What Thermometers/Hygrometers Do You Buy For Back-Up?

[RattleCan]

As I'm currently hatching a batch of eggs, I think it's safe to say that my temperature has been in the right general area throughout incubation. But given my incubator says 103 degrees, one backup digital thermometer says 98.6 degrees and another backup digital thermometer says 96.4 degrees, I also think it's safe to say this has essentially been, like my previous hatches with this set-up, a guessing game.

I don't know how to calibrate my incubator or confirm how far off the temperature is. It also only reads in whole numbers. It is a reptile incubator, so I guess they weren't going for precision anyway since many reptile eggs can hatch in a range of temperatures. So, I completely ignore the hygrometer (always reads 10% too low) and thermometer on this incubator.

Since the incubator isn't reliable, I have two backup digital thermometers. I'll link the exact ones below. The first is a zoo med thermometer. I calibrated it in ice water prior to incubation, and it read almost three degrees off. The second is a thermometer/hygrometer combination. Since the probe is open to read humidity, I don't believe it is submersible so I'm not sure how to calibrate it for temperature. I did calibrate it for humidity though, and it reads 5% too low.

So, what all thermometers and hygrometers do you all use? Neither of the two I have are obviously very good, and I'd hate to keep investing in ones that aren't accurate. I wouldn't mind paying a bit more for something that I know will be accurate, but I haven't had ANY luck finding any with consistently good reviews. So I'm just curious how you all deal with this issue, what brands you use, how accurate they are, so on. Also, any ideas on how I could calibrate an incubator or an open-probe digital thermometer?


Zoo Med Thermometer --> http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Digit...458929949&sr=8-1&keywords=zoo+med+thermometer

Thermometer/Hygrometer --> http://www.amazon.com/Thermometer-H...-1&keywords=thermometer+hygrometer+with+probe

 

[beetandsteet]

I used that ZooMed thermometer a few hatches ago and it was terrible. Ruined my hatch basically; was probably 3+degrees too cold and I didn't know it.
I use this digital temp/humidity monitor: (http://www.walmart.com/ip/AcuRite-D...fault&beacon_version=1.0.1&findingMethod=p13n) It's accurate within +- 0.5 degrees, and I like the daily highs/lows that show me if there have been any temperature spikes/drops while I'm away. It also takes a small bit of time to react to changes in temperature, so it more accurately represents the temperature inside the egg.
I also use a cheap glass analog aquarium thermometer in conjunction with my digital, just in case of battery failure. Even though they're cheap in price, they're generally pretty accurate. When picking out one of these, always look at all of them to make sure they're reading the same temperature, so you don't get a dud. I calibrated mine in ice water, and it was also within 0.5 degrees.