Cheap thief

So, I purchased a Wine Thief from my LHBS so I could check gravity levels in pails and simply return the sample immediately. You know the routine.

After one use, it no longer works. It won't hold liquid at all. I dip it and it simply pours it right back into the pail without my even being able to check the gravity. Needless to say, I'm more than a little frustrated to have this occur after one use. I didn't expect this thing to last a lifetime, but I thought it might last longer than this.

Anyone know of a quality thief that I won't have to pay ten dollars to use once?

Should I simply get a turkey baster for for drawing samples to check the gravity?

The combination of refractometer and racking cane works for me. It has the added bonus of requiring just one drop, resulting in more final product to enjoy! Yeah it costs more than a thief, but it pays for itself with the very first time you use it and you say, "whoa, that's all I needed to test?" MoreBeer has a spreadsheet to calculate gravity during fermentation, and I've checked its calculations against a hydrometer with satisfactory results.

turkey baster works for me

dzlater said:

turkey baster works for me

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+1....$1.89 at the grocery store....

Sounds like you just got a lemon, I've been using the same $10 thief for 6 years and it's still going strong.

Dont get a cheap ebay Chinese refractometer. I did and it is horribly inaccurate no matter how many times I cal it. Dont pay half as much to get something that is totally worthless.

i got the thief from the guys who make the autosiphon, no complaints so far (had it for about 6 months)

i use a turkey baster. two slurps and i fill the test tube. $1 was all it cost, but i did have to put some electrical tape around the plastic where the bulb fits in order to get a good seal

Turkey baster has always worked great for me, unless your using a carboy with a narrow neck and maybe a low volume and the baster cant reach.

Ive been using one of those chinese ebay refractometers with great success for a few years now. I calibrate it about once a month and its always spot on.