I can't speak about other thermometers, but my vote (albeit, biased) goes to the
Thermapen Mk4! I had the
Thermapen Classic for roughly four years and it served me well. I used the heck out of it and never had to change the battery. Being a southpaw, though, it was a bit of an inconvenience to have to read the temperature upside down.
Recently,
Thermoworks had their yearly "lowest price of the year" sale and I received one of their advertising e-mails. I had really never paid much attention to their upgraded model, the
Mk4, because I was satisfied with the
Thermapen Classic. Well.....I was very happy to read that the display on the Mk4 rotated! No more reading temperatures upside down! Not only that, but the LCD display of the Mk4 is also backlit, which is a major plus when taking temperature readings at night. The motion-sensing wake mode was just the icing on the cake, in case I ever forgot to close the wand after taking a reading. Finally, I don't know if it's a mental thing, but the Mk4 reads the temperature as soon as it goes into the meat. The Thermapen Classic that I had took a couple of seconds to give me a reading, so either my Classic was defective during the whole time in which I owned it or the Mk4 has been improved. Regardless, I'm in love with my new Thermapen all over again. LOL!
Another reason to love the Thermapen is the resale value. I actually sold my Classic for more than what I originally paid, so the upgrade to the Mk4 was literally a no-brainer!
One final point that I'd like to make before I submit my post, whatever you decide to do, do yourself a favor and purchase the fastest reading thermometer that you can get your hands on and can afford. I have long-handled tongs and a long-handled spatula for my grill and smoker for a reason; I don't want to burn my hand! The faster you can get in there, take your temperature and get out, the better. That's worth a few more dollars, in my opinion.
Best of luck to you!