Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I debated for quite a while before buying this. Yes it has rave reviews but most were from people who were given a sample to try for free for their honest review. And not as a part of the Amazon Vine program. Those reviews I still rely on for they are thru Amazon. I had no idea how to perceive all these positive reviews. But I decided to give it a shot and am very glad I did. I needed a thermometer just for home cooking to check my meats and everything else. After a bout with the stomach flu I realized I definitely needed to make sure I was cooking my meats enough. Even the frozen pizzas I cook say what the internal temperature should be and I never checked with a thermometer. This cooking thermometer comes well protected in a plastic tube in which it is stored. The thermometer itself is well made and seems pretty durable. And honestly it is very easy to use. I appreciate the long needle so I will never burn myself by mistake. And it reads the temperature pretty quickly. The longest it has taken for me is 10 seconds to keep rising to the final temperature. And it is no surprise that I have been overcooking my meats and other foods for quite a while now. This is also very easy to clean. Simply wipe the end of the needle with a wet cloth and dry. I can not say how it would be for projects like making candy or more detailed types of cooking but for me with basic cooking needs like meats I feel it is definitely reliable and after using it for a couple of weeks now it still works as flawlessly as it did at the beginning. How long will it actually last? As I said it seems very well made but only time will tell. Honestly though as of now all my impressions are only positive and I will say again this is MY PERSONAL REVIEW and not one of those written after receiving the item for free. I recommend this cooking thermometer and am very pleased I went ahead and purchased it.