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I bought one of these a few months ago and have been using it to a moderate level of satisfaction. I have tried it with iPhone, iPod touch, and my wife's iPad. Due to the awful battery life of the iPhone and iPod touch, I primarily use it with the iPad. I use it with two probes to monitor the temperature of a chosen cut of meat and the internal temperature of my Primo XL smoker.
This product has so much potential but I'm only giving it 3 stars. Why? Well, for one thing, the build quality is a little bit suspect. I have a white unit, and the plastic housing doesn't feel very tough or rugged at all. I wouldn't want to see the unit take a fall onto a hard floor the plastic has a flimsy, almost brittle feel to it. While I would like it to be more rugged, it's not my primary concern. My biggest concern/complaint is that so far, the iGrill is ONLY compatible with their own homegrown IOS iGrill app. The app itself is okay and provides some basic functionality, and is generally fine for short duration cooks, but when I am doing "low and slow" cooks (of up to 30 hour duration), I need a more robust app with a few more features.
1) The iPad app just closes on its own periodically. This means you lose all the data that's been collected on the temperature trendlines.
2) There is no way to log the data to a file. I'd love to have the app just pump it into a csv file or even "to the cloud" in google docs. When I am cooking new things on the smoker, it's great to be able to go back and see exactly how long it took to cook items and how it correlated to the grill temp
3) There is a target temperature alarm that you can set independently for both probes, but when I leave the smoker going all day long or overnight, I'd love to be able to have a LOW temp alert an alarm that alerts me if the grill temp dips too low.
4) This is one of the things I hate about IOS, but this app won't operate in the background, so if you're using your iPad/iPhone/iPod touch to monitor a long cook, you can't really use that device for any other apps without losing your temperature data. Of course, when the app crashes on its own like it does, it doesn't much matter.
Honestly I would forget about those app shortcomings if there were a full featured app available for Mac OSX and Windows 7. Most laptops have bluetooth adapters and you can get a cheap USB bluetooth adapter for a desktop computer for less than $10. I hope iDevices strongly considers doing this or at the very least releasing an SDK or API so independent developers can create their own apps to communicate with the iGrill. If that happens I would give the iGrill a bump to 4.5 stars. (To reach 5 stars it still needs to be more rugged).
Just a few other notes
1) battery life seems pretty good. 4 fresh batteries seem to go for at least 50-60 hours of use.
2) the display on the device is nice for a quick temp check when your wife confiscates her iPad, but it can be difficult to read in bright light, at least on the unit like mine with the white plastic housing.
3) i bought my iGrill at the apple store because I'm impatient and didn't want to wait weeks to order one online. Unfortunately it's only sold with a single probe at the Apple Store. I ordered a spare probe directly from iDevices but they rip you off on shipping and you end up paying around $30 for the 2nd probe. The probes seem accurate but like the iGrill itself, I am a little suspicious of the durability the wire lead is quite thin, so $30 is a ripoff. It's better to buy the bundle that includes 2 probes with the base unit.
4) I don't expect the white housing to hold up very well over time. If the Apple Store had it in black, I definitely would have purchased the black one. That white plastic gets dirty easily and I'm pretty certain it will yellow as it ages.
UPDATE August 11, 2011:
It's been a few months since I wrote my initial review above, and coincidentally, (almost as if on cue) an updated version of the iGrill app came out within a few days of that first review being released. Much to my delight, a lot of features were added to the new version 2.0 app, including items #2 and #3 in the list above. Unfortunately, there are still some glitches. I have not been able to get the CSV file function to work at all it just freezes and crashes the app. The pdf function works, but for very long cooks, the scaling on the graph is messed up so that the labels on the x-axis all overlap each other, making them completely illegible. The updated app seems to be a bit more stable I have witnessed a few lockups and freezes here and there but the last 2 long cooks I've done, it didn't crash at all. I had a few issues where it wouldn't link up with the outdoor unit for several minutes, or it would launch and then close immediately, but I think I have it figured out now. Basically, launch the app and turn on the iGrill device as soon as the app loads. If it doesn't display a temperature right away, just wait a few minutes and it will show up. Another glitch I've found that impacts the device's usefulness is if one of the probes is over 125F when you turn the iGrill on, it seems to lock everything up. This happened once when the iGrill app crashed in the middle of a cook, and in an effort to get everything going again, I pulled the batteries out of the iGrill device. When I replaced them and turned the iGrill on, the alarm sounded immediately and the iGrill app couldn't connect, so eventually I figured out I had to remove the probes from the food in the grill to get it restarted. It was quite a frustrating ordeal.
I hate throwing away alkaline batteries so I use rechargeable AAs in almost everything. The iGrill works pretty well with the NiMh batteries that I have, but the "low battery" threshold in the iGrill app should be lowered. Due to the slightly lower voltage of rechargeable AAs, the iGrill erroneously thinks the batteries are running out of juice and it throws false warnings. It will show up within minutes after putting in a freshly charged set of AAs, but then the iGrill works fine for a good 40-60 hours even though it thinks the batteries are low.
Regarding probe accuracy, mine seem to be pretty accurate. I tested both of the probes that I have and both of them read within 1 degree of each other across a wide range of temps. I have tested them against a digital J/K thermometer and the readings are within 1-2 degrees across the range of tested temps, so I think these are accurate enough for cooking. The wires are braided metal but they tangle easily and compared to the probes on my other meat thermometers, they seem rather fragile, so I try to be careful with them when wrapping or unwrapping the leads for storage.
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My Williams Sonoma probe thermo just stopped working. So in my search I came across the IGrill and saw some pretty weak reviews. I don't take much stock in most reviews as most are just upset buyers that don't take the time to work out minor kinks in a new product. So on my own judgement and knowing that the apple store sells these units, I bought one. Apple is pretty good about not selling products that don't uphold their high standards of quality.My use...
Large Big Green Egg
IPad 2
Quality
seems to be good.
Yes, it's plastic, but seems to be durable
Meat Probes
Temps are Accurate
Length could be a little longer
Ambient temp Probe
Very accurate
Comes with clip to mount through dome.
I used at grate level and is very accurate
Bought an alligator clip for the grate.
App (ver. 2 new app)
Works good
MUST turn igrill on FIRST then turn on App.
MUST go into settings and adjust auto shut off to NEVER
Needs Future upgrades
Alarm for LOW temp
Fix little crashing bugs
Fix sleep mode
Remove the manual style timer, give option for digital timer.
Add ability to name the probe like in the first APP.
Open up to other app developers to create new and cool apps
Multiple device support.
Create android app...you could get additional sales!!
Would I recommend this?
YES
Is it a little pricey?
YES
Is it really cool?
YES
Does it works as stated?
YES
Is there room for improvement?
YES
Best Deals for iDevices iGrill Grilling/Cooking BBQ Thermometer
Despite the mediocre reviews, I really wanted to have a good experience the iGrill. I do a lot of BBQ on a Weber Smokey Mountain, and a wireless thermometer is invaluable. My existing wireless is a PITA to sync and keep synced, so when I saw the iGrill's bluetooth capabilities, I thought, "brilliant"!Well, it would be brilliant except for the apparent faulty probe. I am attempting to smoke a beef brisket using the iGrill and noticed the meat's temp jumping to over 145 degrees in an hour. Given my smoker's temp was only at 250, I suspected an issue.
After some troubleshooting, I observed the following:
A. The probe's temp wildly fluctuating depending on how the probe connector was positioned to the base unit.
B. Even when "settled", the probe shows a temperature consistently 10-15 degrees above that of my trusty Pyrex probe thermometer.
I've emailed iGrill to request a probe replacement, but do not expect to hear from them for at least a day.
If I get a replacement probe that works, I will update this review, but at this point, I simply cannot recommend the iGrill.
EDIT: As I indicated in a reply to a comment, I did receive a replacement probe from the vendor. However, that probe only lasted two months before failing in the same manner. iDevices needs to figure out what is wrong with their probe manufacturing process, because something is not working.
Honest reviews on iDevices iGrill Grilling/Cooking BBQ Thermometer
I saw this advertised somewhere and went on here to buy it, then I saw the reviews and it scared me off. Apparently my wife noticed it too but didn't care in desperate need for a father's day gift. Having read the previews reviews I was a bit hesitant to use it, but it's been working pretty good.Range: It's Bluetooth, it is not designed to go far and through thick walls, so for me that means having the device in line of sight on the deck, about 20 feet from the kitchen window, while the iPad rests on the rim of the window inside. That way I can prep inside and keep an eye on the temperature. I tried a bit further and it wouldn't work.
Connectivity: It connects pretty well. If you turn on the device first and then open the app, it sees the device pretty much right away. If you have the app already open and turn on the device, it seems like it can take up to 10 seconds. That's enough time to get upset about it not working and start closing apps, switching the device on and off, and fiddle with Bluetooth settings. Some patience and it works fine. One thing I noticed is that every time you pair the item with the Bluetooth device, it will prompt you that there is a matching app available and then links to an app that doesn't exist. There must be some kind of identifier issue, between the device and the software in the app store.
Accuracy: I can not complain at all, we have enjoyed moist chicken and steak. Yesterday I made a roast in the stove and I used the iGrill. After 45 minutes it told me the desired temperature was achieved, which was 15 minutes earlier than I expected. I blew off the iGrill insisting on the 1 hour cook time, well, it was too done and the iGrill was in fact right on the money. I definitely trust the iGrill.
App: The app is beautiful, intuitive and very functional. Actually it was just recently completely redesigned. One of my favorite features is that it estimates when the final temperature will be achieved and displays a history graph of the current probe.
Build Quality: I haven't had any issues, it's made of plastic and I treat my kitchen tools usually with care. I can see how it would break if you drop it a lot or hit it with sharper utensils, but any thermometer would seem prone to that. One thing that's nice about the main unit that it isn't just a dumb transmitter, it will also display the temperature and sound an alarm when the settings are reached that I programmed on the iDevice. So when I am right at the grill I still get the full benefit of the device.
Future improvements:
Allow to pair with more than one device I would like to use it with my iPhone and iPad at the same time
Provide thinner probes, these probes like most consumer cooking thermometers are thick and pierce big holes into delicate pieces of meat
Don't reset the meat type after alarm I simply want to push the probe into the next batch of chicken without having to fiddle with the iDevice
Provide a way to store the second probe the first one wraps and clips nicely to the main unit, the second one, well it just lays around.
Get rid of the annoying "an app is available" message on bluetooth connection
Bottom Line: I am really happy with the device, it does what it's supposed to and it does it well. Sure there are possible improvements, but what device is perfect. Is it worth twice as much as a good traditional digital two probe thermometer, probably, but I think it would sell better in the $50 to $75 range, but that's something that may happen once more people start buying it. I feel my wife spent the money well and surprised me with a nice professional gadget.
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I've used various grill thermometers over the years, for the past few years I've been using the Weber wireless unit. I was never satisfied with that, it seemed like it was always losing its signal at an inopportune moment (and I LOVE most Weber products).When I saw the iGrill become available, I figured it was worth a shot. The $100 price tag concerned me a bit, but this is a case of "ya get what ya pay for". I've only used this thing in the heat of battle a couple of times, but it worked flawlessly. The software is a bit clunky, which I assume will improve over time (I'd give it 5 stars but for that), but all in all, I think this thing is well worth the money. And it definitely has a coolness factor that no other grill thermometer can hope to emulate. Well done! (pun intended).
