The Maverick ET-73 was an iconic BBQ thermometer, almost every BBQ’er we know use them including us. For the uninitiated, the ET-73 is dual probe remote thermometer. It has both pit and food probes and a remote receiver so you can leave your smoker cooking away outside while you sit inside and watch the temperatures.
We love our Mavericks but we’ve always had a couple of gripes with them, but the good news is that there is now an updated version. The Redi Check ET-732 from Maverick Industries promises to resolve all the commonly reported issues with the original.
We’ve just got our hands on our first ET-732 so here’s a quick review of our first impressions.
In the Box
 |
Upon opening the box it’ll look familiar to existing ET-73 owners. The box contains… |
|
The first thing to notice is that the build quality of everything seems to be a lot better. The power switch on the transmitter is no longer inside the battery compartment, the buttons seem better and the new transmitter stand now rotates to be either a hanger or stand. There are external stubby antennas on both units, this should help with the promised extended range. We were a little disappointed to find the supplied probes are just the short (4ft) versions, we were even more disappointed when we tried connecting some of our 6ft ET73 probes only to find they don’t work with the ET732.
Features and Functions
A quick read of the instructions reveals that operation is almost identical to the older version. The addition of an out of range alarm and timer function is pretty good though. Additionally there is an extra button on the transmitter which allows the user to change the transmitter display between Centigrade and Farenheit and doubles as a re-sync button if held for two seconds.
We particularly like the new orange backlight on the receiver, it’s much brighter than the green light on the old version.
How Well Does It Work?
Short answer -very well indeed. We always loved our ET-73′s but this new replacement is in a different league. Our test cook for this device is a brisket for dinner and a fatty for lunch, both cooked on a Pro Q Excel 20. We fired up the E20 first thing and put the pit probe in place. The transmitter and receiver sync’d automatically and immediately started to give us a display on both units.
Once up to temperature we put the brisket on and then did a quick range test. Now the ET-73 will only just reach the inside of Neil’s house, the receiver has to be left on his dining table in order to get a signal. With the 732 we are able to have the receiver anywhere in the house, Neil being particularly happy that he can can get a signal in his bedroom so he can now sleep during over night smokes. The improved range is worth the money alone.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Conclusion
We are a bit disappointed about the probes supplied with the unit as it will cost us extra to get 6ft probes again, when we have four 6ft probes for our ET-73′s, this is a bit of a pain. However this minor irk is more than compensated for by the improved build quality and range. It’s fair to say our existing Redi checks will now probably be resigned to a life gathering dust in the shed, we are genuinely surprised how much better this unit seems to be. Only time will tell if the new units have much better build quality, they seem more solid now but I’ll reserve final judgement until I’ve been using one for a season.
All in all, we’d say that along with a Superfast Thermapen, the Maverick Redi Check ET-732 is an essential piece of kit for any serious BBQ’er.
