Practical experience with Meater+?

Greg Jones said:
For some further information on ambient temps vs. food surface temps, I’d recommend reading what Chris Young at Combustion, Inc. has to say on the subject. TLDR, the temp at/near the surface of the food will never read as high as the ambient temp of the grill. Chris Young is a scientist, and even if you are not in the market for (yet) another temp probe, there is no denying he’s done his research. As a result, his probe is much more accurate at predicting cook times, IMO.
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I checked out the suggested information, @Greg Jones, and found it very instructive. Thanks for the information. For others who may be interested, check this link to the Combustion Inc FAQ: https://combustion.inc/pages/faq. Look in the “Why do I need an ambient sensor?” section.

The explanation for lower ambient sensor readings offered by Chris Young mirrors almost exactly my experience during this recent cook. My Meater+ ambient temperatures were more than 100F lower than measured by the grill thermometer as he suggested.

Now, of course, @Greg Jones, you’ve created a conundrum for me; whether to return the Meater+ to my SIL and buy a Combustion Inc. unit or to see if I can use the loaner a few more times before deciding. :unsure: Life is always so complicated.:ROFLMAO:
 
I see that Combustion Inc. offers its probe with or without the dedicated display unit. I am comfortable using my iPhone 13 as a display and that avoids having another "display" cluttering up the kitchen. Any thoughts?
 
Jim6820 said:
I see that Combustion Inc. offers its probe with or without the dedicated display unit. I am comfortable using my iPhone 13 as a display and that avoids having another "display" cluttering up the kitchen. Any thoughts?
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The timer also serves as a repeater for the signal to your network/phone. I’ve never tried using the Combustion probes without the timer, but I’d question if the signal would be strong enough to go through the grill body and still connect to the WiFi in the house. Even with the MEATER, I usually had to use an old iPad next to the grill for it to remain connected when using the Wyldside.
 
Once again you guys are damn enablers! I haven't hit "Add to Cart" yet, but I'm tempted.
 
AlphaPapa said:
They say the man with two watches doesn’t know what time it is. Similarly, the man with two temperature probes never knows what the temperature is. 🙂
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I have two "atomic" watches from Citizen's. They are set precisely at around midnight by the atomic clock in Colorado every night and are both exactly on time all day. Unfortunately there is no "atomic" thermometer!!
 
okie said:
I have two "atomic" watches from Citizen's. They are set precisely at around midnight by the atomic clock in Colorado every night and are both exactly on time all day. Unfortunately there is no "atomic" thermometer!!
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One for each wrist, I presume. :ROFLMAO: Couldn’t resist. I, too, have a Citizen “Atomic” watch (but, just one).:unsure:
 
So, if I were to wait for the Memorial Day sale, as suggested, which wireless probe should I go for, the Meater+ or Combustion? The Combustion (with display) is double the price of the Meater+; what would I gain by going with it? Slightly smaller diameter probe? Eight sensors vs two? What else?
 
Jim6820 said:
So, if I were to wait for the Memorial Day sale, as suggested, which wireless probe should I go for, the Meater+ or Combustion? The Combustion (with display) is double the price of the Meater+; what would I gain by going with it? Slightly smaller diameter probe? Eight sensors vs two? What else?
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I dunno, I have the single probe Meater +. I’m satisfied with it, but not ecstatic. Like I said before, not having USB charging capability is just silly. You can get it on the 4 probe version (at 4x the cost).

Even with that, given that pretty much everything these days is chinesium, I think the Meater + is overpriced by a factor of 2x. Kinda tells you what I think of the “Combustion” unit.

If I had to do it all over again (in spite of the lack of USB charging and the high price), I’d probably buy the Meater+ again. I just don’t see any compelling reason to spend even more money for the “Combustion”.
 
Jim6820 said:
So, if I were to wait for the Memorial Day sale, as suggested, which wireless probe should I go for, the Meater+ or Combustion? The Combustion (with display) is double the price of the Meater+; what would I gain by going with it? Slightly smaller diameter probe? Eight sensors vs two? What else?
Click to expand...
If you want the least cost option, I’ll sell you my MEATER+. That alone should say something.
 
This literally just arrived in the mail. Probe #3 for my Combustion system.

IMG_1390.jpeg
 
Greg Jones said:
This literally just arrived in the mail. Probe #3 for my Combustion system.

View attachment 18979
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Is this something new, or just an additional probe?

I e-mailed Combustion yesterday regarding the possibility of a slimmer probe in the future and received the following:

“Jim,

“Thank you for your feedback. We have a number of former chefs on our team, so the diameter of the thermometer tube was very important to us. The limitations come not only from the sensors as you had mentioned, but from all of the sensitive electronics such as the battery and microchip. These have limitations to their safe operating temperatures and need to be protected by the food. The advantage a wired thermometer has is that all of those components are not exposed to heat. We did put a lot of effort into solving this problem as best as we could, and do have the thinnest probe on the market for wireless cooking thermometers. So I do hope you will give us a chance.”

It doesn’t look like a thinner probe is in the works at this point.
 
Thanks, @Greg Jones; I’m learning a lot about the Combustion units, along with the Meater+. I do see that there are a few other wireless units hitting the market as well, but none of the rest seem to have achieved the level of sophistication of the Meater+ and Combustion units.

I guess it was obvious, but I missed it until a few minutes ago; the Combustion probe is BlueTooth only and cannot be wifi-enabled like the Meater+ can. I don’t know that it makes a lot of difference for me; I just assumed that somehow the Combustion probe could also be wifi-enabled if so desired,

It is hard teaching an old dog new tricks, but if you provide enough incentive (treats work well!) even the old do eventually learns something. :rolleyes:
 
Jim6820 said:
I guess it was obvious, but I missed it until a few minutes ago; the Combustion probe is BlueTooth only and cannot be wifi-enabled like the Meater+ can. I don’t know that it makes a lot of difference for me; I just assumed that somehow the Combustion probe could also be wifi-enabled if so desired,
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Chris Young just stated on the Reddit group that WiFi is coming later this year. No mention of andditional hardware needed to do that, so perhaps it’s a shaft ware-only upgrade. Also, a software update due out in the next couple of weeks will add to the battery life. New accessories coming in May also (carry case, probe holder for a pot, etc.)
 

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