Customer Reviews

BonJour Chef's Laser Probe Combo Surface and Internal Thermometer

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've only had two days to play with this thermometer, but it certainly seems like a winner. The instructions are sometimes wrong with regard to how to operate the unit (you must press the _trigger_ and the up/down arrows to activate the laser/lcd backlight, not the _mode_ button and up/down), but once you figure it out you'll throw away the booket anyway. It does have high/low alarms (for emissive...not sure about the probe) and will do a high/low/average reading set.

I do not have a reliable way to determine whether the emissive temperature is accurate, but it appears to track closely with two of my other probe thermometers for cold-warm temperatures, and is in the right range for oven temperatures and, well, anything I could find to determine the temperature of. The probe seems equally accurate. Both are quick. The probe is comparable to my polder-look-alike, probably a bit faster to be honest. The emissive temp can be checked in a second or less, and can be set to continuously monitor (which would be useful with the alarms and the hold mode described below). When the probe is off, the unit sleeps after 60 seconds, with the probe on it will sleep after a few minutes. According to the manual, the unit will stay active for 1 hour with the "hold" mode engaged for continuous monitoring of emissive temps.

The laser is cute, but not really necesssary, as the sensitivity cone is 1:11, so at 11 inches away, the unit will read a 1" spot. Not really that hard to aim, and I would think the 1" parallax between the laser and thermal lens would cause error for really precise measurements.

The emissivity is adjustable over a very wide range. I believe you can set it as low as 0.10. The default is 0.95. Organics (per the manual) tend to be around 0.97 or 0.98, and it can be set as high as either 0.99 or 1.00 (not sure about the 1.00).

The unit seems sturdy, and the manual claims 140hrs continuous use on the 2 batteries. Obviously, having had it for two days I can't comment on battery life. Otherwise, its been a ball to play with.

I don't know what more you want from a thermometer. It is wonderful and I love having the probe on the same piece of equipment. I find that I use the infra red more than I expected (no more candy thermometers). It is highly accurated and has more features than I would ever use (it has various modes that would allow you to know Hi or Lo temp recorded plus others. I also have used it trouble shooting HVAC and the laser pointer (turns on or off) is nice when you are pointing to a register 20 feet away and want to ensure that you are capturing the correct temp.
It is fun. Highly recommend it.
p.s. the probe is a pivot function in that it does not FOLD out, but SWINGS out 180 degrees from its storage position. I suspect that this may not be as intuitive as some folks might like, but I have had no quality problems with this over the two-plus years that I have owned it.

If you do any cooking and need to know hot hot the oil is or check on how done your roast or whatever is, this is a great addition to the kitchen. I also use it for various other things around the house, including checking the temperature of the bath water. I love using it when frying fish...heat up the oil, point the laser at it and you have the exact temperature needed. I think it could also be used around the house or car to check the temperature at your AC vents, or to see how well your windows or doors are keeping the heat or cold in or out. I am very pleased with the quality and figure this is the kind of product that you wouldn't want to "buy cheap". You can spend more money, however, for most things around the house, it's an excellent investment and looks solid enough to be around for many years. Nice product.

The thermometer works pretty well. The probe was accurate within two or three degrees, and the infrared was accurate within two degrees. It's easy and fun to use. The only change I would suggest is that the probe would read the temperature quicker because it takes upwards of 10 seconds to get a stable reading.

The probe worked well for the few times I used it - but then it had an electrical problem where it flashed error messages and finally stopped working. I contacted the company and they told me there is no warranty. They said it is a "quality assurance" product - which means it is guaranteed to work out of the box, but with no warranty after. Nothing like guaranteeing a product will work when you buy it. It would be funny but for the fact the probe is so expensive.

I bought this a year ago. Since then it's been left too close to the grill and partially melted. At one point it was left outside in the rain (next to the grill, again!) for two weeks. None of this has affected the usability of this great thermometer. It was still working when I brought it in, but I left it in a bowl of rice for a day to clear out the moisture in the display.

I find myself using the metal probe more often than the laser. When the instructions call for an internal temperature of 160 degrees, there is no guesswork. I was surprised at how often I would have taken the food out too early before I had the thermometer. I highly recommend having a thermometer on hand, and this one has been great for me.

I had used Amazon to order the BonJour Culinary Laser Thermometer. What arrived from the seller was the BonJour Chef's Laser Probe Combo Thermometer. I worked things out with the seller and kept the item.

I tried out the unit and found it does a very good job of sensing temprature via infrared. I tested on boiling water since it boils at 212 degrees F. The thermometer read accurately within a degree or so. I cooked a steak in a cast iron pan. The infrared sensed the temprature of the pan so I knew it was good and hot to sear. Seared both sides then into the oven. When it came out of the oven I was thankful for the probe thermometer. I cooked the steak just how I like it and didn't have to use two different pieces of equipment.

As I cook more with Lodge cast iron I needed a way to tell the surface temprature before I put food in the pan or camp oven. This is an excellent tool to have in my culinary arsenal.

I have had this unit for about 4-5 years and it is nice! One day the Prob setting was displaying NoPrb (no prob) It just stopped working all together about a year ago. The laser thermo has worked fine all this time. So the other day I just took it apart! Heck $99 thermometer I want to get it to work! Well there is a wire lead with 2 wires that run from the prob and goes to the board side of the unit with set 2 screws. One of the leads had broken off. I just backed out the set screw and reinserted the wire back in and tightened it down. It has been working fine ever since. When you have it in the Prob mode it will keep track of the High (right arrow button) and the Low(left arrow button)readings from the prob. Sir La Table used to carry them but they have since stopped. Great for checking the grill and Sous Vide.

We really like the Laser/Thermometer. Took a little time figuring out instructions, as a couple things seem illustrated in wrong position, but all in all, very easy to use. We like the instant read ability, rather than waiting for standard thermometer to get up to temperature. Saves time getting things in and out of oven to check temp, and more accurate. My husband likes being able to check the charcoal grill temp. so he knows it is hot enough to put meat on, when cooking outside. He wants to use it to check the oil temp. for cooking turkey outside, too, as the gauge that came with the cooker did not register correctly, so the oil was way to hot the first time we put the turkey in...bubbled out over the edge onto the driveway!!! Thank goodness no fire, as we have seen on news stories. So far, very happy with it. Of course we had some fun at first...checking everyone's surface body temperature...not at faces, however!