Maverick ET-733 thread

[daricksta]

 
Configuring the 733 can be a pain.  When I convinced two of my co-workers to purchase one, I had them bring the 733s to work, so I could do the basic config on them. A fuel level type indicator for battery condition would be a plus.  This way, a user could determine if batteries need replacement before a long smoke.

In spite of all of these statements, the 733 is one of my essential cooking tools.

You should also email Maverick about that suggestion because I wish I had thought of it.  The first indication I got that I had a dead battery in the receiving unit was its failure to turn on.

 

[daricksta]

 
This is why my next one will be the same as my 4 year old "ET-732".

I don't need or want any of the bells & whistles. All I need or want is a smoker probe, a meat probe, and a digital read-out on the transmitter, and a digital read-out on the receiver. All the rest is a waste for me. Shame they don't make one that only has those things.

Same thing with my camera----Got so many buttons on it, there's no place to hold the dang thing when I take pics!!!!  And all I use is on--off and zoom!!!

Bear

Are you saying the display screen is brighter on the 732? I've always wanted the newest version of any electronic thing but rarely had the money to buy them. I saw the differences between the 732 and the 733 which is why I chose the latter.

I bought a $200 point and shoot camera for my wife that has a bunch of bells and whistles. Just like you, she only uses the easy functions on it, as do I when I use it. But now she wants a fancy shmancy Canon digital SLR with detaches lenses. That camera would give her even more bells and whistles she'll never use. But she takes excellent photos so what can I do?

 

[Bearcarver]

 
Are you saying the display screen is brighter on the 732? I've always wanted the newest version of any electronic thing but rarely had the money to buy them. I saw the differences between the 732 and the 733 which is why I chose the latter.

I bought a $200 point and shoot camera for my wife that has a bunch of bells and whistles. Just like you, she only uses the easy functions on it, as do I when I use it. But now she wants a fancy shmancy Canon digital SLR with detaches lenses. That camera would give her even more bells and whistles she'll never use. But she takes excellent photos so what can I do?

No, I never compared the display screens. I just won't go to one with more Bells & Whistles that I don't want or need, so if I need a new one, it will be a 732.  If it wasn't for the poor wireless distance, I'd get another ET-73. Poor distance was the only problem I have with my original ET-73.

Bear

 

[daricksta]

 
No, I never compared the display screens. I just won't go to one with more Bells & Whistles that I don't want or need, so if I need a new one, it will be a 732.  If it wasn't for the poor wireless distance, I'd get another ET-73. Poor distance was the only problem I have with my original ET-73.

Bear

I like the larger screen on the receiver.  What I really don't like about the ET-733 is that it's way too complex to program settings. You've got to know which button to push first, how long to hold it down, and then to quickly find the next button(s) to push, and then remember how to get manual temp settings. I always have my owners manual in front of me for all of this because if you screw up you have to repeat the whole process again. Once it's set, however, it's a joy to use.

 

[daricksta]

 
Thank you.

Got my answer from Nikki at Maverick. She will have my issues and suggestions addressed by the Product Development Team. In my response to her I also used Addertooth's suggestion that a battery strength indicator also be added.

 

[daricksta]

 
Thank you.

Just got an answer from Nikki at Maverick. She'll have my issues and suggestions addressed by the Product Development Team. In my response I also included Addertooth's suggestion that a battery strength indicator be added. So, we'll see what happens.

 

[daricksta]

Is there any way to delete posts made in error from a thread? This is one of them.

 

[daricksta]

 
Got my answer from Nikki at Maverick. She will have my issues and suggestions addressed by the Product Development Team. In my response to her I also used Addertooth's suggestion that a battery strength indicator also be added.

This is another comment of mine I can't delete.

 

[superdave]

Don't know if any of you are Cabelas shoppers but Maverick makes the 732 & 733 under a Cabelas label.  Since I have a Cabelas credit card, I've saved enough points to now order my thermometer for free. 

 

[superdave]

daRicksta, I hate programming anything!!!  Is there an easy way to just plug it in and read current temps?

 

[Bearcarver]

 
daRicksta, I hate programming anything!!!  Is there an easy way to just plug it in and read current temps?

Not sure what Rick's answer will be about the 733, but that's what I like about my ET-732. All I do is turn it on, position the probes, read the temps, and make notes throughout the smoke, until it reaches the temp I want to pull it.

I don't set any alarms, bells, or whistles. I usually physically check it every half hour (sometimes every 15 minutes) for how heavy the smoke is anyway.

I use these copious notes for my Step by Steps.

Bear

 

[daricksta]

 
daRicksta, I hate programming anything!!!  Is there an easy way to just plug it in and read current temps?

SuperDave, that's exactly what happens after you plug in the probes and place them in the smoker and inside the meat. You almost instantly see both Barbecue and Food temps on both units. The only reason to program your cooking parameters (type of meat, BBQ and Food temp set points) is to customize the readings for what you're cooking. I have the alert function on to monitor the controller temp swings because I want to know when it swings too high or too low.

I don't have the manual in front of me so I can't recall if the receiver beeps when the food reaches the target temp. Still, I like to see what I'm cooking, and track the cooking progress on the display screen.

 

[smokergal2]

wow, a lot of info about the Maverick.  I was a little bit leery about the probes failing but the shrink tubing should help.  can I get the shrink tubing at Home Depot or would Radio Shack be better to find this stuff?

I have also shopped other brands  Does anyone have input on  DCN digital meat probe?

 

[dr k]

 
wow, a lot of info about the Maverick.  I was a little bit leery about the probes failing but the shrink tubing should help.  can I get the shrink tubing at Home Depot or would Radio Shack be better to find this stuff?

I have also shopped other brands  Does anyone have input on  DCN digital meat probe?

I have the CDN (Component Design Midwest, Inc.) Model DTP482 (not a remote therm.)  It's a single probe Therm that has preprogrammed doneness settings for all kinds of meats or you can set your own temp which gives you a flash alarm or both flash and audible alarm when temp is reached.  It boil tested perfectly out of the box so I used the permetex ultra copper 700*F RTV silicone you can get at any automotive store.  Some people can only find the red RTV but that goes to 500*F.  I like the RTV because it's thick liquid rubbery texture lets you push it into the braid of the cable and it stays flexible over the probe cable joint.  Shrink tubing is good but may get sticky at higher temps.  I have a Maverick OT-03BBQ therm (not a remote therm) for cooking chamber only that was out of the box perfect with the boiling test.  These two therms were less than the ET-732 Maverick.  I have been thinking about the ET-732 for a couple of years but have heard about probe problems.  Maybe since I new I was going to boil test then seal them after they passed and let them cure for a day was the right way to go before using them.  Or maybe because they are just digital therms with no high tech features.  No problem with these for 2 years and original battery in each.  I periodically retest all my therms in boiling water. 

-Kurt

 

[daricksta]

 
wow, a lot of info about the Maverick.  I was a little bit leery about the probes failing but the shrink tubing should help.  can I get the shrink tubing at Home Depot or would Radio Shack be better to find this stuff?

I have also shopped other brands  Does anyone have input on  DCN digital meat probe?

Smokergal2, you mean CDN. I own one of their knockoffs of the Thermapen Instant Read (same red color and shape) and I like it a lot. Don't know anything about the models with probes but CDN has a good reputation. The company's located in Oregon but the stuff is Chinese-made, as are the Mavericks.

I don't bother with shrink tubing the Maverick probes. I just do my best to handle them carefully, which means not pulling the probe out of meat by the joint where the cords connect to the probes. I also carefully clean the probes themselves without getting that joint wet. I've read in most of the cases where the probes fail it was user misuse.

 

[franknbeans]

Purchased a 733 two days ago :yahoo: and already smoked a brisket with it with no problems at all. Temps were almost dead on and the larger screen is nice. For all those who are worried about programming, don't be. As long as you turn on both units within 120sec of each other they auto pair and then temps instantly display. Honestly even when I programmed my hi/lo alerts it still was pretty simple once done a few times.

 

[red dog]

 
Are you saying the display screen is brighter on the 732? I've always wanted the newest version of any electronic thing but rarely had the money to buy them. I saw the differences between the 732 and the 733 which is why I chose the latter.

I bought a $200 point and shoot camera for my wife that has a bunch of bells and whistles. Just like you, she only uses the easy functions on it, as do I when I use it. But now she wants a fancy shmancy Canon digital SLR with detaches lenses. That camera would give her even more bells and whistles she'll never use. But she takes excellent photos so what can I do?

Rick, I have owned several Canon digital SLR's and there is no comparison when it comes to photo quality. SLR's  have much larger sensors and so take better photos even if you don't use all the features. If she wants to have larger prints of her photos made that's where the SLR really shines. Also, most of the Canons also take pretty darn good video these days.  

 

[daricksta]

 
Rick, I have owned several Canon digital SLR's and there is no comparison when it comes to photo quality. SLR's  have much larger sensors and so take better photos even if you don't use all the features. If she wants to have larger prints of her photos made that's where the SLR really shines. Also, most of the Canons also take pretty darn good video these days.  

Red Dog, I agree with you about the Canon. We recently had a niece and her husband visit us and he had a Canon digital SLR. This writes video games for a living and knows his techie stuff. This was when my wife told me she'd like to have a camera like his. The reason she doesn't is that last year I bought her the Panasonic point-and-shoot digital for $200 at Costco. The cheapest Canon package at Costco is over three times that much, which is way out of our budget. So she'll have to stick with the Panasonic. We do have a Canon photo printer which we love although it's an ink hog.

I think I just hijacked this thread...

 

[red dog]

 
Red Dog, I agree with you about the Canon. We recently had a niece and her husband visit us and he had a Canon digital SLR. This writes video games for a living and knows his techie stuff. This was when my wife told me she'd like to have a camera like his. The reason she doesn't is that last year I bought her the Panasonic point-and-shoot digital for $200 at Costco. The cheapest Canon package at Costco is over three times that much, which is way out of our budget. So she'll have to stick with the Panasonic. We do have a Canon photo printer which we love although it's an ink hog.

I think I just hijacked this thread...

I buy my cameras at Amazon.  They are cheaper than Costco. If you get a Amazon store card anything over 150.00 you get 6 months free financing. Just so they can't accuse us of hijacking I'll add that I just got my new ET-733 from Amazon on Wednesday. I plan on using it for the first smoke doing BBB on Monday.

 

[daricksta]

 
I buy my cameras at Amazon.  They are cheaper than Costco. If you get a Amazon store card anything over 150.00 you get 6 months free financing. Just so they can't accuse us of hijacking I'll add that I just got my new ET-733 from Amazon on Wednesday. I plan on using it for the first smoke doing BBB on Monday.

What I like about Costco is that I if I decide to return something electronic I have at least 90 days to just drive it back to a local store to get a full refund. Returning stuff on Amazon is a slight hassle but one just the same.

Let us know how you like the ET-733. When I first turned it on I had a slight problem syncing the transmitter and receiver but that resolved quickly. Also, a couple of times the Barbecue probe displayed that the smoker temp was past the maximum therm temp; it just read HI or something. It took a little fiddling but I got it to work. I've used the ET-733 about 3 times since then with absolutely no problems. The only thing I don't like is the programming procedure. I have to keep referring to the owners manual and the buttons and procedure are both so touchy. You've got to touch the proper buttons within a few seconds or the process has to be restarted. That being said, once I get it programmed the way I want (and you certainly don't have to program it at all), the Maverick works like a charm. I like being able to set the alarm to notify me if the temp goes below my minimum temp or above my maximum.

What is so cool is being able to sit in front of my computer or the TV set and monitor how the smoke is going.