Great deal on a refractometer on Amazon

Just a heads up

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0080CX868/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Got mint today...

Awesome. Thanks!

Good price

Just bought one on ebay. Shipped from cali to mass in three days. Paid $24.49 with free shipping. The exact same one. I love it. How has yours changed your brewday?

That is a good deal. Bought the same one for about $15.00 more. I am very happy with it.

basilchef said:

Just bought one on ebay. Shipped from cali to mass in three days. Paid $24.49 with free shipping. The exact same one. I love it. How has yours changed your brewday?

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I take about 3x more readings with about 1/10th the effort.

Mid boil? No big deal since I don't need to let it cool. First and second (and maybe third) runnings? Piece of cake, just put a drop on and close to top! After I take a proper hydrometer reading and pour the sample back, it's really nothing to take that one last drop from the hydrometer tube and put it on the refractometer for a double-check.

Once you realize how much of a difference temperature makes to a hydrometer, and you get serious about good readings, the refractometer is a massive bargain in terms of simplifying your brew day.

And let's say you forgot to take a hydrometer reading before adding the wort to the carboy... well ok then. Let's have a race. You get a hydrometer reading, I'll get a brix reading. Let's see who wins. The sanitized handle of a SS spoon will give me the single drop I need. And let's add up how much wort we both lost too because you know you aren't gonna risk putting that nasty sample back in with your beer.

Now, to be honest, nobody needs a refractometer. It doesn't make your beer any better. However, once you've used one, it's hard to deny the convenience.

Ya'll realize that it appears to be a Brix scale reading exclusively? I guess it's easy enough to convert to SG though.

Personally, I like to take 1st runnings, 2nd runnings, pre-boil gravity and post boil gravity with my refractometer.

If I'm close to the desired post boil gravity as well as the proper quantity of wort, I'll sometimes cut the boil short by 5 or 10 minutes as long as there are no late hop additions.

Also, I use an 80 quart brew pot to do my brews in... mainly 5 gallon batches. When I'm finished my boil and the pot is cooled down, I don't have enough depth to float my hydrometer. I'll sometimes draw a sample for my hydrometer, which or course I pour down the drain after the reading. In other words, since I trust my refractometer, I just use that number for my notes as the SG and skip the hydro reading... ymmv

If Brix and OG scale is important to you, I offer one at a slightly increased price.

I have the same one that I paid roughly the same price for, and it has ATC and SG scale on it.

Makes it pretty easy..

Bobby_M said:

If Brix and OG scale is important to you, I offer one at a slightly increased price.

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I got mine from Bobby_M. Both the brix and SG scales actually work. One common problem people have is the SG scale being incorrect.

Thanks....got one !

If you calibrate your refractometer with distilled water. Your SG reading should be spot on. I have also read that you should let the sample set on the prism with the cover closed for 30 seconds or so.

Ty might get it since I have a gft card for $25

How much does temp affect these? I see they also have an auto temp compensation model for $10 more..

The non ATC models typically have a correction table in the instructions pamphlet but keep in mind, it's for ambient temps not sample temps.

the two drops it takes for a reading come to temp pretty quickly.

Thanks! ordered one.You could just print this chart and put it in the box to just look up the SG conversion from Blix. http://distillique.co.za/catalog/article_info.php?articles_id=174

Full size, just the chart. http://distillique.co.za/catalog/images/articles/balling_brix_plato_to_sg.png

I found this on ebay a few days ago. It has auto temperature compensation, an SG scale, and is pretty cheap.

questionasker said:

I found this on ebay a few days ago. It has auto temperature compensation, an SG scale, and is pretty cheap.

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WOW... Why sooo cheep?

Looks like its so cheap because it ships straight from Hong Kong. Its only about $8 cheaper than the one from amazon, and if it arrived broken I would much rather deal with Amazon than a Hong Kong ebay seller. I wonder what freight for that from the US to China costs? Probably as much as the item itself..

Thanks for the post - I've been contemplating getting rid of my hydrometer and this sealed the deal!

Just ordered mine as well, only $2.50 more for expedited shipping 1-3 days.. I need to check gravity of a beer that is almost done...

Thanks for the heads up - I've always wanted one of these.

Don't toss your hydrometer... refractometer is only accurate on fresh wort. Once alcohol is present the refractometer is not longer accurate.

At that, I'd check it against your hydro for a couple of runs before you trust it completely.

It's good for all grain brewers who want to check gravity as you are going. Once you pitch and it starts to ferment, they aren't useful really.

Thanks for the heads-up guys. You saved me from myself!

william_shakes_beer said:

Don't toss your hydrometer... refractometer is only accurate on fresh wort. Once alcohol is present the refractometer is not longer accurate.

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Is this true? I don't mind taking some sample from pre-boil wort and runnings using a hydrometer, but it would be very convenient to get proper FG readings for fermentation/bottling purposes.

How's it different than this one which is overall cheaper?\

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003H7ILCW/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

RoKozak said:

Is this true? I don't mind taking some sample from pre-boil wort and runnings using a hydrometer, but it would be very convenient to get proper FG readings for fermentation/bottling purposes.

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It is true. A Refractometer is really only great for taking small samples, quickly when you are running off your mash, pre boil OG, and post boil OG.........

Once you start getting alcohol in there, it tosses the reads off. Some people will use it, but you'll need a chart to reference it.. At that point, for me atleast, I'm content to use my hydro, as it's more accurate at that point.

FATC1TY said:

At that, I'd check it against your hydro for a couple of runs before you trust it completely.

It's good for all grain brewers who want to check gravity as you are going. Once you pitch and it starts to ferment, they aren't useful really.

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You can use it to measure at the end, you just have to do the proper calibration(In Beersmith/etc) to calculate your correction factor. Do this over like 5 brews to get a good average correction factor and you should be able to calculate your final gravity just fine. Keeping the hydrometer around is always a good idea though, just to double check. I dont use the refractometer as much for speed, which its great for, i like to use it as a second source of data to get a more accurate idea of my gravity. I hate reading hydrometers, there seems to always be a few millimeters between ranges..is it 1.065? Or 1.068?

FuzzeWuzze said:

You can use it to measure at the end, you just have to do the proper calibration(In Beersmith/etc) to calculate your correction factor. Do this over like 5 brews to get a good average correction factor and you should be able to calculate your final gravity just fine. Keeping the hydrometer around is always a good idea though, just to double check. I dont use the refractometer as much for speed, which its great for, i like to use it as a second source of data to get a more accurate idea of my gravity. I hate reading hydrometers, there seems to always be a few millimeters between ranges..is it 1.065? Or 1.068?

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I have no trouble using a hydrometer, so I find mine to be the most accurate to do that.

Like I said above, to have to start referencing charts and software to get a reading, it's worth it for me to just get a big sample and do a hydro when I think I'm at my FG. I like to sample it anyways.

But for mash running gravities, pre and post boil, it's easy to use and works so I don't have to take large samples and cool them to get my numbers, I can make adjustments on the fly better.

I have his but some how got the one that only does brix. Amazing how one little steps prevents me from taking starting and finishing gravity.

questionasker said:

I found this on ebay a few days ago. It has auto temperature compensation, an SG scale, and is pretty cheap.

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I bought this one. I clicked the make offer button and offered them $13. They accepted my offer. Total with shipping was $20. I've used it several times and I really like it.

StanJohnson said:

I bought this one. I clicked the make offer button and offered them $13. They accepted my offer. Total with shipping was $20. I've used it several times and I really like it.

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That's pretty much the same thing offered everywhere else, honestly.

It's the same one I have roughly. They are all made in china.

Just check yours against a calibrated hydro that you know what it reads.

Yeah it's really not that hard to convert from brix to SG either. The rough guess it multiply the Brix number by 4 but I believe it's really about 4.1 or 4.2. I think it makes more of a difference as you get into higher gravities obviously

RoKozak said:

Is this true? I don't mind taking some sample from pre-boil wort and runnings using a hydrometer, but it would be very convenient to get proper FG readings for fermentation/bottling purposes.

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Try this link. Read down to http://www.homebrewstuff.com/refractometer-how-to

william_shakes_beer said:

Try this link. Read down to http://www.homebrewstuff.com/refractometer-how-to

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I purchased and having trouble using. I calibrated water to 1.00 and tested many times - works. I ran a sample of my RIS and reads 1.051 when in actuality it's 1.031 and fermenting. What am I doing wrong?

hbr2547 said:

I purchased and having trouble using. I calibrated water to 1.00 and tested many times - works. I ran a sample of my RIS and reads 1.051 when in actuality it's 1.031 and fermenting. What am I doing wrong?

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Did you use that long formula to calculate? Once fermentation has started you have to account for the alcohol in the sample.

If it is fermenting you will not get an accurate reading with either a hydrometer or a refractometer.

Hydrometer measures sugar by buoyancy
Density of alcohol
0.789 g/cm3
Water
1.000 g/cm3

Hydrometer will read false Low

Refractometer Index of refraction of alcohol
n=1.36
Pure water
n=1.33
Sugar water
n>1.33
So Refractometer will also read false High.

A batch I bottled today in my brewing science class registered 1.008 on the Hydrometer and the refractometer registered 1.018 before adding bottling sugar. Neither are accurate at face value and are simply an estimate once alcohol is added to the fray. So in a sense neither tool is viable after yeast is pitched.

fosgate said:

If it is fermenting you will not get an accurate reading with either a hydrometer or a refractometer.

Hydrometer measures sugar by buoyancy
Density of alcohol
0.789 g/cm3
Water
1.000 g/cm3

Hydrometer will read false Low

Refractometer Index of refraction of alcohol
n=1.36
Pure water
n=1.33
Sugar water
n>1.33
So Refractometer will also read false High.

A batch I bottled today in my brewing science class registered 1.008 on the Hydrometer and the refractometer registered 1.018 before adding bottling sugar. Neither are accurate at face value and are simply an estimate once alcohol is added to the fray. So in a sense neither tool is viable after yeast is pitched.

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So not sure what's the use? Only OG or am I missing something. I've always counted on hydrometer and refractometer way off so I guess use hydrometer for FG and refractometer for OG?