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Mantis Compost Thermometer #201101
From the ManufacturerCompost is all about accurate temperature. This 20-inch thermometer measures up to 220 degrees Fahrenheit - perfect for measuring the temperature of the heat core of your compost.
Mantis Compost Thermometer #201101 Accessories
 Let it Rot!: The Gardener's Guide to Composting (Third Edition) (Storey's Down-to-Earth Guides)
Ringer 3050 Compost Plus 2 Pound Box
Norpro 94 Stainless-Steel Composter Keeper
Yard Butler Compost Aerator #CA-36
Bosmere 36 inch Compost Aerator
Mantis ComposT-Twin #4000-00-02
Teaming with Microbes: A Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web
Easy Composters You Can Build
The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control: A Complete Problem-Solving Guide to Keeping Your Garden and Yard Healthy Without Chemicals
The Rodale Book of Composting: Easy Methods for Every Gardener
Mantis Compost Thermometer #201101 Reviews
I think the shaft twisted slightly apart from the face part as I pulled it out of one of my compost piles. This thermometer worked well for a while then got stuck at 80 deg.
My pile had been going for four days and was nitrogen rich, so when I stuck the thermometer in and it read 75 degrees F I knew it wasn't working (It was July in Dallas and our daily temperatures average 3 digits alone - nevermind the heat generated by decomposition). Thermometer might have worked if it wasn't packaged improperly; however, I still would be unsatisfied with the overall quality and durability of this item in correlation with its price tag.
Upon opening the package the thermometer did have its own box, but whomever shipped it decided to crush it in a cardboard sandwich which might have worked quite well except the thermometer stem which has the same strength as the am/fm antenna on your car had a nice big bend in it. I was caught off-guard when the thermometer was shipped in a piece of folded cardboard and not in a box.
I figured I would give this item a try even though there were quite a few negative reviews. The item was shipped and received the day after I had bought it here at amazon (new - not used).
Mine is being returned and I think I'm just going to use a simple and cheap digital meat thermometer for my compost since it seems to work so well and gives an instant reading. To confirm this though I did stick a digital thermometer into the middle of the pile and it instantly read 105 degrees F.
However, even this didn't deter me as I figured the technology in thermometers is proven and the bend wasn't a crease - so I straightened out the stem and stuck it in my composter.
This thermometer measures temperature, which is to say that it displays a reading of the thermal activity contained within the object into which one inserts it. I give it four stars only because it would have been nice if it were powder coated in rainbow colors. It's flimsy, sure, but it's also long.
Not so with this item. With some experimenting, I found that when the probe was twisted, the needle would move proportionately. I ordered this from amazon as I do purchase frequently and usually have good results. There are other compost thermometers out there; I think amazon may want to consider carrying the REOTemp brand insted of this. Somehow I don't think that's supposed to work in that fashion. It was used once, maybe twice, when it stopped working: the needle wouldn't move off of 140F.
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