For a good thermos, you really can't beat this one:

Thermos Nissan 34-Ounce Stainless-Steel Vacuum Insulated Briefcase Bottle

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00009V4FM/

It's made of stainless steel so it will last forever, it does a great job of maintaining temperature. I've been using one for several years for holding hot coffee. It's been all over. The best thing is it costs only $28.

most people on the internet will reflexively say "FLUKE!@" but really they're overkill: Anyone who isn't sure what multimeter to get doesn't use them often enough to justify spending more than about $50

best supercheap: Mastech MAS-830 ($11) from http://www.elexp.com/tst_s830.htm and others
best midrange: Extech EX-330 ($55) from http://www.elexp.com/tst_x310.htm and others
best $$$: Fluke 77 ($200-$250) from lots of places http://www.google.com/products?q=fluke+77&oe=utf-8&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&lnk=pruser&price1=&price2=250 - This replaces the venerable 73 series

(Elexp.com isnt the only place but Ive had good experiences with them and the prices often cant be beat)

see also a free tutorial i wrote on the subject http://www.ladyada.net/learn/multimeter/

I have a very timely request:

For the second time in three months, today I had a digital probe thermometer fail on me. In each case, the probe read room temp at about 140 degrees. I use it to monitor roasts, etc. in the oven and out in my Weber kettle.

The first was a <$10 unit from Ikea; the second was about $25 from a local factory outlet.

I'm looking for a good reliable unit which will work more than a dozen times, and does not break the bank. Wireless is not a requirement.

For a good thermos i have been using http://www.thermos.com/Product_detail.aspx?CatCode=THER&SubcategoryID=1&ViewAll=true&ProductID=954. Its the Thermos Stainless king. Is 40oz, and was 24$ at Target. I've only tested it with hot drinks, but it has kept my coffee hot for at least 10 hours, and about 7 if i have opened it and removed some.

Lately i have been using http://www.stanley-pmi.com/shop/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=ABT0005-007 its a .5L stanely, also made of steel. Its good, but it does not seem to keep the coffe as hot once i have opened it. I carry this one because it is smaller, much more solid than the Thermos brand and infinitely more manly. The Stanely is reminiscent of a thermos a 40s construction worker would use.

Seconding the Stanley line. An American classic, built like a tank, with no glass to shatter, and reasonably priced. Only downside is that unlined all steel interior can lend a metallic tang to some beverages. With your standard coffee, this isn't really a big problem.

After several bad thermos experiences, I have settled on the Alfi Stainless Steel unbreakable thermos, and have been very happy with it. Here's what makes it nice:
- It is made out of stainless steel, and thus should have no reaction with the contents of the thermos (unless you lay it on the side permitting the liquid to contact the plastic inner lid).
- It doesn't spray liquid when opening the lid.
- You can pour after slightly loosening the lid --- you needn't completely remove the lid. But the pouring mechanism is simple, and no extra parts, since it is due to the shape of the lid. Thus no complicated lid with springs and lots of pieces to wash and care for.
- It has no plastic parts on the outside. This is important, for it permits washing without the possibility of accumulating hidden water pockets in plastic recesses that leak over your important papers and laptop on the way to work.
- Dishwasher safe (except for the plastic inner lid and seal).
- Its shape prevents the thermos from slipping through your hand when wet.
- It is light.
- It withstood a drop onto my stone kitchen floor --- I am satisfied that it is unbreakable.
- Alfi has a 0.5L version, which is just the right size for me and my backpack.

I believe that I paid between 20 and 30 euros for it, at the WMF factory store.

http://thermos.alficarafes.com/Stainless_Steel_thermos.html

Get a good meter!!! There is no bargain if you make a mistake and the cheap meter blows up in your face. It can happen. My first choice for simple model would be the (fairly) new fluke t5 series. They will read voltage, resistance, and the open jaw will give you an easy ac amperage reading. And fluke has the highest safety standards going.

I have to uphold the Stanley PMI thermos recommendation. My dad has had one at least as long as I've been alive and it's still going strong. He gave me one when I moved out, and I've literally had it keep coffee hot for 12 hours before consumption. Admittedly it was sealed for all that time, but still.

after destroying several glass thermos bottles, i picked up a big stanley for 25usd.

i was making less than 100usd per week in 1970.

it has been dropped several stories, run over and otherwise abused. other than a new stopper it is still the miracle device of the last century.

i bought my son a large stanley for 25usd in 2000. i was making over a 1000usd a week.

another miracle, i guess.

I have a Nissan/thermos pitcher type thermos. stainless, it's great.
I had an aladdin for about 20 years and used it working construction. it a brutal workhorse. dropped kicked smashed still fine

Rick S, does the thermometer absolutely have to be digital? I've had Insta-Read analog thermometers for years for everything from bread dough to casseroles to sauces, and they last years until I manage to lose them. Hard plastic magnifying lens, sharp-pointed stainless probe, nearly impossible to break. Downside, apart from not being digital: you can't leave them in the oven/bbq -- you have to stick them in whatever you're monitoring. I wouldn't use anything else. They seem to be marketed by Chef Tools these days, but are the same as ever.

http://www.cheftools.com/prodinfo.asp?number=06-0057

http://www.hangerproject.com/mens-hangers/wooden-suit-hangers.html

suit hangers for large suits and to protect your investment.

Cheapest: Harbor Freight. Often on sale for $1.99/$2.99/$3.99. (some have backlights). I bought a bunch for the office when on sale to avoid "can I borrow your meter". One in the car, in each toolbox, etc.

http://search.harborfreight.com/cpisearch/web/attributeSearch.do?catPath=All%2BProducts%252F%252F%252F%252FUserSearch%253Dvolt%2Bmeter¤tPage=1&lastPage=2&isNext=&isPrevious=&category=&attributeValue=Under+%245&attributeName=Price+Range&requestedPage=1&resultsPerPage=10&resultsPerPageBottom=

But it is a little big for my pocket. (My pocket's inventory could be all on CT).

For that purpose, and for $20:

http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/72-7935

Note it does frequency and several other things.

They have other Tenma - I have one with an RS232 output, but I can't find it on the site so it may no longer be sold.

I can recommend this meter. http://www.multimeterwarehouse.com/MS8211Df.htm

The company, Mastech is a subname of Kaito electronics, a Chinese firm that makes nice shortwave radios.
I've used Wavetek (Fluke bought 'em). They broke too. I beat them up, figure I might as well get cheap ones. I've not found the readings to be more off base than anything else.

Will

Soar makes excellent inflatables, sturdy enough for white water rafting. They make a kind of hybrid canoe/kyack in three different lengths, as well as a raft.

CT Reader :

I have a strong preference for a digital thermometer with a 2-3' long cable so I do not have to go outside, open the Weber and stick-in the thermometer to monitor the temperature. Repeated opening does drop the temp in the grill. With the type I'm looking for, I can just peak out the window at the display.

Stanley for sure. The old style with hammered green finish.
and the stainless cap. durable, cheap and with easily replaceable parts, still available after however many years they've been around. Lifetime warranty that is actually honored.

The Stanleys aren't necessarily what you bought 20 years ago. About the time they offshored they introduced a "charcoal insulated" line which, if the diagrams are to be believed, seem thermodynamically unsound -- that is, using charcoal in what should be a vacuum. A vacuum is as good as it gets. Their website doesn't mention this, so maybe they've switched back, but I've seen them in stores recently.
I've never had a complaint about Thermos/Nissan. Coffee geek has a comprehensive review: http://coffeegeek.com/proreviews/detailed/thermosnissan

I can recommend Tenma meters if you are looking for a good quality, low cost and reliable DMM. As the TZ reported above, they can be had at mcmelectronics.com and are great meters for the money. After using both Tenma and Fluke meters in an electronics shop environment, I wouldn't hesitate to grab the Tenma meter over the Fluke if it were closer to me on the bench. I never had any anomalous readings that weren't also reported on the Fluke meter and it came feature packed for a low price. I carry one in my toolbox.

On the other hand, it IS a budget meter compared with "professional" models made by reputable manufacturers. Tenma meters are undoubtedly the best low cost DMM's I have ever laid my mitts on, but features, quality, and low price be darned, it will be sneered at by your friends who use higher cost meters. If you can deal with a bit of snobbery, then my recommendation is to buy a Tenma meter and use what you save to buy more specialized tools that will expand your diagnostic ability beyond what a DMM alone can handle.

By the way, MCM electronics is a source of many a cooltool in its own right. Browse and I can almost guarantee you will find something you hadn't realized your home shop was sorely lacking.

One piece of advice: If you go for RS-232 or USB on your DMM, make sure the linkage between the cable and meter is infrared. If your computer actually plugs into the meter via a hardwired connection, then you can zap your compy if your meters eats some HV it can't deal with. This never happened to me, but I feel it is always a good idea to prepare for unforeseen circumstances. This can, of course, be avoided by unpluging the meter from the computer while taking readings, but out in the real world people get lazy and precautions are forgotten. Be on the safe side and go for IR connection if you must have a PC compatible meter.

I have had this coffee mug for about 5 years and it stand up to all my daily activity's, keeps stuff hot and I can hook it to a bag, the handle in my jeans pocket or loop

http://www.thermos.com/Product_detail.aspx?CatCode=NISS&SubcategoryID=3&ProductID=506

for an affordable thermos, all stainless steel construction, less than $15?
head to your nearest ikea:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/29291800

34 oz of insulating goodness!
no, no handle but, other than that, it's spectacularly good...

For many years I went with the big 1-quart Stanley. Haven't used it lately, but it's under the sink if I ever need it.

http://www.stanley-pmi.com/shop/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=10-00311-001

Indestructible.

Rick: None of the temperature-probe-on-a-wire products out there that i've seen are built to withstand any sort of grill usage. If they contact a flame or hot grill surface on either the probe or wire, they're toast--the temperature tolerance is around 400F only! Also, if they get water in them, they are toast. Taylor will send you replacement probes for around $5 if you write to them.

Back when I looked at this, there were no products that fit my needs. I gave up and bought a thermapen (reviewed here in 2004). Yes, i have to open the cover, but only for a few seconds.

The absolute BEST thermoses are the green ones made by Stanley. I have owned the same one for the past 10 years. It's been dropped, nicked, and even partially run over and it still ROCKS! There's no glass in it so, it will not break. I've left coffee in it overnight in a sub-zero car, and it's till warm in the morning. Seriously, I can't say enough about these. Here's the link on amazon.

The one I own:

http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-1-1Qt-Classic-Vacuum-Bottle/dp/B000FZX93K/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1254857043&sr=8-3

Others:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_0_6?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=stanley+thermos&x=0&y=0&sprefix=stanle