Maverick 733 is smarter than I am! IT DIED!!! parts on the way

radio · May 4, 2015

what a PITA to set! not sure if it's just me, or if something is not quite right with it. Probe 1 I can set the alarm temp for just fine, but can't get #2 probe to take a temp for the alarm, so just shut the alarm off

UPDATE:

Smoked last weekend and used the Maverick for the second time. started noticing the CC temp going nuts and the internal meat temp not rising. finally dug out the old Taylor thermometer to finish the cook and tested the Maverick in ice water. one probe read 46° and the other 157° !! °

To say I am disappointed in the Maverick would be an understatement!!!

Update II:

I sent Maverick a message yesterday describing what happened and received a reply today. They seem to think I fried the probes, but are sending two new ones at no charge.

I know I didn't pinch, melt or waterlog the probes as I learned the hard way on the first cheapo Taylor unit I had. Bought two more and have used them for about two years, so my treatment of the probes isn't the issue

Customer service with Maverick seems good so far. If it isn't the probes, I'm curious to see how they handle replacing the unit. Picked up a 14 pound packer today, so the trusty old Taylors will get used again

noboundaries · May 4, 2015

I just use my 732 as a dumb chamber and food temp thermometer. I used the alarms and features on another digital therm I own and all it did was eat up the bateries, so I stopped using the features. That lesson was applied to my Maverick.

daricksta · May 4, 2015

I used my ET-733 yesterday with no problems. I only got alarms with probe #1 (BARBECUE) because when I'd open the MES 30 door the temp would drop below the minimum temp I set. It never went off for probe #2 (FOOD) because the I/T started off below my target temp and continued to steadily climb.

I had to resync it a couple of times but over the 3 hours I smoked a tri-tip roast it performed perfectly.

But you are very right: it remains a PITA to set. I chose to set the receiver up first but it wouldn't always set on FOOD; it kept shifting between FOOD and BARBECUE until suddenly--it would allow me to set my FOOD parameters. That happened twice. But once again the ET-733 enabled me to complete another great smoke with the meat cooked to exactly the I/T I had intended.

radio · Jun 19, 2015

Maverick died. update at the top

xray · Jun 19, 2015

It is a PITA to set at first but once you get used to it, it's not bad. It's like setting an old Casio wrist watch! Lol

As for setting it up: I just set my target temps for each probe. I don't bother with food or BBQ mode or meat types...all that's useless to me. I just want it to show the temp of each probe.

foamheart · Jun 19, 2015

I have a question, I have 2 each ET72's, and a ET732 still in the box. The 72, are one probe, the 732 is two. I had been thinking about the 733 because of the ability to preset what? 7 temperatures? Thats great. I could probably live for 95% of my smokes with three! Isn't that a huge help, just click a preset and you are sitting on go.

I just so happened to be talking about the maverick probes last week. I told another that my first ET72's probe lasted 14 years. Now I am excited if they last 4 or 5 smokes, I am buying them 4 at a time so I don't come up short. I realize its a cheap probe, and I could guess where its manufactured. But its getting ridiculious, or I am just having a string of really bad luck with 'em.

My friend said he didn't even want to talk about the probes, he was in a good mood.

Anyone else seeing lots of faulty probes?

capt7383 · Jun 19, 2015

The maverick probes truly suck. I have a pampered cheff therm that must be twenty years old I never had a problem with it

xray · Jun 19, 2015

Foamheart said:
I have a question, I have 2 each ET72's, and a ET732 still in the box. The 72, are one probe, the 732 is two. I had been thinking about the 733 because of the ability to preset what? 7 temperatures? Thats great. I could probably live for 95% of my smokes with three! Isn't that a huge help, just click a preset and you are sitting on go.

I just so happened to be talking about the maverick probes last week. I told another that my first ET72's probe lasted 14 years. Now I am excited if they last 4 or 5 smokes, I am buying them 4 at a time so I don't come up short. I realize its a cheap probe, and I could guess where its manufactured. But its getting ridiculious, or I am just having a string of really bad luck with 'em.

My friend said he didn't even want to talk about the probes, he was in a good mood.

Anyone else seeing lots of faulty probes?

Foam,

The meat types (beef, chicken, fish, veal etc.) all have a preset temp. I find it takes longer to cycle through them than to just change the temp ranges on the probes.

Although the presets can be helpful for people unsure of the target temp for each type of meat.

Also, the temps are customizable. For example my IT for pulled pork can be 198 while yours could be 200...so you have the option to change it. The only drawback to that is, if you smoke a pork tenderloin you have to drop your preset temp back to 140-145 or whatever temp you smoke tenderloin to. That defeats the preset option for me.

foamheart · Jun 19, 2015

Xray said:
Foam,

The meat types (beef, chicken, fish, veal etc.) all have a preset temp. I find it takes longer to cycle through them than to just change the temp ranges on the probes.

Although the presets can be helpful for people unsure of the target temp for each type of meat.

Also, the temps are customizable. For example my IT for pulled pork can be 198 while yours could be 200...so you have the option to change it. The only drawback to that is, if you smoke a pork tenderloin you have to drop your preset temp back to 140-145 or whatever temp you smoke tenderloin to. That defeats the preset option for me.

I thought there was like 5 factory set, veal, pork, cow, chicken, etc. and you still had like 3 you can program and hold. So if I click the #2 programable and I have it set for 120 (my bacon/sausage smoke) it would just go there without me having to click it in every time. That would be very handy.

xray · Jun 19, 2015

Foamheart said:
I thought there was like 5 factory set, veal, pork, cow, chicken, etc. and you still had like 3 you can program and hold. So if I click the #2 programable and I have it set for 120 (my bacon/sausage smoke) it would just go there without me having to click it in every time. That would be very handy.

There are 15 pre-programmed meats. Once you select your meat there is a TASTE option which is the doneness that is pre-set or you could customize to your desired temp.

image.jpg

xray
Jun 19, 2015

As far as I'm aware, I don't believe you could make your own category and temperature as a preset option. BACON. But I could be wrong.

That's why I find it easier to just adjust your target temperature on the probe and not worry about picking a selection. For example, I have to press the button 7x to get to deer and if I go past it by mistake, I have to cycle through all the meat selections again.. To me that's a lot of button mashing and that's why I skip that and just set the temp for the probe.

The programming is as easy or as difficult as you could make it out to be . Hope this helps.

daricksta · Jun 19, 2015

radio said:
what a PITA to set! not sure if it's just me, or if something is not quite right with it. Probe 1 I can set the alarm temp for just fine, but can't get #2 probe to take a temp for the alarm, so just shut the alarm off

UPDATE:

Smoked last weekend and used the Maverick for the second time. started noticing the CC temp going nuts and the internal meat temp not rising. finally dug out the old Taylor thermometer to finish the cook and tested the Maverick in ice water. one probe read 46° and the other 157° !! °

To say I am disappointed in the Maverick would be an understatement!!!

You wrote that this was the only the 2nd time you used the Maverick. How long have you owned it? What kind of smoker did you use it with? How did you handle the probes when inserting one or both in meat and when pulling them out? It's helpful to have all the info when troubleshooting a product. I've had my ET-733 for about a year and a half and have used it 6 times or so. It performs perfectly. I'm always very careful with how I handle the probe ends where the wires are attached because that's where most of the problems occur. The only other issue I've had is having to replace the batteries twice in the receiver but I typically only need to do this once a year. The batteries last longer in the transmitter.

I've said for years that any factory production line can produce lemons along with perfect units. Yours could be defective or it could be something else. A few guys on SMF claim that Masterbuilt electric smokers are a POS. I've had mine for over 3 years and it performs as perfectly now as it did when I first got it.

radio · Jun 19, 2015

daRicksta said:
radio said:

what a PITA to set! not sure if it's just me, or if something is not quite right with it. Probe 1 I can set the alarm temp for just fine, but can't get #2 probe to take a temp for the alarm, so just shut the alarm off

UPDATE:

Smoked last weekend and used the Maverick for the second time. started noticing the CC temp going nuts and the internal meat temp not rising. finally dug out the old Taylor thermometer to finish the cook and tested the Maverick in ice water. one probe read 46° and the other 157° !! °

To say I am disappointed in the Maverick would be an understatement!!!

Click to expand...

You wrote that this was the only the 2nd time you used the Maverick. How long have you owned it? What kind of smoker did you use it with? How did you handle the probes when inserting one or both in meat and when pulling them out? It's helpful to have all the info when troubleshooting a product. I've had my ET-733 for about a year and a half and have used it 6 times or so. It performs perfectly. I'm always very careful with how I handle the probe ends where the wires are attached because that's where most of the problems occur. The only other issue I've had is having to replace the batteries twice in the receiver but I typically only need to do this once a year. The batteries last longer in the transmitter.

I've said for years that any factory production line can produce lemons along with perfect units. Yours could be defective or it could be something else. A few guys on SMF claim that Masterbuilt electric smokers are a POS. I've had mine for over 3 years and it performs as perfectly now as it did when I first got it.

Owned a little over a month. horizontal offset stick burner with probes inserted through a hole so lid doesn't pinch the wires. I never insert or pull the probe by the wire. did that on my first remote thermometer and pulled the wire clean out of the probe! Lesson learned the hard way. I never allow water near the crimped end of the probe.

As stated above, the two Taylors I have are about two years old and still going, so I haven't been rough on any more probes

simple · Jun 19, 2015

Foamheart said:
I have a question, I have 2 each ET72's, and a ET732 still in the box. The 72, are one probe, the 732 is two. I had been thinking about the 733 because of the ability to preset what? 7 temperatures? Thats great. I could probably live for 95% of my smokes with three! Isn't that a huge help, just click a preset and you are sitting on go.

I just so happened to be talking about the maverick probes last week. I told another that my first ET72's probe lasted 14 years. Now I am excited if they last 4 or 5 smokes, I am buying them 4 at a time so I don't come up short. I realize its a cheap probe, and I could guess where its manufactured. But its getting ridiculious, or I am just having a string of really bad luck with 'em.

My friend said he didn't even want to talk about the probes, he was in a good mood.

Anyone else seeing lots of faulty probes?

I just replaced my first one. I think this is the 4th summer for it. They have not been treated very nicely. Left hanging down the outside of the drum in rain, snow, ice; you name the abuse and I've probably committed it. The only thing I've really been careful about is not putting them under water. When I got them, I slipped some heat-shrink tubing over the connection end and about 4 inches up the cable, then used a heat gun to shrink it tight. I don't know if that's added to their longevity, but it seems plausible

daricksta · Jun 19, 2015

radio said:
Owned a little over a month. horizontal offset stick burner with probes inserted through a hole so lid doesn't pinch the wires. I never insert or pull the probe by the wire. did that on my first remote thermometer and pulled the wire clean out of the probe! Lesson learned the hard way. I never allow water near the crimped end of the probe.

As stated above, the two Taylors I have are about two years old and still going, so I haven't been rough on any more probes

That's the info I was seeking. It's always possible you got a lemon and that would be a shame.

I've had a little bit of experience with Taylors: one was a cheap fridge therm and the other one was a single probe therm under the Food Network brand but identical to one under the Taylor nameplate. I used to use the FN/Taylor as my smoker therm. But last Christmas I was roasting a boneless ribeye roast for dinner and saw the temp was displayed as 125°. I double checked it with my CDN ProAccurate Thermocouple therm and the actual temp was around 135° and my finish IT was to be 140°which I wound up nailing thanks to the CDN. Had I stuck with the Taylor a gorgeous and expensive piece of meat would've been ruined. I never use the FN/Taylor anymore.

With my ET-733, I keep it in its original packaging and do my best to be careful when pulling the probes out of their slots on the plastic tray. I plan to order replacement probes soon because I know somehow, someday one or both will probably fail no matter how careful I am.

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Maverick 733 is smarter than I am! IT DIED!!! parts on the way

radio

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noboundaries

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daricksta

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radio

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xray

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foamheart

Gone but not forgotten. RIP

capt7383

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