Buy this along with air temp and temp probs and you're good to go for smoking meats on a Weber kettle. the one for air temp is awesome: PerfectPrime TL3163K K-Type Thermocouple

Bought this as a relatively cheap way to check temps where my IR thermo can't go (e.g. inside ducts). It refreshes the display about twice per second. I noticed that the two channels don't always read the same temperature when the probes are close to each other (e.g. in boiling water), but that seems to be mostly an issue of thermal inertia -- once the readings settle, the two channels are within about 0.5 to 1.5 degrees C of each other, as tested in icewater and in boiling water. I tested against another thermocouple probe from a major test instrument manufacturer, and both channels on this probe were about 1 degree C high in comparison. Probably the display out to a tenth of a degree is overly optimistic, and should really round to the nearest degree. This unit does not have any obvious way to adjust or calibrate to a known temperature.

The control options are easy to use, and the keys have a beep feedback when pressed. The backlight turns on and automatically shuts off. The case is hard plastic, doesn't flex much, but there is no protective sleeve, and there is no stand.

If this were a $100 unit, i would probably have rated it two or three stars due to the reading differences between channels (likely due to the inexpensive thermocouples provided), but at this price point I think four stars is warranted. For the price, I'm reasonably confident in this as a single-reading thermometer, and with caution and careful data collection, I think you could make channel-to-channel comparisons, such as using the temperature difference (T1-T2) setting to test a heat sink, A/C evaporator, or A/C condenser.

What's not to love for an accurate, easy to read dual trace thermometer? It amazes me that such good quality devices can be had for so little money.

Works great for what I need. Very easy to use. Get readings fast.

I purchased this thermometer to take temperature measurements around the house and just to have a toy to tinker around with. I am not using it for any industrial or scientific purposes that require super high accuracy. If that's what you want, then you need to spend the money necessary to achieve that (i.e go buy a Fluke). You're simply not going to get that for $17.

After I opened the box, I decided to test the accuracy, so I put a pot of water on the stove and brought it to a boil. I stuck the leads in the center of the pan (without touching the sides or bottom) and both leads read 209.1°F and stayed there. I checked the barometric pressure (since the boiling point of water varies with pressure) and I determined that the water in my area should boil at 211°F. So, I figure that this thermometer's accuracy is within 2°F to 2.5°F, which is good enough for me. Sure, I wish it was reading dead on accurate, but the good news is that both leads read exactly the same in the boiling water, so there's no variance at all there (like is the case with some cheap thermometers that give different readings on the different leads).

Pros:

Cheap
Fairly accurate
Both leads read exactly the same during the boil test (209.1°F).
Nice buttons
Decent build quality
Does min/mean/max readings
Has a hold function
Can use almost any type of thermocouple (K, S, E, J, etc.. etc..)

Cons:

Inaccurate by around 2°F

The backlight cannot be controlled, it only comes on for a few seconds after a button press. I would like the option to turn it on for as long as needed or for it to have a longer cut-off time.

Has a cutoff of around 3-4 minutes (I didn't check exactly). Sometimes cuts off right in the middle of a reading which is annoying.

Cannot be calibrated and you cannot create offsets (i.e. you can't do manual error correction by adjusting it to a known temp).

Overall:

The pros outweigh the cons and it's definitely worth $17. This thermometer is made in China and no other developed country would be able to produce a thermometer like this that retails for $17. So, all of us in the west should take advantage of China's generosity before they develop further and their people begin demanding 401K's, $40 an hour, full medical and dental, and pension plans like us Americans. It will happen at some point, so get while the getting is good.