:


> I just put batteries into the ET-733 and noticed that when looking at it, the display is just a little fuzzy/faded looking it directly, and continues to fade to the point where you cannot see the reading at all as you lay it down in front of you. Now if I look at the display from the other angle (top down) it's sharp.
> 
> On my prior meat thermometers I tend to lay them down on their backsides next to the grill instead of using their stands (as I tend to knock them over in their stands).
> 
> Is this normal for the display to fade out?



Sounds like a bad connection to the display.  Did you drop it or get it wet?  Try to shake it while watching the display, to see if it goes in /out.    Sorry but it sounds like it's dying.

RG


----------



## daricksta

naimbeg said:


> I just put batteries into the ET-733 and noticed that when looking at it, the display is just a little fuzzy/faded looking it directly, and continues to fade to the point where you cannot see the reading at all as you lay it down in front of you. Now if I look at the display from the other angle (top down) it's sharp.
> 
> On my prior meat thermometers I tend to lay them down on their backsides next to the grill instead of using their stands (as I tend to knock them over in their stands).
> 
> Is this normal for the display to fade out?


I've noticed the same thing with my ET-733, that the display on the receiving unit seems to have gotten dimmer than when I first had it even after putting in new batteries. I have it upright when I use it and need to have it in a fairly bright room in order to read the screen. I should talk to Maverick about this.

No display problem at all with the transmitter.


----------



## Bearcarver

The only time my 4 year old ET-732 or my 5 year old ET-73 get faded is when the batteries need changing, which is very seldom.

Bear


----------



## naimbeg

It's a brand new unit...

To be clear, I am talking about if you hold the unit directly in front of you (so you are  directly looking at the display) then tilt the unit so that you are looking at it now a 45 degree (with the top pointed away from you) the text on the display almost completely fades away...

It has to do with the angle you are looking at the text determining if you can see it or not...

I will see if I can post a picture to better show this.


----------



## daricksta

naimbeg said:


> It's a brand new unit...
> 
> To be clear, I am talking about if you hold the unit directly in front of you (so you are  directly looking at the display) then tilt the unit so that you are looking at it now a 45 degree (with the top pointed away from you) the text on the display almost completely fades away...
> 
> It has to do with the angle you are looking at the text determining if you can see it or not...
> 
> I will see if I can post a picture to better show this.


I just tested mine and I know what's going on; it's a design issue. The LED display is sharp and clear; the problem is the lack of a constantly backlit screen. When you press the Backlight button the screen glows bright orange-red for a few seconds and then goes off. It looks to me like the screen is made from some type of reflective material because when I hold the receiver flat under a ceiling light I can clearly see the everything on the screen. If I tilt it away from the light source it's darker. I think to save battery life and to hold the cost down Maverick chose not to make a permanent backlight an option.

So, the key here is to just tilt the receiver screen toward a light source whether it be a light in a room or sunlight coming through a window. I'm going to email Maverick about this issue and I'll come back to this thread with their reply.


----------



## damnthatsgood

daRicksta said:


> I just tested mine and I know what's going on; it's a design issue. The LED display is sharp and clear; the problem is the lack of a constantly backlit screen. When you press the Backlight button the screen glows bright orange-red for a few seconds and then goes off. It looks to me like the screen is made from some type of reflective material because when I hold the receiver flat under a ceiling light I can clearly see the everything on the screen. If I tilt it away from the light source it's darker. I think to save battery life and to hold the cost down Maverick chose not to make a permanent backlight an option.
> 
> *So, the key here is to just tilt the receiver screen toward a light source whether it be a light in a room or sunlight coming through a window. I'm going to email Maverick about this issue and I'll come back to this thread with their reply.*


Thank you.


----------



## econbassman

Just added one to my Amazon Wish-list...*fingers crossed*


----------



## daricksta

Bearcarver said:


> The only time my 4 year old ET-732 or my 5 year old ET-73 get faded is when the batteries need changing, which is very seldom.
> 
> Bear





Damnthatsgood said:


> Thank you.


Just sent my email to Priscilla at Maverick Customer Service. Let her know my other complaint is how difficult it is to program the thing each time I smoke without re-reading the owners manual. It's very frustrating if you don't press the right buttons in time and in the right sequence because it locks up and you have to repeat the whole sequence again and again till you get it right.

I did make it clear that I still love using the therm after I finally get the settings entered. I'll share the response as soon as I get it.


----------



## Bearcarver

daRicksta said:


> Just sent my email to Priscilla at Maverick Customer Service. Let her know my other complaint is how difficult it is to program the thing each time I smoke without re-reading the owners manual. It's very frustrating if you don't press the right buttons in time and in the right sequence because it locks up and you have to repeat the whole sequence again and again till you get it right.
> 
> I did make it clear that I still love using the therm after I finally get the settings entered. I'll share the response as soon as I get it.


This is why my next one will be the same as my 4 year old "ET-732".

I don't need or want any of the bells & whistles. All I need or want is a smoker probe, a meat probe, and a digital read-out on the transmitter, and a digital read-out on the receiver. All the rest is a waste for me. Shame they don't make one that only has those things.

Same thing with my camera----Got so many buttons on it, there's no place to hold the dang thing when I take pics!!!!  And all I use is on--off and zoom!!!

Bear


----------



## addertooth

Configuring the 733 can be a pain.  When I convinced two of my co-workers to purchase one, I had them bring the 733s to work, so I could do the basic config on them. A fuel level type indicator for battery condition would be a plus.  This way, a user could determine if batteries need replacement before a long smoke.

In spite of all of these statements, the 733 is one of my essential cooking tools.


----------



## azbohunter

If we all had some little ones about 7-10 years old, they would have that thing running in no time. Amazed by how fast our 6 year old grand daughter has learned how to grab my phone, scroll through the icons and start taking pictures! And then get to the Gallery and scroll through that until she finds the videos???

I have the 732 and I pretty much use it just to monitor internal temps on meat as I use a PID for the smoke temps and times. Walked across the street helping my neighbor with a project the other day while smoking a pork butt and was surprised that the remote worked that far away! Made me smile.....
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






Dick


----------



## daricksta

Addertooth said:


> Configuring the 733 can be a pain.  When I convinced two of my co-workers to purchase one, I had them bring the 733s to work, so I could do the basic config on them. A fuel level type indicator for battery condition would be a plus.  This way, a user could determine if batteries need replacement before a long smoke.
> 
> In spite of all of these statements, the 733 is one of my essential cooking tools.


You should also email Maverick about that suggestion because I wish I had thought of it.  The first indication I got that I had a dead battery in the receiving unit was its failure to turn on.


----------



## daricksta

Bearcarver said:


> This is why my next one will be the same as my 4 year old "ET-732".
> 
> I don't need or want any of the bells & whistles. All I need or want is a smoker probe, a meat probe, and a digital read-out on the transmitter, and a digital read-out on the receiver. All the rest is a waste for me. Shame they don't make one that only has those things.
> 
> Same thing with my camera----Got so many buttons on it, there's no place to hold the dang thing when I take pics!!!!  And all I use is on--off and zoom!!!
> 
> Bear


Are you saying the display screen is brighter on the 732? I've always wanted the newest version of any electronic thing but rarely had the money to buy them. I saw the differences between the 732 and the 733 which is why I chose the latter.

I bought a $200 point and shoot camera for my wife that has a bunch of bells and whistles. Just like you, she only uses the easy functions on it, as do I when I use it. But now she wants a fancy shmancy Canon digital SLR with detaches lenses. That camera would give her even more bells and whistles she'll never use. But she takes excellent photos so what can I do?


----------



## Bearcarver

daRicksta said:


> Are you saying the display screen is brighter on the 732? I've always wanted the newest version of any electronic thing but rarely had the money to buy them. I saw the differences between the 732 and the 733 which is why I chose the latter.
> 
> I bought a $200 point and shoot camera for my wife that has a bunch of bells and whistles. Just like you, she only uses the easy functions on it, as do I when I use it. But now she wants a fancy shmancy Canon digital SLR with detaches lenses. That camera would give her even more bells and whistles she'll never use. But she takes excellent photos so what can I do?


No, I never compared the display screens. I just won't go to one with more Bells & Whistles that I don't want or need, so if I need a new one, it will be a 732.  If it wasn't for the poor wireless distance, I'd get another ET-73. Poor distance was the only problem I have with my original ET-73.

Bear


----------



## daricksta

Bearcarver said:


> No, I never compared the display screens. I just won't go to one with more Bells & Whistles that I don't want or need, so if I need a new one, it will be a 732.  If it wasn't for the poor wireless distance, I'd get another ET-73. Poor distance was the only problem I have with my original ET-73.
> 
> Bear


I like the larger screen on the receiver.  What I really don't like about the ET-733 is that it's way too complex to program settings. You've got to know which button to push first, how long to hold it down, and then to quickly find the next button(s) to push, and then remember how to get manual temp settings. I always have my owners manual in front of me for all of this because if you screw up you have to repeat the whole process again. Once it's set, however, it's a joy to use.


----------



## daricksta

Damnthatsgood said:


> Thank you.


Got my answer from Nikki at Maverick. She will have my issues and suggestions addressed by the Product Development Team. In my response to her I also used Addertooth's suggestion that a battery strength indicator also be added.


----------



## daricksta

Damnthatsgood said:


> Thank you.


Just got an answer from Nikki at Maverick. She'll have my issues and suggestions addressed by the Product Development Team. In my response I also included Addertooth's suggestion that a battery strength indicator be added. So, we'll see what happens.


----------



## daricksta

> Is there any way to delete posts made in error from a thread? This is one of them.


----------



## daricksta

daRicksta said:


> Got my answer from Nikki at Maverick. She will have my issues and suggestions addressed by the Product Development Team. In my response to her I also used Addertooth's suggestion that a battery strength indicator also be added.


This is another comment of mine I can't delete.


----------



## superdave

Don't know if any of you are Cabelas shoppers but Maverick makes the 732 & 733 under a Cabelas label.  Since I have a Cabelas credit card, I've saved enough points to now order my thermometer for free.


----------



## superdave

daRicksta, I hate programming anything!!!  Is there an easy way to just plug it in and read current temps?


----------



## Bearcarver

SuperDave said:


> daRicksta, I hate programming anything!!!  Is there an easy way to just plug it in and read current temps?


Not sure what Rick's answer will be about the 733, but that's what I like about my ET-732. All I do is turn it on, position the probes, read the temps, and make notes throughout the smoke, until it reaches the temp I want to pull it.

I don't set any alarms, bells, or whistles. I usually physically check it every half hour (sometimes every 15 minutes) for how heavy the smoke is anyway.

I use these copious notes for my Step by Steps.

Bear


----------



## daricksta

SuperDave said:


> daRicksta, I hate programming anything!!!  Is there an easy way to just plug it in and read current temps?


SuperDave, that's exactly what happens after you plug in the probes and place them in the smoker and inside the meat. You almost instantly see both Barbecue and Food temps on both units. The only reason to program your cooking parameters (type of meat, BBQ and Food temp set points) is to customize the readings for what you're cooking. I have the alert function on to monitor the controller temp swings because I want to know when it swings too high or too low.

I don't have the manual in front of me so I can't recall if the receiver beeps when the food reaches the target temp. Still, I like to see what I'm cooking, and track the cooking progress on the display screen.


----------



## smokergal2

wow, a lot of info about the Maverick.  I was a little bit leery about the probes failing but the shrink tubing should help.  can I get the shrink tubing at Home Depot or would Radio Shack be better to find this stuff?

I have also shopped other brands  Does anyone have input on  DCN digital meat probe?


----------



## dr k

smokergal2 said:


> wow, a lot of info about the Maverick.  I was a little bit leery about the probes failing but the shrink tubing should help.  can I get the shrink tubing at Home Depot or would Radio Shack be better to find this stuff?
> 
> I have also shopped other brands  Does anyone have input on  DCN digital meat probe?


I have the CDN (Component Design Midwest, Inc.) Model DTP482 (not a remote therm.)  It's a single probe Therm that has preprogrammed doneness settings for all kinds of meats or you can set your own temp which gives you a flash alarm or both flash and audible alarm when temp is reached.  It boil tested perfectly out of the box so I used the permetex ultra copper 700*F RTV silicone you can get at any automotive store.  Some people can only find the red RTV but that goes to 500*F.  I like the RTV because it's thick liquid rubbery texture lets you push it into the braid of the cable and it stays flexible over the probe cable joint.  Shrink tubing is good but may get sticky at higher temps.  I have a Maverick OT-03BBQ therm (not a remote therm) for cooking chamber only that was out of the box perfect with the boiling test.  These two therms were less than the ET-732 Maverick.  I have been thinking about the ET-732 for a couple of years but have heard about probe problems.  Maybe since I new I was going to boil test then seal them after they passed and let them cure for a day was the right way to go before using them.  Or maybe because they are just digital therms with no high tech features.  No problem with these for 2 years and original battery in each.  I periodically retest all my therms in boiling water. 

-Kurt


----------



## daricksta

smokergal2 said:


> wow, a lot of info about the Maverick.  I was a little bit leery about the probes failing but the shrink tubing should help.  can I get the shrink tubing at Home Depot or would Radio Shack be better to find this stuff?
> 
> I have also shopped other brands  Does anyone have input on  DCN digital meat probe?


Smokergal2, you mean CDN. I own one of their knockoffs of the Thermapen Instant Read (same red color and shape) and I like it a lot. Don't know anything about the models with probes but CDN has a good reputation. The company's located in Oregon but the stuff is Chinese-made, as are the Mavericks.

I don't bother with shrink tubing the Maverick probes. I just do my best to handle them carefully, which means not pulling the probe out of meat by the joint where the cords connect to the probes. I also carefully clean the probes themselves without getting that joint wet. I've read in most of the cases where the probes fail it was user misuse.


----------



## franknbeans

Purchased a 733 two days ago :yahoo: and already smoked a brisket with it with no problems at all. Temps were almost dead on and the larger screen is nice. For all those who are worried about programming, don't be. As long as you turn on both units within 120sec of each other they auto pair and then temps instantly display. Honestly even when I programmed my hi/lo alerts it still was pretty simple once done a few times.


----------



## red dog

daRicksta said:


> Are you saying the display screen is brighter on the 732? I've always wanted the newest version of any electronic thing but rarely had the money to buy them. I saw the differences between the 732 and the 733 which is why I chose the latter.
> 
> I bought a $200 point and shoot camera for my wife that has a bunch of bells and whistles. Just like you, she only uses the easy functions on it, as do I when I use it. But now she wants a fancy shmancy Canon digital SLR with detaches lenses. That camera would give her even more bells and whistles she'll never use. But she takes excellent photos so what can I do?


Rick, I have owned several Canon digital SLR's and there is no comparison when it comes to photo quality. SLR's  have much larger sensors and so take better photos even if you don't use all the features. If she wants to have larger prints of her photos made that's where the SLR really shines. Also, most of the Canons also take pretty darn good video these days.


----------



## daricksta

Red Dog said:


> Rick, I have owned several Canon digital SLR's and there is no comparison when it comes to photo quality. SLR's  have much larger sensors and so take better photos even if you don't use all the features. If she wants to have larger prints of her photos made that's where the SLR really shines. Also, most of the Canons also take pretty darn good video these days.


Red Dog, I agree with you about the Canon. We recently had a niece and her husband visit us and he had a Canon digital SLR. This writes video games for a living and knows his techie stuff. This was when my wife told me she'd like to have a camera like his. The reason she doesn't is that last year I bought her the Panasonic point-and-shoot digital for $200 at Costco. The cheapest Canon package at Costco is over three times that much, which is way out of our budget. So she'll have to stick with the Panasonic. We do have a Canon photo printer which we love although it's an ink hog.

I think I just hijacked this thread...


----------



## red dog

daRicksta said:


> Red Dog, I agree with you about the Canon. We recently had a niece and her husband visit us and he had a Canon digital SLR. This writes video games for a living and knows his techie stuff. This was when my wife told me she'd like to have a camera like his. The reason she doesn't is that last year I bought her the Panasonic point-and-shoot digital for $200 at Costco. The cheapest Canon package at Costco is over three times that much, which is way out of our budget. So she'll have to stick with the Panasonic. We do have a Canon photo printer which we love although it's an ink hog.
> 
> I think I just hijacked this thread...


I buy my cameras at Amazon.  They are cheaper than Costco. If you get a Amazon store card anything over 150.00 you get 6 months free financing. Just so they can't accuse us of hijacking I'll add that I just got my new ET-733 from Amazon on Wednesday. I plan on using it for the first smoke doing BBB on Monday.


----------



## daricksta

Red Dog said:


> I buy my cameras at Amazon.  They are cheaper than Costco. If you get a Amazon store card anything over 150.00 you get 6 months free financing. Just so they can't accuse us of hijacking I'll add that I just got my new ET-733 from Amazon on Wednesday. I plan on using it for the first smoke doing BBB on Monday.


What I like about Costco is that I if I decide to return something electronic I have at least 90 days to just drive it back to a local store to get a full refund. Returning stuff on Amazon is a slight hassle but one just the same.

Let us know how you like the ET-733. When I first turned it on I had a slight problem syncing the transmitter and receiver but that resolved quickly. Also, a couple of times the Barbecue probe displayed that the smoker temp was past the maximum therm temp; it just read HI or something. It took a little fiddling but I got it to work. I've used the ET-733 about 3 times since then with absolutely no problems. The only thing I don't like is the programming procedure. I have to keep referring to the owners manual and the buttons and procedure are both so touchy. You've got to touch the proper buttons within a few seconds or the process has to be restarted. That being said, once I get it programmed the way I want (and you certainly don't have to program it at all), the Maverick works like a charm. I like being able to set the alarm to notify me if the temp goes below my minimum temp or above my maximum.

What is so cool is being able to sit in front of my computer or the TV set and monitor how the smoke is going.


----------



## saltasylum

I'm testing mine in a newly aquired used cook shack, one probe in the meat one in the chamber, the chamber one (2 deg low in boiling water) fluctuates between 208 deg and 250 deg, do any of you think this is a probe problem or just how the Cook Shack operates?


----------



## daricksta

Saltasylum said:


> I'm testing mine in a newly aquired used cook shack, one probe in the meat one in the chamber, the chamber one (2 deg low in boiling water) fluctuates between 208 deg and 250 deg, do any of you think this is a probe problem or just how the Cook Shack operates?


I can't picture how you've got your BBQ probe placed. What's chamber one and what do you mean "2 deg low in boiling water"? The way I tested mine was to place both probes in boiling water on a stovetop burner (careful to only insert them part way) and I also tested both probes in ice water. With the boiling water test I got a solid 212° (or it may have gone up to 213, but that was it, no temp swings either).

I recommend you calibrate those probes first outside of a smoker. The owners manual tells you exactly how to do it and you can find it online on the Maverick website.


----------



## saltasylum

I placed both probes in boiling water, one showed 212 one showed 210(2deg lower) even swapped probes in the transmitter and still the same 2deg off, probe 1 was in the meat probe 2 on its holder in the smoke chamber, probe 2 showed a temp swing from 208-250 thru out the cook, was just wandering if anyone thought this was the cooker or the Maverick.


----------



## wade

Saltasylum said:


> I placed both probes in boiling water, one showed 212 one showed 210(2deg lower) even swapped probes in the transmitter and still the same 2deg off, probe 1 was in the meat probe 2 on its holder in the smoke chamber, probe 2 showed a temp swing from 208-250 thru out the cook, was just wandering if anyone thought this was the cooker or the Maverick.


Without More details about your smoker, where it was located and the weather at the time it would be difficult to make meaningful suggestions. Wind, rain and especially sun can have a significant influence on the internal temperatures over quite short periods of time if the smoker is in an exposed position. One easy way to find out whether the probe is the reason for the swings would be to use a second thermometer in addition. If both thermometers agree then it is almost certain to be the cooking chamber. If they don't then investigate the thermometer further. Make sure that you place both probes right next to each other though (without actually touching), as there are likely to be temperature gradients throughout the chamber in every smoker.


----------



## smokinadam

Just got one for Christmas and used on Thursday. Can say it worked awesome as the pork I pulled at 200 and let sit to pull.  Fell right away from the bone. I'll be investing in another for my pops. My bro has a igrill coming as he's one with that apple product.


----------



## daricksta

Saltasylum said:


> I placed both probes in boiling water, one showed 212 one showed 210(2deg lower) even swapped probes in the transmitter and still the same 2deg off, probe 1 was in the meat probe 2 on its holder in the smoke chamber, probe 2 showed a temp swing from 208-250 thru out the cook, was just wandering if anyone thought this was the cooker or the Maverick.


If you look again at the owners manual it says the probes temps can vary by a couple of degrees. I think it even says that for ThermoWorks therms. A couple of degrees variance is fine. It' possible if you complain about it to Maverick they might send you a replacement if they feel the probe is defective.


----------



## wade

daRicksta said:


> If you look again at the owners manual it says the probes temps can vary by a couple of degrees. I think it even says that for ThermoWorks therms. A couple of degrees variance is fine. It' possible if you complain about it to Maverick they might send you a replacement if they feel the probe is defective.


A swing between 208 to 250 would not be as a result of probe variations though. Test it against another thermometer. I suspect that you will find it was actually the smoking chamber that was varying.


----------



## daricksta

Wade said:


> A swing between 208 to 250 would not be as a result of probe variations though. Test it against another thermometer. I suspect that you will find it was actually the smoking chamber that was varying.


Totally agree, Wade. I was just restricting my comment to the boiling water test. I agree there could be an issue with the smoking chamber. Saltasylum said it was a used Cookshack so who knows?


----------



## saltasylum

Thanks for the replies,Wade I think your right, after the cook was over I tested in boiling water again and it's is still just 2 deg diff from the 1st probe port, I switched probes during my first out of the box test when it showed a temp diff and it stayed with the port and not the probe, so port #2 is just 2deg low from #1, no problem as long as I know this! Thanks for the replies.


----------



## nymickey

Greetings and Salutations Everyone !!!

Awesome site. 

I just bought a Maverick ET-733 thermometer for my modified Master Forge Vertical Smoker.

if I just close the lid on the wires, considering that I put some gasket rope around the lid ... will the lid "crimp" the wires? Wouldn't the wires get burned by being in the smoker ... OR ...should I just drill 2 small holes in the lid for the wires to go through?

Also, does the shrink tubing end up melting?

Sorry for so many questions, just anxious to get my first smoke in !!!


----------



## timberjet

nymickey said:


> Greetings and Salutations Everyone !!!
> 
> Awesome site.
> 
> I just bought a Maverick ET-733 thermometer for my modified Master Forge Vertical Smoker.
> 
> if I just close the lid on the wires, considering that I put some gasket rope around the lid ... will the lid "crimp" the wires? Wouldn't the wires get burned by being in the smoker ... OR ...should I just drill 2 small holes in the lid for the wires to go through?
> 
> Also, does the shrink tubing end up melting?
> 
> Sorry for so many questions, just anxious to get my first smoke in !!!


You are fine gently closing the lid on the wires. Been doing it with my mavericks for many years with no problems. Just keep the wire up out of the fire and they are rated for pretty high heat. Just be careful not to let them hang right in the flame or something.


----------



## dr k

nymickey said:


> Greetings and Salutations Everyone !!!
> 
> Awesome site.
> 
> I just bought a Maverick ET-733 thermometer for my modified Master Forge Vertical Smoker.
> 
> if I just close the lid on the wires, considering that I put some gasket rope around the lid ... will the lid "crimp" the wires? Wouldn't the wires get burned by being in the smoker ... OR ...should I just drill 2 small holes in the lid for the wires to go through?
> 
> Also, does the shrink tubing end up melting?
> 
> Sorry for so many questions, just anxious to get my first smoke in !!!


I have a gasket on my Kamado so no stress on the cable.  On my offset I go through the upper vent.  I did drill a hole and you can always put a piece of a magnetic business card over the hole when not in use.  Shrink tubing can melt or get sticky so I got the 700*F Permetex Ultra Copper RTV Silicone (at any auto parts store.) They have other temp ratings in different colors.    

-Kurt


----------



## bigred77

Just opened my 733 and have been playing with it for an hour now.  Settings dont seem to be too hard to remember how to change/set up, but we will see next time I try to do it if I have to dig out the instructions.

wondering how yall store your units and probes?

see where people say they store the probes hanging straight,  how do you do that? on a nail in the garage or something?

I was thinking of rolling them up and putting it all in a gallon zip lock, but then I started thinking I dont like the idea of rolling a wire up over and over again.

any tips?


----------



## dr k

bigred77 said:


> Just opened my 733 and have been playing with it for an hour now.  Settings dont seem to be too hard to remember how to change/set up, but we will see next time I try to do it if I have to dig out the instructions.
> 
> wondering how yall store your units and probes?
> see where people say they store the probes hanging straight,  how do you do that? on a nail in the garage or something?
> 
> I was thinking of rolling them up and putting it all in a gallon zip lock, but then I started thinking I dont like the idea of rolling a wire up over and over again.
> 
> any tips?


Hang from a hanger with binder clips by the plastic lug on the plug end. Or a hanger with spring clips for pants. Mine are hanging by the grate clips off of my microwave stand. 
-Kurt


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## timberjet

I wouldn't twist them up. They get plenty twisted on their own. I keep all my BBQ paraphanalia in an antique picnick basket on the top shelf in my kitchen, that way I know where everything is at. I just leave them loose.


----------



## dr k

My therms have magnetic backs to store on my microwave and fridge or anything iron/steel. Do the ET-732 and 733 have magnets on the transmitters?


----------



## bigred77

Dr K said:


> Hang from a hanger with binder clips by the plastic lug on the plug end. Or a hanger with spring clips for pants. *Mine are hanging by the grate clips off of my microwave stand.*
> -Kurt


no offense, but you must be single  
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






SWMBO wouldnt let me do that, unless the microwave stand is in the garage that is


----------



## dr k

bigred77 said:


> no offense, but you must be single  :tongue:
> 
> SWMBO wouldnt let me do that, unless the microwave stand is in the garage that is



Lol. You cant see them. Off the back of the microwave in between the wall and cart. 
-Kurt


----------



## daricksta

bigred77 said:


> Just opened my 733 and have been playing with it for an hour now.  Settings dont seem to be too hard to remember how to change/set up, but we will see next time I try to do it if I have to dig out the instructions.
> 
> wondering how yall store your units and probes?
> 
> see where people say they store the probes hanging straight,  how do you do that? on a nail in the garage or something?
> 
> I was thinking of rolling them up and putting it all in a gallon zip lock, but then I started thinking I dont like the idea of rolling a wire up over and over again.
> 
> any tips?


I'm anal when it comes to what I call keeping things "nice". I loosely coil the wires similar to how they originally were---but not nearly as tightly--put ties around them and store the probes and the two units in the Maverick box along with the owners manual. I keep it in our bedroom near I keep my smoker/grilling cookbooks so everything is right where I can find it. All my actual smoker and grilling stuff is stored in my garage.


----------



## Bearcarver

bigred77 said:


> Just opened my 733 and have been playing with it for an hour now.  Settings dont seem to be too hard to remember how to change/set up, but we will see next time I try to do it if I have to dig out the instructions.
> 
> wondering how yall store your units and probes?
> 
> see where people say they store the probes hanging straight,  how do you do that? on a nail in the garage or something?
> 
> I was thinking of rolling them up and putting it all in a gallon zip lock, but then I started thinking I dont like the idea of rolling a wire up over and over again.
> 
> any tips?


LOL----I put mine on the barrel rest in my living room gun cabinet. I lay the transmitter right behind my double barrel, and let the probes hang straight down, one on each side of the barrels. That keeps them from getting twisted or kinked.

Bear


----------



## dizzybbq18

What's the differance between the 733 and the igrill2?
I want to get a thermostat since I do not use one in my uds not even a stem. Did have a c abelas digital but stopped working probably somthing Wright probe.
733 or igrill2 will be my choices


----------



## dizzybbq18

Id use it also go android the igrill2


----------



## timberjet

dizzybbq18 said:


> What's the differance between the 733 and the igrill2?
> I want to get a thermostat since I do not use one in my uds not even a stem. Did have a c abelas digital but stopped working probably somthing Wright probe.
> 733 or igrill2 will be my choices


I have the mavericks and they have worked great for almost 3 years. No complaints. Since I have a Windows phone I can't use the Igrill ones so I can't say anything about them except I have seen good things about them from the members I have seen get them. Happy smoking. timber.


----------



## phil dugan

I have a maverick that's about 4 years old .and it's worked really well.


----------



## Bearcarver

LOL----I have an ET 73 for over 5 years. When the ET-732 came out I bought one, and since my ET-73 was weak on distance, I demoted it to inside my meat curing fridge in the basement. It's been in there for 4 years, and still works. The on-off switch is stuck in the "On" position, so All I do is change batteries about every 6 months. I keep the smoker probe in the fridge, and I keep the meat probe in a GatorAde bottle half full of water. That tells me the Internal Temp of the meat in that fridge.

The ET-732 has been Great for 4 years, and I just bough another one around Christmas time, so I can measure two meats & two different areas in my smoker at the same time.

Bear


----------



## bigred77

loving my 733 so far

did some chicken thighs yesterday afternoon and immediately started walking to see how far it would go

Smoker sitting in driveway that is on one end of the house, I went inside and walked all over and couldnt find a place it lost signal,  so I went back outside and walked to the far end of my property, where my trailer rig rests and it never lost signal

took me walking across 3/4 of an acre and around the end of my neighbors house to finally lose signal

then I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly it automatically reconnected as I was walking back

got in the golf cart and drove around the block, of course it lost signal at about the same distance, but it actually reconnected while driving back by the house at full speed  (full speed on the golf cart is about 13 mph)

readings have performed well,  finding out what actual temp that little old smoker reaches has actually been a little surprising

it got itself up to 270 at the top rack, which kind of surprised me since I always assumed the bottom rack was the hottest being closer to the element

thing is so old it has no temperature adjustment and no vents,  so I figured out if I crack the lid just a hair, like as if I didnt pay attention when I put it back on and the top rack holds solid at 250, bottom rack at 235,  this with ambient temp of between 40 & 50

cant wait to fine tune the use of this thing on my big stick burning rig


----------



## Bearcarver

bigred77 said:


> loving my 733 so far
> 
> did some chicken thighs yesterday afternoon and immediately started walking to see how far it would go
> 
> Smoker sitting in driveway that is on one end of the house, I went inside and walked all over and couldnt find a place it lost signal,  so I went back outside and walked to the far end of my property, where my trailer rig rests and it never lost signal
> 
> took me walking across 3/4 of an acre and around the end of my neighbors house to finally lose signal
> 
> then I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly it automatically reconnected as I was walking back
> 
> got in the golf cart and drove around the block, of course it lost signal at about the same distance, but it actually reconnected while driving back by the house at full speed  (full speed on the golf cart is about 13 mph)
> 
> readings have performed well,  finding out what actual temp that little old smoker reaches has actually been a little surprising
> 
> it got itself up to 270 at the top rack, which kind of surprised me since I always assumed the bottom rack was the hottest being closer to the element
> 
> cant wait to fine tune the use of this thing on my big stick burning rig


Sounds Great !!
	

	
	
		
		



		
			










It even gave you a lot of walking exercise, until you got the golf cart out!!!
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Bear


----------



## bigred77

I'm such a nerd

after un-plugging my little electric, I left it closed up with the probes in it, been watching the temp drop

just dropped below 100


----------



## dreadylock

does any one know if i can use rechargeable lithium  battery from Tenergy

my batteries are 1000mah low self discharge AAA

i put some that i just charged in but my display on both units are real dimm

i also put some reg alkaline battery from Duracell and still dim, is there a way to brighten up display


----------



## damnthatsgood

The display is brighter and dimmer based on the angle you're looking at it.  If you set it down on the counter with the provided stand, and look down at it, it should be easy to read.  If you look straight at it, it will be dim.


----------



## daricksta

I fully agree with Damnthatsgood response.


----------



## dreadylock

it does not matter how i tilt it's just dim


----------



## daricksta

I own the ET-733 and the screen is a LCD display similar to a Casio digital watch face that I have. Both the Maverick and the Casio have to be tilted towards a light source because of the reflective material the screen/watch face are made from. The Casio is more reflective than the Maverick. With the ET-733 I'm always tilting it towards a window or an electric light source to read the screen. There should be a backlight feature for the ET-733 and I suggested as much to Maverick customer service in an email. I was told that and my other suggestions would be forwarded to R&D. Guess forwarding is kind of slow there.

But still and all, I can read the receiving unit screen anytime I need to. No problem reading the transmitter screen outside in my yard either.


----------



## rabbithutch

Congratulations to damnthatsgood for such a great review.

I have - somewhere - a Maverick ET-73.  I couldn't find it where it is supposed to be when I started doing some pork butts this week; so I decided to get a new remote thermometer.  I looked around a bit and found this thread.  It convinced me; so I ordered one from Amazon (Sorry, Todd, et al).  I needed to take fast delivery I ordered on Friday and the USPS delivered it this morning.  I've added the batteries and done the sync'ing but have not yet used the new ER-733.

Seems to be very much like the ET-73 but more solidly built, perhaps.  The transmitter still has those damned small screws for the battery cover, but I suppose screws are necessary to protect the innards.  I like the fact that the probes are not bent at an angle.  That makes it much easier to run them through ports I made on my Weber 22.5 kettle and my Smoky Joe tamale steamer smoker.

Thanks for the tip about protecting the probes with heat shrink.  I would never have thought to do it.  The heat shrink makes my probes for the ET--733 stand out.  I've had problems getting probes mixed up in the past.

Again, thanks for such a great review and for all the other posts in the thread.  They helped me make an informed choice and gave me some good tips.


----------



## damnthatsgood

dreadylock said:


> it does not matter how i tilt it's just dim


Man, I wish I could help you.  Have you called Maverick?  Their number is on the first page in the FAQ section.


rabbithutch said:


> Congratulations to damnthatsgood for such a great review.
> 
> I have - somewhere - a Maverick ET-73. I couldn't find it where it is supposed to be when I started doing some pork butts this week; so I decided to get a new remote thermometer. I looked around a bit and found this thread. It convinced me; so I ordered one from Amazon (Sorry, Todd, et al). I needed to take fast delivery I ordered on Friday and the USPS delivered it this morning. I've added the batteries and done the sync'ing but have not yet used the new ER-733.
> 
> Seems to be very much like the ET-73 but more solidly built, perhaps. The transmitter still has those damned small screws for the battery cover, but I suppose screws are necessary to protect the innards. I like the fact that the probes are not bent at an angle. That makes it much easier to run them through ports I made on my Weber 22.5 kettle and my Smoky Joe tamale steamer smoker.
> 
> Thanks for the tip about protecting the probes with heat shrink. I would never have thought to do it. The heat shrink makes my probes for the ET--733 stand out. I've had problems getting probes mixed up in the past.
> 
> Again, thanks for such a great review and for all the other posts in the thread. They helped me make an informed choice and gave me some good tips.


Thank you.  Glad you liked it.  It's not really a review.  It's more of an "unboxing", followed by a collection of information, LOL.  I don't know enough about these things to give it a proper review.  But the unit sure seems to speak for itself!  Also, I don't know if the shrink tube extends the life of the probes, or shortens it, or doesn't do anything at all.  But I like to think it extends it.

Hope it gives you many hours of happy smoking.  :)


----------



## rabbithutch

OK, I spent some quality time with my new ET-733; and I'm confused.

What the heck is the difference between Barbecue Mode and Food Mode?  From reading the instructions, it seems that if you choose Food Mode you can then use the Taste function to set doneness (rare, medium rare, and well done?) but this is not available in the Barbecue Mode.  

What might one infer from this information?  Does this mean that I cannot grill a steak and set the Taste to med. rare?  Does this mean that Food mode wherein one sets Taste (doneness) is to be used with large pieces of meat like pork butts and briskets and whole birds but not with smaller stuff?

And, how about monitoring the heat of the grill or smoker while simultaneously monitoring the internal temp of what one is cooking?  Can that be done.  If so, How?   When using my MES I like to know what the temp of the smoker is and the temp of the meat.  I don't really trust the digital display on the MES and don't use the probes that came with it.  Can I hang one ET-733 probe under a rack to monitor temp range and use the other one in the meat?  What settings would one use to monitor taters and other large veggies?  Is the thermo not meant to be used for these things?

I looked for a Maverick website and found this FAQ but it doesn't address any of my questions.  Before revealing to the Maverick folks that I'm as dumb as a whole box of rocks, I thought I'd just share that fact with friends here first.

TIA  :grilling_smilie:


----------



## Bearcarver

rabbithutch said:


> OK, I spent some quality time with my new ET-733; and I'm confused.
> 
> What the heck is the difference between Barbecue Mode and Food Mode? From reading the instructions, it seems that if you choose Food Mode you can then use the Taste function to set doneness (rare, medium rare, and well done?) but this is not available in the Barbecue Mode.
> 
> What might one infer from this information? Does this mean that I cannot grill a steak and set the Taste to med. rare? Does this mean that Food mode wherein one sets Taste (doneness) is to be used with large pieces of meat like pork butts and briskets and whole birds but not with smaller stuff?
> 
> And, how about monitoring the heat of the grill or smoker while simultaneously monitoring the internal temp of what one is cooking? Can that be done. If so, How? When using my MES I like to know what the temp of the smoker is and the temp of the meat. I don't really trust the digital display on the MES and don't use the probes that came with it. Can I hang one ET-733 probe under a rack to monitor temp range and use the other one in the meat? What settings would one use to monitor taters and other large veggies? Is the thermo not meant to be used for these things?
> 
> I looked for a Maverick website and found this FAQ but it doesn't address any of my questions. Before revealing to the Maverick folks that I'm as dumb as a whole box of rocks, I thought I'd just share that fact with friends here first.
> 
> TIA


These are all reasons I get the ET-732s.  All I want is the smoker temp probe & the Meat temp probe on the transmitter & the receiver. NO OTHER BS NEEDED !!

Bear


----------



## daricksta

rabbithutch said:


> OK, I spent some quality time with my new ET-733; and I'm confused.
> 
> What the heck is the difference between Barbecue Mode and Food Mode? From reading the instructions, it seems that if you choose Food Mode you can then use the Taste function to set doneness (rare, medium rare, and well done?) but this is not available in the Barbecue Mode.
> 
> What might one infer from this information? Does this mean that I cannot grill a steak and set the Taste to med. rare? Does this mean that Food mode wherein one sets Taste (doneness) is to be used with large pieces of meat like pork butts and briskets and whole birds but not with smaller stuff?
> 
> And, how about monitoring the heat of the grill or smoker while simultaneously monitoring the internal temp of what one is cooking? Can that be done. If so, How? When using my MES I like to know what the temp of the smoker is and the temp of the meat. I don't really trust the digital display on the MES and don't use the probes that came with it. Can I hang one ET-733 probe under a rack to monitor temp range and use the other one in the meat? What settings would one use to monitor taters and other large veggies? Is the thermo not meant to be used for these things?
> 
> I looked for a Maverick website and found this FAQ but it doesn't address any of my questions. Before revealing to the Maverick folks that I'm as dumb as a whole box of rocks, I thought I'd just share that fact with friends here first.
> 
> TIA


Barbecue Mode monitors the interior temp of the smoker. You place the probe in its metal clip on one of the racks. Food Mode monitors the Internal Temp of the food so you insert the other probe inside the meat. You can set up target temps for both of them and max/min temp alarm settings separately for both probes. If you don't want to do the programming you can still use the ET-733 to monitor the temps without any alarms or alerts.


----------



## rabbithutch

Thanks, daRicksta!

Makes more sense now.  I wonder why the writers of the instructions didn't make that distinction?

:irony:


----------



## daricksta

rabbithutch said:


> Thanks, daRicksta!
> 
> Makes more sense now. I wonder why the writers of the instructions didn't make that distinction?


rabbithutch, I bet their R&D dept. figured it would be self-evident since Barbecue actually refers to low and slow cooking over wood smoke. Many times when people work a lot with programs and systems they forget that they too once had to learn how to work them and figure it should be easy for everyone else to learn them. I used to work in tech support and I sometimes fell into that trap myself.

I've seen a few guys on here post that they've no problem remembering how to program the ET-733 but I have to have the manual open every time. It's much more difficult than it needs to be. But I still think it's a great therm and once the settings are in place it works great.


----------



## damnthatsgood

It's like programming a digital watch from decades ago.  If the unit came with no instruction manual whatsoever, you can still figure it out in just a few minutes by pushing buttons.  Once it's set for say...brisket, and you want to do brisket after brisket, it's going to turn on and be set for that EVERY TIME.  The only time you need to change a setting is when you want to raise and lower temps.

Sure, it's not the simplest thing out there.  But it isn't even in the same ballpark as difficult.  It's not like you have to break out the manual every time you turn it on.  Basically you turn the dang thing on, stick the probes in the meat, and be done with it.  Have everything up and running in about 30 seconds.

I'm not going to mention Bearcarver's name, but the fact that it is more complicated than a 732 doesn't make it a bad unit.  More features always means more complications.  Okay, maybe not always, but most of the time.

Don't hate me, Bear!!!  LOL.


----------



## daricksta

Damnthatsgood said:


> It's like programming a digital watch from decades ago.  If the unit came with no instruction manual whatsoever, you can still figure it out in just a few minutes by pushing buttons.  Once it's set for say...brisket, and you want to do brisket after brisket, it's going to turn on and be set for that EVERY TIME.  The only time you need to change a setting is when you want to raise and lower temps.
> 
> Sure, it's not the simplest thing out there.  But it isn't even in the same ballpark as difficult.  It's not like you have to break out the manual every time you turn it on.  Basically you turn the dang thing on, stick the probes in the meat, and be done with it.  Have everything up and running in about 30 seconds.
> 
> I'm not going to mention Bearcarver's name, but the fact that it is more complicated than a 732 doesn't make it a bad unit.  More features always means more complications.  Okay, maybe not always, but most of the time.
> 
> Don't hate me, Bear!!!  LOL.


Mine luckily came with the written manual. I'm old, tired, lethargic, forgetful and just plain lazy so I need to have that manual in front of me. Programming isn't very intuitive. You've got to remember which button to push in which order, and how long to press the button. You only have a few seconds to press buttons to enter a setting and if you tarry a mite too long the unit sets itself where you are. You have to start all over again with pushing buttons in the right order and in the allotted time. That's when I have to again refer to the manual.


----------



## Bearcarver

daRicksta said:


> Mine luckily came with the written manual. I'm old, tired, lethargic, forgetful and just plain lazy so I need to have that manual in front of me. Programming isn't very intuitive. You've got to remember which button to push in which order, and how long to press the button. You only have a few seconds to press buttons to enter a setting and if you tarry a mite too long the unit sets itself where you are. You have to start all over again with pushing buttons in the right order and in the allotted time. That's when I have to again refer to the manual.


My Ears were ringing again!!!

Exactly what Rick said, and I'd bet he's better at it than I am.

You should see me when I have to change the batteries in my Weather Station with 3 remote therm transmitters.

I have to change the batteries in all of them within a short time, and in the right order. Then I gotta reprogram everything. It's 12 hours off right now, because I don't want to redo the whole thing again, just to fix the AM/PM thing.

I can get all the temps & Humidity answers I want without having the AM-PM right !!!
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





That's why when I bought a second therm a couple months ago, I got another ET-732. Now I got 2--a black one & a white one!!

Everybody gains from my ignorance, after all that's why I make my Step by Steps so easy to follow.

Bear


----------



## bigred77

Used my 733 for the first time in my big pit this weekend,  did a couple of runs in the little electric before, but the big one is where this thing really shines, IMO.

Note: this is my first wireless thermometer

Was freaking awesome to be able to go about my day around the house with the receiver in my pocket and easily know that the pit temp was starting to fall a bit or climbing too high and go make corrections.

Brisket came out very good from being able to watch the temp the whole time so easily, just did a double check with the manual dial probe when she hit the stall and I wrapped it up.

I honestly cant believe I have been doing it so long with only the door mounted thermos for monitoring pit temps and my little hand probes for checking meat.  I love this thing


----------



## damnthatsgood

When I was younger, I remember older people struggling with electronics and what not.  I promised myself I would never let that happen to me.  Here it is now, I'm only 33, and when I have to set up a new electronic device, I rummage through the instructions just enough to get the damn thing to work, and then I pray the power doesn't go out.  When I finally bought a smartphone, if any settings get changed, it's like: "Aww crap!!  I wonder if it would be easier to just go buy a new one?"

Thank God for Google, that's for sure.  You should see me when the power goes out, and I have to fix the receiver for our surround sound...not pretty.  What the Hell happened???


----------



## boxmaster

Mine is Red and came with only one clip too.


----------



## Bearcarver

Damnthatsgood said:


> When I was younger, I remember older people struggling with electronics and what not.  I promised myself I would never let that happen to me.  Here it is now, I'm only 33, and when I have to set up a new electronic device, I rummage through the instructions just enough to get the damn thing to work, and then I pray the power doesn't go out.  When I finally bought a smartphone, if any settings get changed, it's like: "Aww crap!!  I wonder if it would be easier to just go buy a new one?"
> 
> Thank God for Google, that's for sure.  You should see me when the power goes out, and I have to fix the receiver for our surround sound...not pretty.  What the Hell happened???


LOL-----Now take that 33, and double it----That's me--A 66 year old Bear.

I don't even have a cell phone any more:

My Son gives a phone to everyone who works for him, including me.

Then when he didn't have any more work I could do, he told me to keep the phone anyway.

Then a year later he took it away from me----Saying, "Dad, you only put 7 minutes on it in a year----I'm giving it to a new guy".

Bear


----------



## daricksta

Bearcarver said:


> My Ears were ringing again!!!
> 
> Exactly what Rick said, and I'd bet he's better at it than I am.
> 
> You should see me when I have to change the batteries in my Weather Station with 3 remote therm transmitters.
> 
> I have to change the batteries in all of them within a short time, and in the right order. Then I gotta reprogram everything. It's 12 hours off right now, because I don't want to redo the whole thing again, just to fix the AM/PM thing.
> 
> I can get all the temps & Humidity answers I want without having the AM-PM right !!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That's why when I bought a second therm a couple months ago, I got another ET-732. Now I got 2--a black one & a white one!!
> 
> Everybody gains from my ignorance, after all that's why I make my Step by Steps so easy to follow.
> 
> Bear


Thanks for the kind words, my friend. I find changing settings on the ET-733 frustrating but dang if it's gonna get the better of me! It's a challenge and I hang in there until I've beaten that thing into submission. After that it's just a matter of monitoring the smoke from anywhere inside my house until it's done.


----------



## frog1369

Damnthatsgood said:


> When I was younger, I remember older people struggling with electronics and what not.  I promised myself I would never let that happen to me.  Here it is now, I'm only 33, and when I have to set up a new electronic device, I rummage through the instructions just enough to get the damn thing to work, and then I pray the power doesn't go out.  When I finally bought a smartphone, if any settings get changed, it's like: "Aww crap!!  I wonder if it would be easier to just go buy a new one?"
> 
> Thank God for Google, that's for sure.  You should see me when the power goes out, and I have to fix the receiver for our surround sound...not pretty.  What the Hell happened???





Bearcarver said:


> LOL-----Now take that 33, and double it----That's me--A 66 year old Bear.
> 
> I don't even have a cell phone any more:
> 
> My Son gives a phone to everyone who works for him, including me.
> 
> Then when he didn't have any more work I could do, he told me to keep the phone anyway.
> 
> Then a year later he took it away from me----Saying, "Dad, you only put 7 minutes on it in a year----I'm giving it to a new guy".
> 
> Bear


Cell Phone!  Receiver!  Surround Sound!  Power!  Electronic Devices!  What are these evil things you speak of?  Bear's got me beat by seven years and I work in a technology job, I can't keep up with these young rascals coming to work here. My kids can text faster than I can talk and some of my grand-kids have better phones than I do.  Daughter called on day and wanted to know if I would help her set up her Kindle.  I told her to wait another hour until her five year old daughter got home, she would know how to get it set up and get it on the wi-fi network.  Sure enough, handed it to her and about ten minutes late she had an Amazon account set up and was on line through their wi-fi connection.  It's all I can do to post on boards like these and pretend to keep up a Facebook presence.  I did buy an ET-733 though, it was too good a deal to pass up. like Bear said, now I got me four probes.


----------



## daricksta

Damnthatsgood said:


> When I was younger, I remember older people struggling with electronics and what not.  I promised myself I would never let that happen to me.  Here it is now, I'm only 33, and when I have to set up a new electronic device, I rummage through the instructions just enough to get the damn thing to work, and then I pray the power doesn't go out.  When I finally bought a smartphone, if any settings get changed, it's like: "Aww crap!!  I wonder if it would be easier to just go buy a new one?"
> 
> Thank God for Google, that's for sure.  You should see me when the power goes out, and I have to fix the receiver for our surround sound...not pretty.  What the Hell happened???


I'm 63 (how the hell did _that_ happen?) and in my younger days when I moved to a new place the first thing I did was set up my stereo. We've been in our current house for 14 years now and I hope never to move but if we had to I wouldn't be able to set up our TV and sound system without the manuals. It's a matter of plugging what into where and calibrating the video and audio for the room.

This is why I hate my kids. My 25 yr old daughter's got an HTC smart phone and my 21 yr old son has a Samsung Galaxy S5 and right out of the box those two were texting and downloading and calling and everything while I'd still be reading "Congratulations on your new smart phone purchase" in the owners manual. And I'm a PC Tech! Not surprisingly, the wife and I both have dumbphones since all we need our cell phones to do is to make/receive calls and text.


----------



## damnthatsgood

daRicksta said:


> I'm 63 (how the hell did _that_ happen?) and in my younger days when I moved to a new place the first thing I did was set up my stereo. We've been in our current house for 14 years now and I hope never to move but if we had to I wouldn't be able to set up our TV and sound system without the manuals. It's a matter of plugging what into where and calibrating the video and audio for the room.
> 
> This is why I hate my kids. My 25 yr old daughter's got an HTC smart phone and my 21 yr old son has a Samsung Galaxy S5 and right out of the box those two were texting and downloading and calling and everything while I'd still be reading "Congratulations on your new smart phone purchase" in the owners manual. And I'm a PC Tech! Not surprisingly, the wife and I both have dumbphones since all we need our cell phones to do is to make/receive calls and text.


The only reason, and I mean THE ONLY REASON I got a smartphone, is because I went in to get a new phone (my old one about had it), and there were only two normal phones there.  I figured by the time I came in again, smartphones would be the only thing offered, so might as well bite the bullet now.  LOL.  Of course if I hadn't I would have never discovered Clash of Clans, but hey, that's a topic for a whole other thread...speaking of which, my phone just dinged, I think I'm being attacked!!!


----------



## daricksta

Damnthatsgood said:


> The only reason, and I mean THE ONLY REASON I got a smartphone, is because I went in to get a new phone (my old one about had it), and there were only two normal phones there.  I figured by the time I came in again, smartphones would be the only thing offered, so might as well bite the bullet now.  LOL.  Of course if I hadn't I would have never discovered Clash of Clans, but hey, that's a topic for a whole other thread...speaking of which, my phone just dinged, I think I'm being attacked!!!









I think you need to get into phone phishing or whatever they call it when you route your phone call 'round the world so it can't be traced. In that way in Clash of Clans you would be a lethal, ever-moving "phantom menace".

The wife and I would _love_ to get better phones since your dumb ones are like 2-3 years old and we hate them but no one sells quality dumb phones anymore. Financially we're kind of stuck because, being dumb parents, we pay for most of my daughter's phone bill (she pays for her data plan and any overage fees)and all of our son's. The daughter started a full-time job this year and most likely next year she'll split off onto her own plan. Our son's a full-time college student so we're handling his phone costs until he graduates and finds work. So someday when we're free of yoke of helping our children out financially we'll get our phone upgrades.


----------



## rabbithutch

OK, I have used the ET-733 twice now and been frustrated by it each time.  It took me forever to get it set up before use.  Each time I was smoking pork butt in the 22.5" Weber kettle.  FWIW, I used the snake of charcoal briquettes around the perimeter of the grate with wood chunks for smoke flavor about a third of the way around from the start and placed a drip pan under the meat.  I hung the #2 probe under the meat at the center of the grill - not over hot coals - to read the "barbecue" or smoker temp and placed the #1 probe in the meat.  I turned on the receiver and then the transmitter and sync'd them without any problems, then it hit the fan.

I struggled to get the receiver probe 1 in the correct mode for pork.  I bet I tried 15 times carefully following the example instructions in the sheet that came with the thermo.  I was finally able to get it to say FOOD and PORK but was unable to change the HI temp limit.  Its default was 160.  I couldn't change it.  Probe 2 HI and LO settings were at a default of 200 low and 250 high; so that worked OK because the WK came up to 200 pretty quickly.  I was never able to change the SET HI temp for probe 1.   Because I was °taking  the smoke to an IT of 200° the alarm beep started at 160° (the default setting I couldn't change) so I turned the receiver off.  As I posted in another thread, I had to finish this butt in the kitchen oven because I ran out of charcoal; so I could keep an eye on the Probe 1 temp and took it out at 201°.  All in all I found this a very unsatisfactory experience.

First, the steps to setting it up should be prompts,for choices and should not require the user to remember the key pressing sequences.  Second, the term "Barbecue" should be changed to HEAT or some other term.  Where I come from, 'barbecue' means food - not just food but Holy Manna from Above.  Mavericks use of that terminology is confusing to those of use who think of something to eat rather than the temperature of the cooking environment.

In reading the above, can anyone suggest what I was doing wrong that I could not get the temps changed for either probe?  When they said to hit the SET button quickly, they sure mean it.  

I'm going to try to reach Maverick customer service later in the week.  If I do, I'll report back here.

:grilling_smilie:


----------



## dr k

rabbithutch said:


> OK, I have used the ET-733 twice now and been frustrated by it each time.  It took me forever to get it set up before use.  Each time I was smoking pork butt in the 22.5" Weber kettle.  FWIW, I used the snake of charcoal briquettes around the perimeter of the grate with wood chunks for smoke flavor about a third of the way around from the start and placed a drip pan under the meat.  I hung the #2 probe under the meat at the center of the grill - not over hot coals - to read the "barbecue" or smoker temp and placed the #1 probe in the meat.  I turned on the receiver and then the transmitter and sync'd them without any problems, then it hit the fan.
> 
> I struggled to get the receiver probe 1 in the correct mode for pork.  I bet I tried 15 times carefully following the example instructions in the sheet that came with the thermo.  I was finally able to get it to say FOOD and PORK but was unable to change the HI temp limit.  Its default was 160.  I couldn't change it.  Probe 2 HI and LO settings were at a default of 200 low and 250 high; so that worked OK because the WK came up to 200 pretty quickly.  I was never able to change the SET HI temp for probe 1.   Because I was °taking  the smoke to an IT of 200° the alarm beep started at 160° (the default setting I couldn't change) so I turned the receiver off.  As I posted in another thread, I had to finish this butt in the kitchen oven because I ran out of charcoal; so I could keep an eye on the Probe 1 temp and took it out at 201°.  All in all I found this a very unsatisfactory experience.
> 
> First, the steps to setting it up should be prompts,for choices and should not require the user to remember the key pressing sequences.  Second, the term "Barbecue" should be changed to HEAT or some other term.  Where I come from, 'barbecue' means food - not just food but Holy Manna from Above.  Mavericks use of that terminology is confusing to those of use who think of something to eat rather than the temperature of the cooking environment.
> 
> In reading the above, can anyone suggest what I was doing wrong that I could not get the temps changed for either probe?  When they said to hit the SET button quickly, they sure mean it.
> 
> I'm going to try to reach Maverick customer service later in the week.  If I do, I'll report back here.
> 
> :grilling_smilie:



I don't have the ET-733 but have been reading up on this model since it came out. It sounds frustrating. I'm kinda surprised that Maverick uses the word bbq for cooking chamber since bbq is a cooking method and the food cooked with this method is called bbq. It should be called pit,  pit temp, grill temp, smoker temp etc. 
-Kurt


----------



## Bearcarver

This is why I now have 2 ET-732 !!!

Bears don't need extra BS-----Just give me the temp of the smoker & the temp of the meat-----No setting required.

Turn 'em on, put 'em in position-----Done!

I don't sleep when my Smoker's going, so I don't use the alarm.

Bear


----------



## boxmaster

Try and see if u can find a youtube video to help rather than having someone explain. Try and play with the 733 as much as u can inbetween cook, while watching tv ect. The more u play with it the better u will get.


----------



## roscoe 2

My 733 should be delivered tomorrow.  I'm about to hit 70yrs so it may take me a few weeks to get it programmed.  I may be going dark.

Roscoe


----------



## timberjet

Bearcarver said:


> This is why I now have 2 ET-732 !!!
> 
> Bears don't need extra BS-----Just give me the temp of the smoker & the temp of the meat-----No setting required.
> 
> Turn 'em on, put 'em in position-----Done!
> 
> I don't sleep when my Smoker's going, so I don't use the alarm.
> 
> Bear


I'm with Bear on this. All I need to know is the temps. Now if it had internet connectivity and a good easy interface for my phone or pc I would love that. Programming any of them is a pain.


----------



## daricksta

rabbithutch said:


> OK, I have used the ET-733 twice now and been frustrated by it each time. It took me forever to get it set up before use. Each time I was smoking pork butt in the 22.5" Weber kettle. FWIW, I used the snake of charcoal briquettes around the perimeter of the grate with wood chunks for smoke flavor about a third of the way around from the start and placed a drip pan under the meat. I hung the #2 probe under the meat at the center of the grill - not over hot coals - to read the "barbecue" or smoker temp and placed the #1 probe in the meat. I turned on the receiver and then the transmitter and sync'd them without any problems, then it hit the fan.
> 
> I struggled to get the receiver probe 1 in the correct mode for pork. I bet I tried 15 times carefully following the example instructions in the sheet that came with the thermo. I was finally able to get it to say FOOD and PORK but was unable to change the HI temp limit. Its default was 160. I couldn't change it. Probe 2 HI and LO settings were at a default of 200 low and 250 high; so that worked OK because the WK came up to 200 pretty quickly. I was never able to change the SET HI temp for probe 1. Because I was °taking the smoke to an IT of 200° the alarm beep started at 160° (the default setting I couldn't change) so I turned the receiver off. As I posted in another thread, I had to finish this butt in the kitchen oven because I ran out of charcoal; so I could keep an eye on the Probe 1 temp and took it out at 201°. All in all I found this a very unsatisfactory experience.
> 
> First, the steps to setting it up should be prompts,for choices and should not require the user to remember the key pressing sequences. Second, the term "Barbecue" should be changed to HEAT or some other term. Where I come from, 'barbecue' means food - not just food but Holy Manna from Above. Mavericks use of that terminology is confusing to those of use who think of something to eat rather than the temperature of the cooking environment.
> 
> In reading the above, can anyone suggest what I was doing wrong that I could not get the temps changed for either probe? When they said to hit the SET button quickly, they sure mean it.
> 
> I'm going to try to reach Maverick customer service later in the week. If I do, I'll report back here.


I do indeed hate how difficult Maverick made it to program the ET-733. I have the same problem every time so I always have the owners manual in front of me. But I'm the type of guy that just grits his teeth and keeps with it until the settings are in place. I've got no choice because I already spent the money on it. Besides, once it's set up the ET-733 works great.

Keep in mind you don't have to program the ET-733 to use it. If you already know your smoker set point and your target I/T for the meat then all you need to do is reset the receiver and then  monitor the Barbecue and Food temp displays. You won't get your alarms but you can still manually monitor your smoke.


----------



## wade

I am getting very strong recommendations from people whose opinion I trust (and who resell the Maverick devices) that it may be best to hold back for the time being before you decide to buy. They seem to work fine with iPhones but currently have a problem with other operating systems (including Android). Maverick are apparently working on this but it may take some time to smooth out all the glitches. The order for my units is currently on hold until the problems have been fixed.


----------



## rabbithutch

Follow Up:
I sent this email to [email protected] . . . a couple of days ago:
Just a note to give some feedback on your product.

I have owned an ET-732 for some time and have and even older ET-73.  These both served me well and I had no difficulty from either (except sometimes misplacing them ).

I recently purchased the ET-733 from Amazon.com.  My experience with it thus far has been a bit frustrating.  First, I found setting the device problematic.  I followed the instructions that came with the user sheet for using 2 probes; probe 1 for the FOOD and probe 2 for the Barbecue. [Before describing my experience, let me state that using the term "barbecue" to mean the cooking chamber (grill/oven/smoker, etc.) is confusing because it also means a food product.  I strongly suggest that you use a less ambiguous term on future products.]  I found the interval between choosing an action button and pressing the SET button to be too brief.  The device would move to another mode, apparently, before I could complete the sequence.  I also found it difficult to choose the type of food once in the food mode.  The default is beef but I was cooking pork.  The instructions are not clear (FYI: My IQ as measured by standard Stanford-Binet places my intellectual ability in the top 5% of the population).

After FINALLY stumbling around and getting the FOOD mode selected and the PORK defaults displayed, I found that I could not get to the temperature settings to change them . . .   neither for the cooking chamber nor for the FOOD.  I never succeeded in getting to those temps to change them.

One of the things i especially like about the ET-733 probes is that they have no bend in them.  I use probes in a Weber kettle grill and in a small smoker and in the MasterBuilt Electronic Smoker (MES) and in the indoor kitchen oven.  I have created ports for inserting the probes into the cooking chamber so that the wires are not crimped by the hard edges of the kettle and kettle-like lids/sides.  The MES and kitchen oven have  pliable seals.  Placing the probes of the ET-732 into the grill and non-MES smoker  is made more difficult because of the bend.


A Suggestion:
Is it possible that you could create an interface that presents the user with a series of choices?  For example, after turning the device on and sync'ing it, ask the user if he is setting probe 1 or probe 2.  Next ask if the chosen probe would be for FOOD or GRILL TMP.  If the choice is FOOD, start by presenting BEEF for a yes/no choice.  If the response is 'no' then go to the next FOOD in turn and continue until a yes response is given.  After the FOOD type is confirmed, you might ask about TASTE and present choices for yes/no response.  Finally, you might start with the default temp for the chosen FOOD asking if it is OK or to be CHANGED.  If change is chosen tell the user to press the HI key to raise the temp and LO to lower it.  Similarly, you can script prompts for setting upper and lower cooking chamber temps in BBQ mode and follow with the prompt for raising or lowering the LO setting then the HI setting.  Your display is certainly large enough to accommodate a better interactive query/response method.  At the end, of course, you should present all settings and ask the user to confirm or change, etc.  If confirmed allow the device to function.  In reading web site forums, I've seen frequent complaints about difficulty of setting up the device, FWIW.


Now for questions:
1) Are probes shipped with ET-733 both universal, that is usable for either food or for cooking chamber temps interchangeably?

2) Why do you place such short wires on your probes?  The length is problematically short around the grill, outdoor smoker and in the kitchen oven.  I realize that you have universal probes with 6' wires for sale for $20 or more, but fail to understand why you didn't make 5 or 6 foot cables for all products.  I don't like to be asked to pay for extra product because of your design decisions but would have paid a bit more for longer cables to start with.

3) I understand - 'though I don't remember reading in the instruction sheet - that the probes and cable are not supposed to be placed in water.  Is this the case?  If so, why?  If I cannot place the probes in an ice water bath and in a boiling water bath, I have no way to calibrate them against other known thermometers that I use.  Please confirm or deny that the probes, at least, if not the cables, can be placed in water for testing and for cleaning.

I hope the feedback is helpful and useful in new product designs, and I look forward to receiving answers to my questions.[/QUOTE]

Today I got this response:





> On 4/14/2015 10:58 AM, Help wrote:
> > Good afternoon,
> >
> > Thank you very much for your feedback, and I will definitely pass on all of your comments and suggestions to our product specialist.
> >
> >    Thank you,



I replied asking that the questions be answered as well.


----------



## rabbithutch

Bearcarver said:


> LOL-----Now take that 33, and double it----That's me--A 66 year old Bear.
> 
> I don't even have a cell phone any more:
> My Son gives a phone to everyone who works for him, including me.
> Then when he didn't have any more work I could do, he told me to keep the phone anyway.
> Then a year later he took it away from me----Saying, "Dad, you only put 7 minutes on it in a year----I'm giving it to a new guy".
> 
> 
> Bear



You guys are youngsters.  I'm in the middle of my 8th decade.


----------



## daricksta

rabbithutch said:


> Follow Up:
> I sent this email to [email protected] . . . a couple of days ago:
> Just a note to give some feedback on your product.
> 
> I have owned an ET-732 for some time and have and even older ET-73. These both served me well and I had no difficulty from either (except sometimes misplacing them ).
> 
> I recently purchased the ET-733 from Amazon.com. My experience with it thus far has been a bit frustrating. First, I found setting the device problematic. I followed the instructions that came with the user sheet for using 2 probes; probe 1 for the FOOD and probe 2 for the Barbecue. [Before describing my experience, let me state that using the term "barbecue" to mean the cooking chamber (grill/oven/smoker, etc.) is confusing because it also means a food product. I strongly suggest that you use a less ambiguous term on future products.] I found the interval between choosing an action button and pressing the SET button to be too brief. The device would move to another mode, apparently, before I could complete the sequence. I also found it difficult to choose the type of food once in the food mode. The default is beef but I was cooking pork. The instructions are not clear (FYI: My IQ as measured by standard Stanford-Binet places my intellectual ability in the top 5% of the population).
> 
> After FINALLY stumbling around and getting the FOOD mode selected and the PORK defaults displayed, I found that I could not get to the temperature settings to change them . . . neither for the cooking chamber nor for the FOOD. I never succeeded in getting to those temps to change them.
> 
> One of the things i especially like about the ET-733 probes is that they have no bend in them. I use probes in a Weber kettle grill and in a small smoker and in the MasterBuilt Electronic Smoker (MES) and in the indoor kitchen oven. I have created ports for inserting the probes into the cooking chamber so that the wires are not crimped by the hard edges of the kettle and kettle-like lids/sides. The MES and kitchen oven have pliable seals. Placing the probes of the ET-732 into the grill and non-MES smoker is made more difficult because of the bend.
> 
> 
> A Suggestion:
> Is it possible that you could create an interface that presents the user with a series of choices? For example, after turning the device on and sync'ing it, ask the user if he is setting probe 1 or probe 2. Next ask if the chosen probe would be for FOOD or GRILL TMP. If the choice is FOOD, start by presenting BEEF for a yes/no choice. If the response is 'no' then go to the next FOOD in turn and continue until a yes response is given. After the FOOD type is confirmed, you might ask about TASTE and present choices for yes/no response. Finally, you might start with the default temp for the chosen FOOD asking if it is OK or to be CHANGED. If change is chosen tell the user to press the HI key to raise the temp and LO to lower it. Similarly, you can script prompts for setting upper and lower cooking chamber temps in BBQ mode and follow with the prompt for raising or lowering the LO setting then the HI setting. Your display is certainly large enough to accommodate a better interactive query/response method. At the end, of course, you should present all settings and ask the user to confirm or change, etc. If confirmed allow the device to function. In reading web site forums, I've seen frequent complaints about difficulty of setting up the device, FWIW.
> 
> 
> Now for questions:
> 1) Are probes shipped with ET-733 both universal, that is usable for either food or for cooking chamber temps interchangeably?
> 
> 2) Why do you place such short wires on your probes? The length is problematically short around the grill, outdoor smoker and in the kitchen oven. I realize that you have universal probes with 6' wires for sale for $20 or more, but fail to understand why you didn't make 5 or 6 foot cables for all products. I don't like to be asked to pay for extra product because of your design decisions but would have paid a bit more for longer cables to start with.
> 
> 3) I understand - 'though I don't remember reading in the instruction sheet - that the probes and cable are not supposed to be placed in water. Is this the case? If so, why? If I cannot place the probes in an ice water bath and in a boiling water bath, I have no way to calibrate them against other known thermometers that I use. Please confirm or deny that the probes, at least, if not the cables, can be placed in water for testing and for cleaning.
> 
> I hope the feedback is helpful and useful in new product designs, and I look forward to receiving answers to my questions.



Today I got this response:
I replied asking that the questions be answered as well.[/quote]
Small correction, Rabbit. The probes CAN be placed in water but only the lower probe part. What you're being told is to not immerse the entire probe including the wires in water.

As for the short wires, they're just fine for my MES 30 which is a smallish smoker. The wires are plenty long to reach where I need to place the probes on any rack. You can buy Maverick probes with 6 foot wires separately. Todd Johnson sells them. But I'm sure the ET models come with 3 ft. wires because they can then sell those 6 foot wires separately and make more money.

Yes, the probes are interchangeable. They don't care which side they're plugged into. But the owners manual tells you this.


----------



## Bearcarver

rabbithutch said:


> You guys are youngsters. I'm in the middle of my 8th decade.


That's Awesome!!!

Congrats on being out there with the rest of us Kids!!!

Bear


----------



## daricksta

rabbithutch said:


> You guys are youngsters. I'm in the middle of my 8th decade.


I thought I'd read you were in your 80s but I passed over this post. I would've worded my reply differently.

One of the things I like best about Bear is that he's 3 years older than me. Compared with you two I'm a young punk spring chicken of 63.


----------



## rabbithutch

Sorry guys.  I'm not in my mid 80s but mid 70s.  I've lived 7 complete decades and half of another.


----------



## Bearcarver

rabbithutch said:


> Sorry guys. I'm not in my mid 80s but mid 70s. I've lived 7 complete decades and half of another.


That's what I figured by your reply----75, give or take a year.--Mid 8th decade.

I'm hoping to get there, but I wouldn't make any bets!

Bear


----------



## daricksta

If some of my relatives are any indication I could make it into my 90s. We're going to have to see if it's worth living that long, though.


----------



## damnthatsgood

Follow these steps.  Note:  It will NOT work, if the units aren't synced.  You need to be displaying current probe temps in the right hand column of the receiver.  If you see three dashes in each column, sync the units.

1. Hold the "set" button until it beeps.

2. If you press the down or up buttons at this point, you'll notice you are changing back and forth between probes.  Once you select the probe that is for FOOD, you have two options:

---if you press the "meat" button, it cycles between meats.

---if you press the "taste" button, it cycles between tastes. (rare, medium, etc)

3. After you've selected your meat, press set again.  Now, you can use the up and down arrows to change the temp.

Holding "set" opens the menu.

Press it once after that, to access meats, and done ness.  (this step can be skipped.  Who cares if you're cooking pork, and the thermometer says well done elk?)

Press it again to access manual temp setting.

IN A NUTSHELL------

1. Sync the units!

2. Hold set until it beeps.

3. After it beeps, press the set button TWICE IN A ROW.

4. Use up and down arrows to change temps.

That's all there is to it.  Basically, you end up hitting the 'set' key three times, and then you use the up and down arrows to change temp.  Hope this helps.  If not, let me know and I'll go into it further.

EDIT:  When you're done, you do NOT have to press "set" again to exit the menus.  It will exit on it's own after a few seconds, and save your settings.  If you practice this for a couple minutes, I'll guaran-goddang-tee you, you can change your temps in less than five seconds.  The interface is seems stupid, and not very intuitive at first, but it gets easier.

Hold set till it beeps.

Hit set two more times in a row.

Use up and down keys to change temp.

That's it.


----------



## dr k

Damnthatsgood said:


> Follow these steps.  Note:  It will NOT work, if the units aren't synced.  You need to be displaying current probe temps in the right hand column of the receiver.  If you see three dashes in each column, sync the units.
> 
> 1. Hold the "set" button until it beeps.
> 2. If you press the down or up buttons at this point, you'll notice you are changing back and forth between probes.  Once you select the probe that is for FOOD, you have two options:
> ---if you press the "meat" button, it cycles between meats.
> ---if you press the "taste" button, it cycles between tastes. (rare, medium, etc)
> 
> 3. After you've selected your meat, press set again.  Now, you can use the up and down arrows to change the temp.
> 
> 
> Holding "set" opens the menu.
> Press it once after that, to access meats, and done ness.  (this step can be skipped.  Who cares if you're cooking pork, and the thermometer says well done elk?)
> Press it again to access manual temp setting.
> 
> 
> IN A NUTSHELL------
> 
> 1. Sync the units!
> 2. Hold set until it beeps.
> 3. After it beeps, press the set button TWICE IN A ROW.
> 4. Use up and down arrows to change temps.
> 
> That's all there is to it.  Basically, you end up hitting the 'set' key three times, and then you use the up and down arrows to change temp.  Hope this helps.  If not, let me know and I'll go into it further.
> 
> EDIT:  When you're done, you do NOT have to press "set" again to exit the menus.  It will exit on it's own after a few seconds, and save your settings.  If you practice this for a couple minutes, I'll guaran-goddang-tee you, you can change your temps in less than five seconds.  The interface is seems stupid, and not very intuitive at first, but it gets easier.
> 
> Hold set till it beeps.
> Hit set two more times in a row.
> Use up and down keys to change temp.
> That's it.



You do the Maverick hokey and you turn yourselves around. That's what it's all about. Lol


----------



## mummel

Does the Maverick 733 alarm beep once when the meat is ready, or your smoker temp is out of range, or does it keep beeping until you disable the alarm?


----------



## mummel

bigred77 said:


> Used my 733 for the first time in my big pit this weekend,  did a couple of runs in the little electric before, but the big one is where this thing really shines, IMO.
> 
> Note: this is my first wireless thermometer
> 
> Was freaking awesome to be able to go about my day around the house with the receiver in my pocket and easily know that the pit temp was starting to fall a bit or climbing too high and go make corrections.
> 
> Brisket came out very good from being able to watch the temp the whole time so easily, just did a double check with the manual dial probe when she hit the stall and I wrapped it up.
> 
> I honestly cant believe I have been doing it so long with only the door mounted thermos for monitoring pit temps and my little hand probes for checking meat.  I love this thing


How do you know when the stall hits?  With a chart its easy, but what if you arent looking at your thermometer every 10 minutes?  Do you go by timing, or do you check the temps?


----------



## timberjet

mummel said:


> How do you know when the stall hits?  With a chart its easy, but what if you arent looking at your thermometer every 10 minutes?  Do you go by timing, or do you check the temps?


You should pay attention when your smoker is on. Especially if it is electric. You cook by temp. not time.


----------



## mummel

timberjet said:


> You should pay attention when your smoker is on. Especially if it is electric. You cook by temp. not time.


According the Bearcarver's pork butt recipe, he does it at 165F.  So it would be easy to set an alarm and know when your meat hits that temp.  So knowing when to foil is simple right (i.e. I thought you would need to check the meat temp and if it doesnt move for like an hour or so, then you know you've hit the stall).  But if pork butt always stalls at 165F, its a no brainer.  Thanks.


----------



## dr k

timberjet said:


> You should pay attention when your smoker is on. Especially if it is electric. You cook by temp. not time.


----------



## bigred77

mummel said:


> How do you know when the stall hits?  With a chart its easy, but what if you arent looking at your thermometer every 10 minutes?  Do you go by timing, or do you check the temps?



I just always keep the reciever with me the whole time i am cooking and check it every few minutes.  When it levels off (temp stops rising) at around 160 to 170, i know its stalling


----------



## Bearcarver

mummel said:


> According the Bearcarver's pork butt recipe, he does it at 165F.  So it would be easy to set an alarm and know when your meat hits that temp.  So knowing when to foil is simple right (i.e. I thought you would need to check the meat temp and if it doesnt move for like an hour or so, then you know you've hit the stall).  But if pork butt always stalls at 165F, its a no brainer.  Thanks.


It doesn't always stall at 165°. That's just when I foil. It had plenty of smoke by then, so I foil it. I've had stalls anywhere between 150° and 175°. They're all different.

Bear


----------



## mummel

Bearcarver said:


> It doesn't always stall at 165°. That's just when I foil. It had plenty of smoke by then, so I foil it. I've had stalls anywhere between 150° and 175°. They're all different.
> 
> Bear


So I assume you use the rate of change to determine if you've stalled?  Or is it just a good rule of thumb to foil at 165?


----------



## Bearcarver

mummel said:


> So I assume you use the rate of change to determine if you've stalled?  Or is it just a good rule of thumb to foil at 165?


It's just the point that I foil at.

I never really care when it stalls or even if it stalls at all. I only notice it because I never sleep when smoking.

It just always works good like that. Ends up with good smoke flavor & moist & tender, when I foil at about 165° and pull at about 205°.

Bear


----------



## daricksta

mummel said:


> Does the Maverick 733 alarm beep once when the meat is ready, or your smoker temp is out of range, or does it keep beeping until you disable the alarm?


Oh, it keeps beeping and beeping and beeping and beeping and beeping and beeping and beeping, etc., until you press the Alarm button to silence it. In order to disable it you have to press the button when the alarm isn't beeping to switch off alarm mode.


----------



## daricksta

mummel said:


> How do you know when the stall hits?  With a chart its easy, but what if you arent looking at your thermometer every 10 minutes?  Do you go by timing, or do you check the temps?


When I'm smoking the Receiver unit is with me at all times and I'm glancing at it constantly. It's just the way I am and that way I can constantly monitor the stall and when the I/T starts to rise again.


----------



## Bearcarver

daRicksta said:


> When I'm smoking the Receiver unit is with me at all times and I'm glancing at it constantly. It's just the way I am and that way I can constantly monitor the stall and when the I/T starts to rise again.


Exactly---I don't care about the Stall, but I look at mine often enough, so if anything went nuts I'd know about it in time.

Bear


----------



## mummel

daRicksta said:


> Oh, it keeps beeping and beeping and beeping and beeping and beeping and beeping and beeping, etc., until you press the Alarm button to silence it. In order to disable it you have to press the button when the alarm isn't beeping to switch off alarm mode.


Good to know, thanks.


----------



## mummel

daRicksta said:


> Oh, it keeps beeping and beeping and beeping and beeping and beeping and beeping and beeping, etc., until you press the Alarm button to silence it. In order to disable it you have to press the button when the alarm isn't beeping to switch off alarm mode.


Good to know, thanks.


----------



## xibalba

Just got my Maverick in recently.  I can honestly say I'm very disappointed and thinking of returning it.  Right out the box I can't get it to get close to 32.


----------



## whitefish

I have the same problem with my new 733. It reads 48 degrees in an ice bath and is 5 degrees higher than room temperature. But it is dead on at 212 in boiling water. I'm not really concerned as long as it reads the high temperatures accurately. I plan on continuing to use mine. And maybe checking it against other thermometers that I have.


----------



## xibalba

Scratch that...did 14 tests, despite it not hitting 32 it is right on with my other 3 temp probes on all 14 tests, +/-1 degree.  I'm happy with that.


----------



## Bearcarver

Xibalba said:


> Scratch that...did 14 tests, despite it not hitting 32 it is right on with my other 3 temp probes on all 14 tests, +/-1 degree. I'm happy with that.


Did you do the boiling test?

I never even bother testing the 32° end----I only test for 212°.

Bear


----------



## xibalba

I did, right at a perfect 213 which is on the money for my area.


----------



## dr k

Bearcarver said:


> Did you do the boiling test?
> 
> I never even bother testing the 32° end----I only test for 212°.
> 
> Bear










  Since Cooking chamber and finished food temps are much closer to boiling water.  It would be nice to see it read accurately at low temps for fridge/freezer checks.  After all, it should be accurate in their advertised ranges otherwise it's not even valid as a therm let alone reliable.  If in the back of your mind whenever you get a glimpse of your therm and your thinking damn, then get rid of it so it doesn't haunt you.  Lol

-Kurt


----------



## xibalba

Well hell, my hand unit refuses to sync up now


----------



## daricksta

Did you push and hold down the Resync button in the back of the transmitter?  If that didn't work, turn off both units, then turn on the Receiver, and then turn on the Transmitter--in that order. If they're still not synced up, press and hold down the Resync button. Either of those two procedures have worked for me the couple of times the units lost sync.


----------



## xibalba

I hit that button like 100 times and tried cycling the units a dozen to no avail and then suddenly it just started  working, lol.


----------



## dr k

Xibalba said:


> I hit that button like 100 times and tried cycling the units a dozen to no avail and then suddenly it just started working, lol.


I wonder if pulling the batteries when this happens will solve this problem.  Kind of like when cell phones freeze up if you can access the battery it's one of the recommended procedures.   

=Kurt


----------



## daricksta

Xibalba said:


> I hit that button like 100 times and tried cycling the units a dozen to no avail and then suddenly it just started working, lol.


I've had that a few times with my ET-733 when syncing both units. I also come across it when trying to change settings if the probes haven't been inserted first. Nothing happens when I keep pressing the SET button and then suddenly it works. I've learned to insert the probes first, which is what the manual says to do. But the important thing is my ET-733 worked flawlessly throughout the smoke and I easily changed my max/min temps for the alarm which I always use.


----------



## damnthatsgood

My unit was pretty dead on from the get go.  Even against my Thermapen.  It has also never failed to sync, and I don't think it's ever lost sync.  Maverick's are supposed to be pretty rock solid.  If you're having these problems, I'd have them replace it.


----------



## dennispfaff

Bearcarver said:


> Great Thread, DTG !!!
> 
> I started with an ET-73.
> Then about 4 years ago I got an ET-732, and demoted my ET-73 to basement Meat Fridge Duty.
> 
> If-or-when my ET-732 goes, I'll probably get the ET-733 thanks to your post.
> 
> Thanks,
> Bear



Hey Bear,
Do you use replacement probes for your 732.  I just realized in my 40 in 2.5 the probes won't reach the bottom shelves?  
Dennis


----------



## Bearcarver

dennispfaff said:


> Hey Bear,
> Do you use replacement probes for your 732. I just realized in my 40 in 2.5 the probes won't reach the bottom shelves?
> Dennis


I don't, but I think you can get 6' ones.

I never go any lower than hanging 3" below the second shelf. The stock ones reach that far without having to lay the unit on the Hot right side of the top.

I never use the bottom shelf & never probe anything on the third shelf.

Bear


----------



## mummel

I think the 6ft ones are $20 on Anazon no? How long is the Igrill mini probe?


----------



## dennispfaff

I 





mummel said:


> I think the 6ft ones are $20 on Anazon no? How long is the Igrill mini probe?



Todd sells the 6 ft probes for $14.99 I think if you purchase two.


----------



## daricksta

I'd go with buying from Todd before choosing an unknown seller on Amazon. I think Todd's shipping costs are also very reasonable if you're ordering less than $34 of stuff. Over $34 is free shipping.


----------



## bigred77

Does anybody elses reciever seem to burn through batteries very very fast? Or do i just keep forgetting to turn it off?

Repaced the receiver batteries three times now and am still on the originals on the transmitter


----------



## dennispfaff

bigred77 said:


> Does anybody elses reciever seem to burn through batteries very very fast? Or do i just keep forgetting to turn it off?
> 
> Repaced the receiver batteries three times now and am still on the originals on the transmitter



That's interesting because I had to replace my batteries after just 3 uses.  I just assumed that I left it on...but maybe not.
Dennis


----------



## daricksta

bigred77 said:


> Does anybody elses reciever seem to burn through batteries very very fast? Or do i just keep forgetting to turn it off?
> 
> Repaced the receiver batteries three times now and am still on the originals on the transmitter


In the year that I've had my ET-733 I've replaced the receiver batteries twice and the transmitter batteries only once. I guess the receiver draws juice from the batteries to maintain its settings memory even when shut off.


----------



## mummel

Have you tried rechargeables?


----------



## gpb11

I found the included batteries were pretty lame in terms of capacity.  Not unlike the ink / toner carts included with a new printer.

Rechargables are an idea, though to be honest I still have plenty of alkalines from the Black Friday sales last year.


----------



## Bearcarver

I change the batteries in my ET-73 about once a year, but that one is on 24-7-365.

I can't remember when I changed batteries in my 5 year old ET-732, but I know it was longer than a year ago.

My other ET-732 is only 7 months old, and still going strong.

When I do change them, I change them in both the transmitter & the receiver. They're only a little less than 50 cents a piece.

Bear


----------



## mummel

I like to write the dates on these types of things to see if the unit starts chewing through more batteries than normal etc.


----------



## bigred77

daRicksta said:


> In the year that I've had my ET-733 I've replaced the receiver batteries twice and the transmitter batteries only once. I guess the receiver draws juice from the batteries to maintain its settings memory even when shut off.


I wondered about that too, but I dont know how long the batteries were dead (it had been a couple weeks since I used it) and they were completely dead so the hand unit wouldnt turn on, but it still had the same settings I used last when I put new batteries in it.

I may just try to get in the habit of popping the batteries out when I put it in the tool box


----------



## daricksta

mummel said:


> Have you tried rechargeables?


I haven't bought rechargeables in years since the old Ni-Cads became useless over time. I get a few months of use out of the alkalines I use so I stick with them.


----------



## smoking in ft. collins

bigred77 said:


> Does anybody elses reciever seem to burn through batteries very very fast? Or do i just keep forgetting to turn it off?
> 
> Repaced the receiver batteries three times now and am still on the originals on the transmitter


I had the same problem and contacted Maverick customer support.  They told me that you need to turn off the transmitter first, then the receiver of the unit will still draw power.  It seems to work wen I don't forget.

My new problem is that I melted the heck out of my transmitter.  Does anyone know if you can just get a replacement transmitter or if a 732 transmitter will work with a 733 receiver?

Thanks, John


----------



## bigred77

Smoking in Ft. Collins said:


> I had the same problem and contacted Maverick customer support.  They told me that you need to turn off the transmitter first, then the receiver of the unit will still draw power.  It seems to work wen I don't forget.
> 
> My new problem is that I melted the heck out of my transmitter.  Does anyone know if you can just get a replacement transmitter or if a 732 transmitter will work with a 733 receiver?
> 
> Thanks, John


Good to know!


----------



## dennispfaff

I think the 733 instructions are a bit hard to understand but I found this review on YouTube that details how to use it.
Dennis


----------



## daricksta

bigred77 said:


> I wondered about that too, but I dont know how long the batteries were dead (it had been a couple weeks since I used it) and they were completely dead so the hand unit wouldnt turn on, but it still had the same settings I used last when I put new batteries in it.
> 
> I may just try to get in the habit of popping the batteries out when I put it in the tool box


I guess the receiver comes with resident memory that doesn't reset once the power supply is turned off. That's pretty cool.


----------



## coachsteve

Think I got my new 733 figured out. 
I wasnt getting readout so I turned both  units off and rebooted.
Good to go.
Can't get BBQ temp to beep when it goes below set temp.
I let it go above then cooled egg down ,but no alert


----------



## mummel

So are you guys saying the transmitter is in sleep mode but still using batteries, even if you turn it off?


----------



## daricksta

Most electronic devices draw power from batteries even when they're turned off whether it's just a trickle or more. The ET-733 receiver draws more juice than the transmitter does because I've replaced the battery in the receiver twice as many times as in the transmitter. I buy the Kirkland batteries at Costco so I get a lot for not that much money. I don't worry about the battery usage at all but it's a minor annoyance when attempting to turn on the receiver before a smoke only to have it lay there cold and lifeless in my hand...


----------



## mummel

Well it makes perfect sense the receiver pulls more juice.  The LCD is bigger, there are flashing alarms, noise alarms etc.  This seems like a no brainer to me.


----------



## docasherman

I'm in  The middle of a brisket smoke and the transmitter stop transmitting the number 2 probe reading.  Is there anyway to reset the transmitter so that it will transmit properly both the one and two probes?


----------



## sfprankster

Is the receiver reading -HHH- or -LLL- on the number 2 probe?

Are the probes fully plugged in?


----------



## docasherman

No on the HHH or LLL and yes, the probe is plugged in. The transmitter doesn't go between 1 and 2, it only reads the 1 probe.


----------



## gpb11

Did you turn it off / pull batteries, unplug/replug the probes (swapping ports) and all that sort of stuff?


----------



## richcityfireguy

Hey everyone! Getting to try out my new  Maverick Et733 and I am bewildered on the difference in reading between the smoker's thermometer and my Maverick. I boiled water and made sure my probes were calibrated. I placed 1 probe on BBQ setting and placed it on the mounting clip on front of the middle rack where my pork shoulder is. The door thermometer says 235 but my Maverick says 270. Is that normal??? Please help!!


----------



## Bearcarver

RichCityFireGuy said:


> Hey everyone! Getting to try out my new Maverick Et733 and I am bewildered on the difference in reading between the smoker's thermometer and my Maverick. I boiled water and made sure my probes were calibrated. I placed 1 probe on BBQ setting and placed it on the mounting clip on front of the middle rack where my pork shoulder is. The door thermometer says 235 but my Maverick says 270. Is that normal??? Please help!!


Always go by your Maverick.

I don't think therms built into doors are any too accurate.

Bear


----------



## dennispfaff

Bearcarver said:


> Always go by your Maverick.
> I don't think therms built into doors are any too accurate.
> 
> Bear



I agree.  I also checked my Mav 733 in ice water, the calibration was spot at 32 degrees, along with another thermometer.  What I did notice recently when smoking 2 pork tenderloins on the same shelf, the back one cooked slightly hotter than the front one.  I didn't know that. 
By the way...I use the 40 in MES 2.5 Bluetooth model with glass window.  Not sure if the window affects the internal temp.
Dennis


----------



## richcityfireguy

That's what I was thinking, the maverick seems to be spot on.


----------



## dr k

Bearcarver said:


> Always go by your Maverick.
> 
> I don't think therms built into doors are any too accurate.
> 
> Bear


Right!  And if they are accurate and it's at the same level of the food, the temp at the door is most likely different than he center of the smoker where the food is.

-Kurt


----------



## boxmaster

I take the batteries or one battery out between uses otherwise I was having the same issues as the rest of u. The only disadvantage of this is that u need to start over fresh everytime in terms of settings as the receiver forgets. I keep everything in a large ziplock in a box and i think the buttons push against the bag sometimes.


----------



## daricksta

RichCityFireGuy said:


> Hey everyone! Getting to try out my new Maverick Et733 and I am bewildered on the difference in reading between the smoker's thermometer and my Maverick. I boiled water and made sure my probes were calibrated. I placed 1 probe on BBQ setting and placed it on the mounting clip on front of the middle rack where my pork shoulder is. The door thermometer says 235 but my Maverick says 270. Is that normal??? Please help!!


Always go with the Maverick. I also own the ET-733. There are times during the smoke when the MES heating cycles settle down (about 3 hours in) when the controller and ET-733 temps are the same or within 2-3 degrees of each other.


----------



## mummel

Hey guys.  Sooo, New Years Eve and the beers were flowing.  Went over to a friends house who made a roast lamb in the oven.  I took my Mav and put the transmitter next to the oven on the counter.  At some point someone used the gas stove top.  I didnt realize it for quite sometime.  When I went to rescue my Mav, it felt like it was about to reach melting point.  I couldnt even hold it in my hand........

I havent had a chance to test it yet.  Do you think it's screwed?


----------



## Bearcarver

mummel said:


> Hey guys.  Sooo, New Years Eve and the beers were flowing.  Went over to a friends house who made a roast lamb in the oven.  I took my Mav and put the transmitter next to the oven on the counter.  At some point someone used the gas stove top.  I didnt realize it for quite sometime.  When I went to rescue my Mav, it felt like it was about to reach melting point.  I couldnt even hold it in my hand........
> 
> I havent had a chance to test it yet.  Do you think it's screwed?


Maybe not, as long as it didn't melt.

I always keep mine on the left side of the top of my MES, because the right side gets hotter, but I think they can take quite a bit of heat.  Good luck with it.

Bear


----------



## dennispfaff

mummel said:


> Hey guys.  Sooo, New Years Eve and the beers were flowing.  Went over to a friends house who made a roast lamb in the oven.  I took my Mav and put the transmitter next to the oven on the counter.  At some point someone used the gas stove top.  I didnt realize it for quite sometime.  When I went to rescue my Mav, it felt like it was about to reach melting point.  I couldnt even hold it in my hand........
> 
> I havent had a chance to test it yet.  Do you think it's screwed?



I don't know about your Maverick, but I have been thinking about trying a leg of lamb in the Dutch oven, so it turns out "fall off the bone".  Wouldn't need the Mav for that.  This weekend I am cooking lamb shanks in the Dutch oven. (We received a nice big cast iron Dutch oven for Christmas, and I love lamb!)
Dennis


----------



## mummel

Thanks Bear.  Yeah it was a rocking party, live music etc.  What a blast.  I blame the beer haha!  The lamb was amazing though.  I havent had lamb in years.  We cooked it to 145F.  Guys were fighting over it.


----------



## daricksta

mummel said:


> Thanks Bear.  Yeah it was a rocking party, live music etc.  What a blast.  I blame the beer haha!  The lamb was amazing though.  I havent had lamb in years.  We cooked it to 145F.  Guys were fighting over it.


You and your buds welcome to hold that party at the end of this year at  my house...


----------



## mummel

daRicksta said:


> You and your buds welcome to hold that party at the end of this year at  my house...


----------



## daricksta

mummel said:


>


I love to see a happy banana...


----------



## tarnak

Hi all, just got the ET-733 as its been recommend in several articles. I noticed a difference between the two probes temps at room temperature of 1-6 degrees between them.  Is this normal?  what it the ET-733 variable? +/- 2-3 degrees?.  I have not tried it out in my smoker just yet.

Thanks.


----------



## boxmaster

Mine were a couple of degrees different sitting on the counter top.  Reverse the probes in their respective holes and see what happens. When i put mine into practice they were fine. Depends how anal u/we are i guess. 6 degress is a lot 1 or 2 among friends is tolerable. I never did the glacier/molten lava test, boiled or froze my probes but i have a bucket full of mavericks and my 733 is  within a degree of any thermometer/measuring device i have!


----------



## mummel

Probes should read very close to each other, 1F max.


----------



## mummel

Oh and a room temp reading is useless.  Do a boiling water test and report back.


----------



## jayace

Received my 733 yesterday and am excited to try it out tomorrow in a pork shoulder. Probes were bang on with each other when I calibrated today. They read 36 in ice water and 205 in boiling water (I'm at 3500' elevation). Ridiculous how excited I get with new smoking toys. [emoji]128515[/emoji]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## daricksta

Jayace said:


> Received my 733 yesterday and am excited to try it out tomorrow in a pork shoulder. Probes were bang on with each other when I calibrated today. They read 36 in ice water and 205 in boiling water (I'm at 3500' elevation). Ridiculous how excited I get with new smoking toys. [emoji]128515[/emoji]
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


I've been using mine for about 3 years. I also use it in the kitchen when cooking a ribeye roast.


----------



## tarnak

So I boil tested my Et-733, I got 212 with the two probes that came with the set, and 214 with the two hi-bred probes that I picked up last week, I am at sea level so that's with in the margin.  looks like everything is good.


----------



## mummel

Seems fine.


----------



## brentos260

I received my ET 733 on March 24th (came w/Bear Paws too!).  I was excited to use it the next day on a Boston Butt.  When I initially hooked everything up the two probes read 2-4° difference between each other at room temperature....  When I used them the next day on the smoker, one probe was reading correct while the other fluctuated between 7-52° different from the other on the same surface!  I've since contacted Maverick 6 times by phone, leaving 4 messages - I've never had anyone answer the phone.  I also sent 4 emails and just last week I FINALLY received a response....  I fly 2-3 times/week and can honestly say that airline customer service is better than Maverick's.  Luckily the company that packaged the thermometer and bear paws (the Amazon seller) has been incredible with their customer service.  They sent replacement probes which did not solve the issue.  Seems like a bad sending unit as which ever probe is connected to "probe 2" is always wildly fluctuating.  

I'm still working to get this resolved but it is in NO way to Maverick's credit - they are terrible to deal with.  I can't thank CSQ (Cool Stuff Quick)'s customer service, they go above and beyond what they should have to.

Hopefully I get a replacement unit by Friday as it's supposed to be gorgeous this weekend.  I may just buy another and return this unit.

Has anyone else had a similar experience?  Sorry if I missed a similar story, I didn't have time to scan all 15 or so pages of this post.


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## Bearcarver

@brentos,

I only had to deal with Maverick 2 times in 7 years, and I had none of the CS problems:

My first time was with an ET-73. The little switch on the back broke off during my first use. I called them---They answered----Sent me a Brand new unit-----Didn't need to send the other one back.

The second time was a bad probe. Called them---They answered & I had a new probe in 2 days, along with a backup that I paid for.

Sorry to hear of the problems you've had. Maybe they got some new help???

Bear


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## brentos260

I do have to follow up to give credit to Maverick's authorized dealer that I purchased this unit through.  They came through with amazing customer service and I now have a working ET 733 along with a 3' & 6' set of probes.  My Maverick worked great yesterday and help make a fantastic spatchcock chicken!


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## brentos260

brentos260 said:


> I do have to follow up to give credit to Maverick's authorized dealer that I purchased this unit through.  They came through with amazing customer service and I now have a working ET 733 along with a 3' & 6' set of probes.  My Maverick worked great yesterday and help make a fantastic spatchcock chicken!


It would probably help to note that the company with the great customer service is CSQ (Cool Stuff Quick).


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## russmn

I just picked up a copper 733!!! The best part was that it came with a third probe for smoker temps that's 6 feet long!!! How awesome is that !!! Three probes no extra cost!!! Gotta love it


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## russmn

Well I ordered one and paid the 8 bucks to have it here tomorrow !!! Lol gotta love amazon prime


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## rshort

Ordered this and I'm returning it without ever using it! A 6 degree difference between probe 1 and 2. Also takes longer to set up than to cook! Horrible product!


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## Bearcarver

rshort said:


> Ordered this and I'm returning it without ever using it! A 6 degree difference between probe 1 and 2. Also takes longer to set up than to cook! Horrible product!


That's why I get the ET-732----The 733 is Too Fancy-Schmancy for me. I don't like to play games setting things---I just want to use them.

Did you have both probes in boiling water when they were 6° Different?

Bear


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## wade

Bearcarver said:


> That's why I get the ET-732----The 733 is Too Fancy-Schmancy for me. I don't like to play games setting things---I just want to use them.
> 
> Did you have both probes in boiling water when they were 6° Different?
> 
> Bear


Yes I agree. I still mostly use my ET-732s. The 733 only comes out if I need an extra thermometer.  


rshort said:


> Ordered this and I'm returning it without ever using it! A 6 degree difference between probe 1 and 2. Also takes longer to set up than to cook! Horrible product!


I have not experienced that kind of difference between the probes on any of my 732s or 733. Both the 732s and 733s will work quite happily out of the box and, even though the 733 is more fiddly to first set up, once it has been initially configured to your probe requirements it is just plug and play unless you want to change probe types.

It is not a horrible product - the number of people successfully using them worldwide I think supports this - but you may have been unlucky and were shipped a "Friday afternoon" unit.


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## danbono

HI All Any one buying a Maverick has to go to Todd at A-Maze-M Products..He is one of our sponsors, with EXCELLENT customer service.

Dan

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/247365/todd-is-amazing


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## daricksta

DanBono said:


> HI All Any one buying a Maverick has to go to Todd at A-Maze-M Products..He is one of our sponsors, with EXCELLENT customer service.
> 
> Dan
> 
> http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/247365/todd-is-amazing


Funny you should mention it. I just bought a Maverick ET-733 from Todd today (2nd one I've bought from him). Since he generously includes a card with a 10% off discount to be used on a future order, I took advantage of it to get a discount on my purchase plus the free shipping. Yep, Todd provides among the best customer service there is. Nordstrom's could take lessons from him.


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## lemans

Is it just me ? Or are the instructions for the 732 very hard to understand?


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## daricksta

Lemans said:


> Is it just me ? Or are the instructions for the 732 very hard to understand?


I own the ET-733 and the operation is identical to the ET-732. For the first TWO years I kept the instruction manual in front of me when I change settings. That was over 2 years ago and I've gotten to the point where I can to it by rote--for the most part. You don't have to program it all for it to display smoker and cooking temps. I change the settings because I like to use the alarm feature.


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## wayoung

The 733 (well, Ivation)  went on sale this week on amazon, put in an order for one after my second cheapy thermometer died this year. Haven't been doing much smoking the last few weeks, hopefully get started again soon.


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## bigred77

had my first probe quit working on me last weekend,  I think it got pinched funny in the door and that is why it quit working

only thing I can figure, there was one spot on the wire braid that was kinda flat and sharp if I tried to squeeze it back round

any tips on keeping from pinching those?


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## dennispfaff

If it's a Maverick probe you can order replacements.


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## bigred77

dennispfaff said:


> If it's a Maverick probe you can order replacements.



yessir, ordere 2 off amazon within minutes of it stopping working
they were here on monday


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## dennispfaff

If I am not mistaken there are longer probes available than the standard Maverick probes.  I have a 40" MES and often think it would be useful if you want to reach to the bottom rack.
Dennis


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## daricksta

bigred77 said:


> yessir, ordere 2 off amazon within minutes of it stopping working
> they were here on monday


I ordered a set of probes directly from Maverick after I compared their price with that on Amazon. The price was just as good and I think I got free shipping. I got the 6-footers with one probe being the squared-off end smoker probe. My original probes still work fine after 4+ years. I run the wires down through the top vent on my MES 30 Gen 1. No chance of crimping that way.


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## dennispfaff

Rick, I don't understand what a "squared off end" is for?
Dennis


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## jarhead1979

dennispfaff said:


> Rick, I don't understand what a "squared off end" is for?
> Dennis



Dennis...one of the probes is long and pointed for piercing the meat. The other is shorter and rounded off on the end. It's the "chamber" probe for measuring the temp of the smoke chamber. Hope that answers your question! 

By the way, I have used both probes for both jobs...its just not as easy to get the rounded off probe in to a piece of supper.


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## daricksta

dennispfaff said:


> Rick, I don't understand what a "squared off end" is for?
> Dennis


Dennis, I see that Jarhead gave you the answer. I found out when perusing the Maverick website for replacement probes you can choose to buy either two pointed probes that come--or used to come--standard with the Maverick ET-733, or you can choose one meat probe and the rounded (I said squared) off end smoker probe. That one's designed to just sit on a rack and monitor the smoker temp. I bought 6-footers. I still have my original ET-733 with the 3 ft. long meat probes and I just got a new Maverick ET-733 but haven't opened the box yet. I might do it today.


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## kajun58

What's cool about the ET-733 it saves your settings from previous smoking session so you don't have to reset it if your cooking the same thing from previous session.
Now if someone could invent a remote to control my needle valve on propane bottle with an alarm if flame goes out that would be a million$$$ ideal.
Happy Smoking!!


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## jasonvr

Not sure on the etiquette of posting deals on this forum, but I was looking around for a good thermo for my new MES.  The ET-732 seemed to be the consensus, but the 733 seemed to be well regarded as an upgrade.  As I was searching for a good deal on the 732, I stumbled across this:


The 733 for less than the normal price of the 732.  Even comes with a set of shredders (although I already have a set)


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## Bearcarver

jasonvr said:


> Not sure on the etiquette of posting deals on this forum, but I was looking around for a good thermo for my new MES.  The ET-732 seemed to be the consensus, but the 733 seemed to be well regarded as an upgrade.  As I was searching for a good deal on the 732, I stumbled across this:
> 
> 
> The 733 for less than the normal price of the 732.  Even comes with a set of shredders (although I already have a set)


That really IS a GREAT Deal !!

Anyone interested in a 733 should Jump on that hard !!!---FREE Shipping too!!

Thanks for Posting.

Bear


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## jasonvr

Thru the glory that is Amazon Prime, my 733 arrived this morning (less than 24 hours from ordering).  Immediately tried it out in boiling water and ice water.  Confirmed temps on my Lavapen.  The reading are unfortunately not spot on as I had expected based on reviews and this thread.  In boiling water it is reading either 214 or 216 (jumps between the two, doesn't even move thru 215). In the ice, I get anywhere between 37 and 41, never anything lower.  Swapping probes in the ice went from a 39/43 upper/lower combo to 37/41 upper/lower combo, so it appears to be in the unit vs the probes.  

214 is within the stated accuracy (I think +/- 3 degrees), but 216 isn't, and my ice temps certainly aren't within the stated range.

I know that generally I'm going to be using the high end of the range which isn't too far off seemingly, but the reports here seem to indicate I should be getting more accuracy out of the unit.  Worth either getting a replacement from Amazon or contacting Maverick?


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## Bearcarver

jasonvr said:


> Thru the glory that is Amazon Prime, my 733 arrived this morning (less than 24 hours from ordering).  Immediately tried it out in boiling water and ice water.  Confirmed temps on my Lavapen.  The reading are unfortunately not spot on as I had expected based on reviews and this thread.  In boiling water it is reading either 214 or 216 (jumps between the two, doesn't even move thru 215). In the ice, I get anywhere between 37 and 41, never anything lower.  Swapping probes in the ice went from a 39/43 upper/lower combo to 37/41 upper/lower combo, so it appears to be in the unit vs the probes.
> 
> 214 is within the stated accuracy (I think +/- 3 degrees), but 216 isn't, and my ice temps certainly aren't within the stated range.
> 
> I know that generally I'm going to be using the high end of the range which isn't too far off seemingly, but the reports here seem to indicate I should be getting more accuracy out of the unit.  Worth either getting a replacement from Amazon or contacting Maverick?


I believe That's worse than most.

At what elevation are you? You don't have your location noted.

I would first call Maverick & give them your findings, to see what they will do about it.

I wouldn't personally worry about it, If it's only that far off, but it could get worse.

Bear


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## bmudd14474

jasonvr said:


> Thru the glory that is Amazon Prime, my 733 arrived this morning (less than 24 hours from ordering).  Immediately tried it out in boiling water and ice water.  Confirmed temps on my Lavapen.  The reading are unfortunately not spot on as I had expected based on reviews and this thread.  In boiling water it is reading either 214 or 216 (jumps between the two, doesn't even move thru 215). In the ice, I get anywhere between 37 and 41, never anything lower.  Swapping probes in the ice went from a 39/43 upper/lower combo to 37/41 upper/lower combo, so it appears to be in the unit vs the probes.
> 
> 214 is within the stated accuracy (I think +/- 3 degrees), but 216 isn't, and my ice temps certainly aren't within the stated range.
> 
> I know that generally I'm going to be using the high end of the range which isn't too far off seemingly, but the reports here seem to indicate I should be getting more accuracy out of the unit.  Worth either getting a replacement from Amazon or contacting Maverick?



I would contact Maverick first to see what they say. I have a ET-732 and its worked great and has been pretty accurate


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## weldingsmoke

Oh but its green!! 

Think i will order it anyhow.


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## Bearcarver

WeldingSmoke said:


> Oh but its green!!
> 
> Think i will order it anyhow.


LOL---An Ugly Green too!!

Although it would be hard to loose it, unless it's in the grass.

Bear


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## brentos260

jasonvr said:


> Thru the glory that is Amazon Prime, my 733 arrived this morning (less than 24 hours from ordering).  Immediately tried it out in boiling water and ice water.  Confirmed temps on my Lavapen.  The reading are unfortunately not spot on as I had expected based on reviews and this thread.  In boiling water it is reading either 214 or 216 (jumps between the two, doesn't even move thru 215). In the ice, I get anywhere between 37 and 41, never anything lower.  Swapping probes in the ice went from a 39/43 upper/lower combo to 37/41 upper/lower combo, so it appears to be in the unit vs the probes.
> 
> 214 is within the stated accuracy (I think +/- 3 degrees), but 216 isn't, and my ice temps certainly aren't within the stated range.
> 
> I know that generally I'm going to be using the high end of the range which isn't too far off seemingly, but the reports here seem to indicate I should be getting more accuracy out of the unit.  Worth either getting a replacement from Amazon or contacting Maverick?


I had a similar experience except that my probes were ~50 degrees apart from each other.  Maverick's customer service was non-existent at best.  Luckily the third party company that shipped the unit through Amazon (packaged with Bear Claws) was amazing!  It ended up being that the sending unit was bad.  I now have 2 3' probes, 2 6' probes, two base units (one bad), and two of the handheld units with the readouts.  I've heard Maverick's customer service is great, and they may be but my experience was that they were awful.  With all of that said I love my 733.


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## jasonvr

Bearcarver said:


> I believe That's worse than most.
> 
> At what elevation are you? You don't have your location noted.
> 
> I would first call Maverick & give them your findings, to see what they will do about it.
> 
> I wouldn't personally worry about it, If it's only that far off, but it could get worse.
> 
> Bear


I'm less than 200 ft above sea level (Orange County, CA) so I shouldn't have any significant deviation on boiling point (and it wouldn't go up unless I was below sea level).  I'll email Maverick and see what I get from them


WeldingSmoke said:


> Oh but its green!!
> 
> Think i will order it anyhow.


Yep, a very bright green, but honestly it's a thermometer, not a fashion accessory, so if it reads accurate, its all good. Reminds me of my mom buying a discounted dryer and they tried to warn her that the paint was a bit messed up because it had been wrapped before the paint was fully dry.  Her response - "it's going in the laundry room, who cares"


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## Bearcarver

brentos260 said:


> I had a similar experience except that my probes were ~50 degrees apart from each other.  Maverick's customer service was non-existent at best.  Luckily the third party company that shipped the unit through Amazon (packaged with Bear Claws) was amazing!  It ended up being that the sending unit was bad.  I now have 2 3' probes, 2 6' probes, two base units (one bad), and two of the handheld units with the readouts.  I've heard Maverick's customer service is great, and they may be but my experience was that they were awful.  With all of that said I love my 733.


Only time I ever personally had to deal with the Maverick CS was with my first set.

It was a lowly ET-73, and the second time I used it the little on-off switch on the back fell off.

I called them & told them about it, and they sent me a brand new Unit, and didn't even ask me to send the broken one back.

That was 7 1/2 years ago, and I still use that one 24/7, in my curing fridge.

Also bought and use 2 ET-732 sets with my MES 40.

Bear


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## daricksta

jasonvr said:


> Not sure on the etiquette of posting deals on this forum, but I was looking around for a good thermo for my new MES.  The ET-732 seemed to be the consensus, but the 733 seemed to be well regarded as an upgrade.  As I was searching for a good deal on the 732, I stumbled across this:
> 
> 
> The 733 for less than the normal price of the 732.  Even comes with a set of shredders (although I already have a set)


This IS an amazing deal. I've never seen the ET-733 (which I own) for this low a price. My beloved wife already gifted me with a pair Bear Paw meat shredders (among other smoking gear goodies) a few years ago for one of the best Father's Days I ever had.


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## johnmeyer

I've calibrated a lot of thermometers with boiling water and ice water. One thing that is really important:

You must use distilled water.

You can Google this, but you'll find that hard water boils at a significantly higher temperature than distilled water. This increase can be on the order of 2-4 degrees F, if your water is really hard.

You can also get a melting point shift, although that is usually not as great. The usual problem that leads to incorrect freezing point measurements is not having enough ice, not stirring it continuously, and not crushing the ice. Water actually doesn't transmit heat as quickly as you might think (insert a Thermapen into water you have microwaved, and then move it around to see how much the temperature varies from one point of the water to the next). Thus, to get a really accurate freezing point reading, you need to have the container filled with ice to the very bottom of the container; you need to stir continuously for at least thirty seconds; and to get the best results, you should first crush the ice. If you don't do all these things, you will end up with a reading that is too high.

And, you should use distilled water.


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## dr k

Right. When you fill a glass with crushed ice, water just so the ice lifts a quarter of an inch off the bottom and let sit for a minute then stir constantly. 
-Kurt


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## jasonvr

I finally go a response back from Maverick


> Good afternoon,
> 
> Thank you for contacting us. I apologize for the delayed response.
> 
> The ice bath isn't recommended to test the probes because they're not made to measure such low temp. The boiling water test shows that the temp. is off by 2-4 degrees which is acceptable. We allow a difference of +/- 3 or 4 degrees in temp. If the temp. difference is higher, then that means the probes are defective.


I guess I agree on the boiling side, but it seems like a junk answer on the low side.  Their site clearly shows it should read down to 32.  Methinks a return and replacement thru Amazon is in order unfortunately.


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## Bearcarver

jasonvr said:


> I finally go a response back from Maverick
> 
> I guess I agree on the boiling side, but it seems like a junk answer on the low side.  Their site clearly shows it should read down to 32.  Methinks a return and replacement thru Amazon is in order unfortunately.


I just looked on their site, and that seems to be similar to what it says there ("Support" page).
[h3]*DIGITAL THERMOMETER QUESTIONS*[/h3]
*I tested my thermometer in boiling water and it reads 208ºF instead of the expected 212ºF. Is there anyway to calibrate my digital thermometer?*

No, there is no way to calibrate our units. Our digital food thermometers are designed to be most accurate at the median of the typical food-doneness temperature range (approximately 160*º*F) with increasing tolerances at minimum or maximum temperatures.*  *All of our digital thermometers have a tolerance of +/- (3-4) degrees F so it is normal for the temperature readings to vary by a few degrees.

I personally never check mine at the 32° end for their same reason.

I also never looked it up on their site before, because none of mine ever checked out to being off by more than 2° at boiling.

Bear


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## johnmeyer

I just did a little technical snooping. I measured the probe and determined that it is _not _a diode, as I surmised in my earlier post. I measured the resistance at room temperature and then put it into some hot water. The resistance declined quickly. Thus, the probe is probably a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor. It starts out at about 1.2 megohms (a really high resistance) at room temperature, and goes down to about 200 kilohms at about 150 degrees.

It might be possible to build a simple hack that would let you calibrate the sensor at one specific temperature. Whether this would throw off readings at other temperatures, I don't know. All you would need to do is add a potentiometer (a variable resistor) between the probe and the transmitter. Adding resistance would lower the resistance reading. Subtracting resistance (by putting a resistor in parallel rather than series) would do the opposite. You simply put the probe into water of a known temperature (see how to do that in my last paragraph), and adjust the resistance until you get a match with the calibrated thermometer.

However, this would probably affect linearity, so it might make readings at the extremes become less accurate. However, since most food measurements (the finished temperature) are between 120F and 160F (pulled pork is closer to 200F) you could probably get pretty close.

For me, the simplest thing to do is to use a really accurate thermometer (like a lab-grade bulb thermometer or a Thermapen), and create a table of corrections. Then, simply set your alarms using the corrected numbers. Not ideal, but it is certainly a way to get perfectly accurate results.

P.S. Just after I posted, I found this excellent post, from here in the forum:

Temp probe specs for possible generic replacements


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## Bearcarver

johnmeyer said:


> I just did a little technical snooping. I measured the probe and determined that it is _not _a diode, as I surmised in my earlier post. I measured the resistance at room temperature and then put it into some hot water. The resistance declined quickly. Thus, the probe is probably a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor. It starts out at about 1.2 megohms (a really high resistance) at room temperature, and goes down to about 200 kilohms at about 150 degrees.
> 
> It might be possible to build a simple hack that would let you calibrate the sensor at one specific temperature. Whether this would throw off readings at other temperatures, I don't know. All you would need to do is add a potentiometer (a variable resistor) between the probe and the transmitter. Adding resistance would lower the resistance reading. Subtracting resistance (by putting a resistor in parallel rather than series) would do the opposite. You simply put the probe into water of a known temperature (see how to do that in my last paragraph), and adjust the resistance until you get a match with the calibrated thermometer.
> 
> However, this would probably affect linearity, so it might make readings at the extremes become less accurate. However, since most food measurements (the finished temperature) are between 120F and 160F (pulled pork is closer to 200F) you could probably get pretty close.
> 
> For me, the simplest thing to do is to use a really accurate thermometer (like a lab-grade bulb thermometer or a Thermapen), and create a table of corrections. Then, simply set your alarms using the corrected numbers. Not ideal, but it is certainly a way to get perfectly accurate results.
> 
> P.S. Just after I posted, I found this excellent post, from here in the forum:
> 
> Temp probe specs for possible generic replacements


But then how much is 3° or 4° off going to hurt?? Or 5° or 6°, especially if you know about it?

Bear


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## gary s

You're making it way more complicated than it needs to be.   How many BBQ places do you see that use probes ???

I have a Maverick and only used it a couple of time. Mainly because of my 45 + years of smoking I never used one and I forget to get it out.

The other reason is when I did use it I found myself staring at it all the time waiting for the temp to go up.

Gary


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## gr0uch0

gary s said:


> You're making it way more complicated than it needs to be.   How many BBQ places do you see that use probes ???
> 
> I have a Maverick and only used it a couple of time. Mainly because of my 45 + years of smoking I never used one and I forget to get it out.
> 
> The other reason is when I did use it I found myself staring at it all the time waiting for the temp to go up.
> 
> Gary










     Confucious Gary nails another one....


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## johnmeyer

Bearcarver said:


> But then how much is 3° or 4° off going to hurt?? Or 5° or 6°, especially if you know about it?
> 
> Bear


That is, of course, the key question. I don't think errors like that are going to make much difference for the oven temperatures, but for the food, they might. If you are trying to cook a steak to medium rare, there is a pretty big difference between 130 and 135.

But, if you know about these errors and have measured them, then obviously you just do a little math in your head, make the adjustments, and everything works out perfectly.


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## gr0uch0

johnmeyer said:


> That is, of course, the key question. I don't think errors like that are going to make much difference for the oven temperatures, but for the food, they might. If you are trying to cook a steak to medium rare, there is a pretty big difference between 130 and 135.
> 
> But, if you know about these errors and have measured them, then obviously you just do a little math in your head, make the adjustments, and everything works out perfectly.


Anyone coming near a steak of mine with something that's going to pierce it is gonna have more hell raised than just a little bit.  What restaurant of any repute pokes holes in their steaks to figure out IT??  Not any that I've ever frequented


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## johnmeyer

gr0uch0 said:


> Anyone coming near a steak of mine with something that's going to pierce it is gonna have more hell raised than just a little bit.  What restaurant of any repute pokes holes in their steaks to figure out IT??  Not any that I've ever frequented


I'm always willing to learn. How do you get consistent results without a thermometer? I know about sous vide, and have used that, so I know how you can do it that way. But if you put the steak on a grill -- even a gas grill where you can get somewhat repeatable heat -- how do you really know what it is going to look like inside without making some sort of measurement? Don't get me wrong, over the years I've cooked a lot of meat without measuring the temperature, simply by looking at it, or measuring time.

I've also had a lot of over- and under-done meat doing that way. I now always measure, and I get very repeatable results. For me, the slight loss in juice in one steak (I am usually content to measure just one) is a very small price to pay for knowing that I won't ruin my guests' meal.

At least I don't cut it open to look at the inside.


----------



## gr0uch0

johnmeyer said:


> I'm always willing to learn. How do you get consistent results without a thermometer? I know about sous vide, and have used that, so I know how you can do it that way. But if you put the steak on a grill -- even a gas grill where you can get somewhat repeatable heat -- how do you really know what it is going to look like inside without making some sort of measurement? Don't get me wrong, over the years I've cooked a lot of meat without measuring the temperature, simply by looking at it, or measuring time.
> 
> I've also had a lot of over- and under-done meat doing that way. I now always measure, and I get very repeatable results. For me, the slight loss in juice in one steak (I am usually content to measure just one) is a very small price to pay for knowing that I won't ruin my guests' meal.
> 
> At least I don't cut it open to look at the inside.


It's all about touch, texture, sight, repetition, and familiarity with your equipment.  I have full confidence in my years of being around grills & pits, don't worry about any grilled meat being over/undercooked, and know my equipment inside and out.  There are instances where I will use probes and thermometers, but no where near a grilled steak, pork chop, or chicken breast.


----------



## gary s

I do use a temp gauge depending on what I'm smoking. Poultry for one. Usually my instant read.

Over 45 years of smoking and Knowing my Smoker I can tell by sight and feel. Early on back when I was young and worked in the food

industry I cooked thousands of steaks and was taught by touch.  So I have an advantage and the main thing I'm very comfortable with this.

In saying that If I was a new guy (or gal) I would take advantage of all the neat modern toy's available till I was completely comfortable.

Just don't get too stuck on 1 or 2 or more degrees and think you have to hit it exactly.

As you smoke, you will see that the same type of meat may take longer or even a different IT to achieve the same tenderness.

A while back I smoker two briskets ant the same time. They were as close to identical as I could get by weight, marbling and fat cap.

Yet one took over and hour longer than the other to reach the same tenderness and IT.

Gary


----------

