Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
 Not bad, not great December 13, 2005
Randall Nortman (USA)
14 out of 15 found this review helpful
My two main gripes are that (1) the suction cup tends to work rather poorly at cold temperatures, which is something you'd think they would have considered for this particular device, and (2) that it can be very hard to read the digits at an angle or in the refrigerator lighting, and if you remove it to read it, it will quickly fog up and also start heating almost immediately, resulting in an inaccurate reading. The second point is really mostly a nitpick, as it would be hard to fix this without going to a more expensive backlit LCD display, but the first point is a fundamental flaw.
 I think this is great! April 24, 2006
Betsy W. (Milwaukee, WI)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
I read all the reports last year about having a refrigerator thermometer, especially after Katrina, and figured it was about time I got one. Well, I have been happy with this one! I purchased it elsewhere but I love it! Suction cups are tricky things and I noticed if I open and close the door a lot, it gets a little loose, but it is no problem to moisten it and restick. I have kept this on the door so I can read it easily. I just love a digital readout and am happy someone finally did one for the fridge! I put it in the freezer for fun too, and it worked great there too!
 Beautiful Apple Store level design, great price, neglected by Taylor February 12, 2008
stainlesssteel (San Diego CA)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This thermometer is beautiful...the transparent LCD is something I'd expect to see at an Apple Store. Compare it to the relatively drab Sunbeam 91647. I bought two of them in mid 2006 for the design alone. It really seems to be neglected by Taylor though...little things like the erroneous lower temperature limit of minus 4 deg F (it's been corrected as of Feb 2008 to minus 40 deg F on the Taylor website but I still see "minus 4" on Amazon). I've confirmed it measures down to at least minus 24 degrees F, troubleshooting a freezer that was getting too cold, with a regular analog thermometer for comparison.
The bigger limitation, as mentioned by others here, is the severely limited fastening mechanism...a suction cup mounted directly on the back. No up/down angle adjust possible, crucial with LCDs. In freezers, with metal wire shelves, there's essentially no way to mount it readably except laying on a shelf, where it is guaranteed to get knocked over. Much better would be a lever or universal joint setup, attached to a clamp or the existing suction cup. It could then be mounted to the underside of a glass shelf in a refrigerator, while being able to orient it left to right and up and down so it's at a readable angle. It would also be more easily mounted near the front of the refrig/freezer, where it's less likely to be knocked over or obstructed by refrigerator contents. Front locations can also give a "free" backlit LCD effect, from the refrigerator light shining through the clear LCD. A universal joint-based mounting mechanism also would address the viewing angle problem...the LCD is more readable (darker) if you tilt the top edge forward.
Another improvement would be decreasing its height to the bare minimum over the height of the LCD... the less its height, the lower the chance of getting knocked over by shelf contents.
Also, one of the best reasons for getting an electronic refrigerator themometer is the ease of adding a max/min temperature function. Extremely useful--while away for a long weekend or vacation you could have a power outage that let the refrigerator reach 60-70 degress and never know. It's almost criminal to not include this, as it costs essentially nothing extra...some more firmware code in the existing processor, and an extra button. Taylor could one-up the Sunbeam 91647 by making the max/min resettable without removing the battery...for example holding the max/min button in for say 5 seconds, then displaying a "R-E-S-E-T" sequence on the display, then resuming temperature readout.
I would probably buy one of these for each of the nine units in the apartment building I manage if it had a better mounting mechanism. As is, one tenant unwittingly knocked it over, and it was sitting at the back of the refrigerator shelf hidden by food for months, unused and forlorn! Yes the LCD does fog up in the freezer if it's relatively humid and/or you open the door a lot...just like any other thermometer. Target used to carry these...i'll bet they were discontinued due to these issues.
C'mon, Taylor, you got the hard part down...the great design...now just work on the mounting and marketing! If Sharper Image sold these, they'd be the "Amazing Super Chic Refrigerator/Freezer Monitor, with Universal Miracle Mount, Max/Min Food Guardian, and Backlit Display that Leverages your Existing Refrigerator Light!...Only $49.99!"
Know your tempature May 9, 2007
Willie Butler
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a excellent product with one flaw. You have to find a place to stick it or put it where it won't move. It slides on smooth surfaces but it's worth it.
 Shortcomings noted August 14, 2007
J. OBRIEN (Folsom, CA USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The suction cup doesn't hold reliably, even on a smooth painted surface.
The display frosts up and is difficult to read if used in a freezer.
The display seems to quit at low temperatures; this happened at zero F.
However, it is great for use as a room thermometer and easy to read in that use.
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