Precision Hydrometer - what are your thoughts?

Williams Brewing is selling an interesting looking Hydrometer.

http://www.williamsbrewing.com/BREWERS-EDGE-BOTTLING-HYDROMETER-P529.aspx

The "BREWER'S EDGE® BOTTLING HYDROMETER" is limited to 1.04 to 1.00, but its longer, so its very easy to see the gravity.
They do look a bit fragile.

Has anyone used this product?


Note - Austin Home Brew has a similar Hydrometer, from 1.02 to .98 which is less suitable for brewing but perhaps better for Cider or Wine?
[you can place a nut on a Hydrometer to lower its range]

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/popup_product_images.php?pID=2089

It looks interesting yet gimmicky to me. The fact that it only goes to 1.040 pretty much rules it out for my brewery...

My precision hydrometer reads from 0.970 to 1.020. It's great for monitoring finish gravities. The one you have listed would be fine for brewing, but not cider, wines or mead.

I really like mine. Makes it easy to read the final gravity of a brew.

I'm mildly interested in getting one sometime. I agree with David42 though, it needs to go down to wine finish gravities else it wouldn't be worth it.

I don't have the williams one

A GOOD hydrometer is a joy to use.
I use a .980-1.020 for bottling all the time. very accurate, very easy to read.
a 1.060-1.140 for wine and big beer and a general purpose 1-1.070 one.

You can change it from 1.04 -1.00 to 1.02 - .98

Put it in 60 degree water, so it shows 1.000. Then find a nut/washer(s) that will sink it .01 or .02. You now have a 1.02 - .98 Hydrometer. (and can remove the nut/washer if you want the original range back.


AustinHomeBrew sells a similar product, measuring 1.02 - .98 (same span .04, just a different range)

I bought one from morebeer and I like to use it to check FG my regular one works too but this is easier to read at a glance.

any reason to not just use a refractometer?

RJS said:

any reason to not just use a refractometer?

Click to expand...

Because conversion charts after fermentation aren't as accurate as a hydrometer to some due to the alcohol. Different strokes for different folks.

Common homebrew hydrometers are pretty lame, just because the diameter is so large it's hard to read them precisely. The only benefit is they are cheap and you can measure anything from water to barleywine with the same hydrometer. Good enough for most homebrew purposes, but any serious brewer would use a set of hydrometers with smaller diameter so the scales are much farther apart. When the scale is stretched out, it easy to measure a fraction of a point with just a glance.

I have a 0-1.070 and a 1.060 - 1.130 german ertco hydrometer I got from cole parmer. Never regretted that purchase. 0.0005 graduations.

It's like sunglasses. You get a fancy pair, and you take care of them and they last a long time. Get cheap gas station ones, and you don't hesitate to chuck em around, and they don't last long at all.

BTW if you want gas station hydrometers, these fit the bill:

http://www.stilldragon.com/alcos--hydros.html

I checked mine against standards and they read well.

StMarcos said:

cole parmer

Click to expand...

:rockin:

The thing rocks, its $20, buy one!

What is it calibrated to, 68F?
The cheapo hydrometers are calibrated to 60F.