Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've come to trust OXO products so, I am extremely disappointed with this thermometer. Like other reviewers, I first tested it for accuracy by testing in boiling water and that read accurately (212F). A couple of weeks ago, I made a tried and true family recipe for caramels. I cooked them to temperature (245F), poured them into the pan, let them cool and, when I was ready to cut them into individual pieces, the candy was one solid, hard block. I threw them away. What a waste of time and ingredients. Today, I decided to try again but this time, I simultaneously used my digital thermometer. I discovered that the OXO thermometer registers 6 degrees F lower than the digital once it gets above 230F. Unfortunately, I'm way past Amazon's return period, so, I now have a piece of equpment that I either have to replace or, adjust to. Lesson learned: pay more attention to those negative reviews. UPDATE: I purchased this in October 2016 and have now used it three times to make Christmas candies in 2016, 2017 and now 2018. Unfortunately, this thermometer is unreliable and inaccurate. I calibrated it in 2016 and 2017 - it was off by 6 degrees. I adjusted the temperature to cook the candy to, taking the 6 degrees into account. My candies failed. Spectacularly failed. I calibrated it two days ago - it was off by 2 degrees. My candy again failed. Maybe I got a defective product. I expect better from an OXO product. I am tired of wasting time, energy and money trying to make this work and while I am stubborn, I know when to call it quits. I'm now shopping for a new thermometer. My 2016 review advice still stands: pay attention to those negative reviews.