well built and fulfills it's purpose perfectly. it is easy to read and has idiot-proof markings of proper cold and frozen food storage temperatures. having worked in food service within the military, i can't overstate how important a thermometer is in your cold storage areas. how else do you know you're food is being stored correctly? you don't...unless you have thermometers. i found that the temp in my freezer was not where it should be...it was too warm by almost 10 degrees! after turning the setting up a notch, everything was A-OK. without a thermometer, i would never have known and would have had to rely on the recommended manufacturer settings for the freezer (which is a bad idea). even if your freezer has a built-in digital thermometer, you should still have a thermometer that lives in the freezer, as all electronic devices eventually fail or give false readings.these alcohol based units are also far more accurate and reliable than the dial-type ones, which invariably fail within a short amount of time. this one is built to be pretty tough, as thermometers get dropped all the time in the industry, and perhaps even at home, depending upon where and how you decide to mount it. this is a quality NSF approved thermometer and well worth the money.