Mantis 201101 Compost Bin Thermometer

worked good nice and long

The media could not be loaded.  I'm very, very unhappy with this purchase. I just received it and have never used it, but it doesn't work AT ALL. I brought it outside to put into my compost bin, but before inserting it, I wanted to take a quick look to confirm that it seemed to be giving me a correct reading of the outdoor air temp. As I moved it into eyesight, I saw the gauge shift wildly from the middle of the dial to the bottom. As I stood looking at it, every small movement of my hand resulted in the gauge moving substantially. It was not measuring temperature AT ALL—it was simply sitting wherever it rested after the last time it was moved. Completely, completely, completely useless. Also, although I allegedly received it new, the stem feels sticky, like it's been used before.

It's a good thermometer. Long probe will go deep in a pile of mulch/compost. Also can be used for long reach in BBQ. Not instant read but pretty fast

I read all the reviews before buying this product, and saw a lot of complaints about the sturdiness of the thermometer. I've been using it for 4 weeks, and haven't had any troubles. I don't leave the thermometer in the compost pile though. I just bring it outside and insert it into the pile when I want to know how the temp is doing. I try not to pull the thermometer out by the dial part, although sometimes I do. The thermometer changes quick, just a matter of seconds and it reads 140 from 80. The thermometer is fairly accurate, but I've only compared it to my home's thermostat.I would have given this product 5 stars, but like some others, my thermometer came in a lightly crushed box. No damage to the product. And amazon put that box into a much better, bigger amazon box. So the shipment was very secure, but sometime before that the other smaller slender box got messed up.Overall, great thermometer that's quick and accurate for the price.

I purchased this product at one of the cheaper price thermometers, but it has been a very good product. I has a long stem, rapidly registers the temperature. Just as good as high priced ones. Thanks for a great product at a reasonable price. I would recommend it to anyone.

Bought this 1/20/2008 and I use it all the time to gauge the 5 compost bins I have going all year round. A little flimsy being that the stem isn't the strongest or thickest. About a year or 2 after I bought it, it got a bend to the stem after sticking it in the ground next to my bin. About 6 months ago the dial was forming condensation and what looks like black mold inside it. If there is a safe way to clean this out, it would be great to know, and please post a comment to this review. The gauge still works but I would have expected a more heavy duty compost themometer. The other downside is the temperature changes if you turn the dial while holding the stem. I guess this is to calibrate the temperature to a known temperature or at least this is what I originally thought was a "feature" and not a drawback. looks like I will buy the ReoTemp next if that one will be heavier duty than this one was. Although for lasting over 5 years and kept primarily outdoors all year round in SW Florida, I guess I got my money's worth out of it.

the day it arrived it was 75 F but the thermometer showed 50 F. no way to recalibrate. i stuck it in a hot compost bin and the needle only moved about 5 F. too bad, it looks like it is made well, but this one just doesn't work.

Works great. The shipper should pack it a little better though as the stem was bent when it arrived. Luckily, I could straighten it and it worked.