Real owners lean toward the ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE: 82% of 56 owners recommend it, vs 75% of 32 for the Kamado Joe Classic II.
Verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube owner comments — affiliate reviews excluded. Sample sizes differ; judge accordingly. How we score
“We switched about 1.5 years ago to the kamado joe classic ii’s and I can assure you those things are WAY better engineered in almost every way.”— ImNotClever_Sorry on Reddit
“The food in it turns out great.”— @fawzye22 on YouTube
“the heat deflector cracked. On to the shop to buy the replacement. Ordered 6 months ago and still not received. Rumour tells me that the heat deflectors are now discontinued. What? This thing cracks so easily but discontinued? People who wants KJ, think twice.”— dDerDol M. on ProductReview.com.au
“Thermoworks Thermapen One. Just bought one for the first time and it is by far the best thermometer I've ever used. Didn't know how much I was missing out my entire life.”— ebone88 on Reddit
“Still working like a charm!”— @gosman949 on YouTube
“Can’t believe these aren’t magnetic for $100”— @charlesbrown4689 on YouTube
Real owners lean toward the ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE: 82% of 56 owners recommend it, vs 75% of 32 for the Kamado Joe Classic II.
Owners point the Kamado Joe Classic II at buy-once buyers wanting a cooker that lasts, and both low-and-slow smokers and high-heat grillers.
Owners point the ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE at smokers and BBQ cooks wanting near-instant reads, and home cooks tired of cheap thermometers breaking.
The most-cited downside of the Kamado Joe Classic II is ceramic heat deflector cracks easily and replacements are hard to get. For the ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE, it's expensive, best bought on sale.