Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have had a Thermapen for over 20 years and it has been great, but it is starting to fail as it is hard to get a connection as you rotate the pen to turn it on. Therefore, I was looking for either a new Thermapen or alternative. I decided that for the Amazon under $20 price of the Alpha Grillers pen I would give it a try. When it arrived I compared it to the failing Thermapen. Temperature measurement - at meat temperature (130 degrees) the two pens were within 1 degree of each other. At room temperature (72 degrees) the Alpha Griller pen was accurate, the Thermapen was 3 degrees low. Timing - both pens got to stabilized readings in about 5 seconds and were within a degree or two of the stabilized readings within 3 seconds. They performed very similarly. Design - The Thermapen comes in colors and designs. The Alpha Grillers pen doesn't. Functionality is similar. Features - The backlight, calibrate, hold, and max/min are all nice features that the Alpha Grillers pens have and the Thermapens (either new or old) don't have . Cost - The Alpha Grillers pen was less than 1/3 the price of the Thermapen Durability - My Thermapen lasted wonderfully for over 20 years. The Alpha Grillers pen is new, so I don't know how long it will last. So far I am pleased with the Alpha Grillers pen and bought some for gifts.