Final Gravity Hydrometer

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petrolSpice

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Anyone use a final gravity hydrometer? I'd like to add one to my wishlist as I think it would be a valuable addition to my brew hardware.

How many of you are glad you got one?

Anyone find it unnecessary or not as useful as they thought? I'm debating if that extra accuracy is really worth it.
 
I used mine religiously before getting my Tilt / Brewometer. I still use it occasionally just to keep the electronics honest. For the money - why not? VERY much easier to read for my old eyes.
 
A FG hydrometer is especially useful when fermenting with a yeast that will take a week or longer to finish the final two gravity points.
 
I'd say if you keg, it's not necessary. But if you bottle, you should have one. Getting accurate FG readings to be sure fermentation is finished is really important for bottling.
 
Range is smaller. something like 1.000 to 1.070 but same size device. In other words, for us old sorry eyes it is much easier to see the reading. Each .001 increment is visible. And the distance between each .01 is about 1.5 inches. So easy to read and more exact. I use mine exclusively since i rarely make anything over 1.070 SG.
 
Range is smaller. something like 1.000 to 1.070 but same size device. In other words, for us old sorry eyes it is much easier to see the reading. Each .001 increment is visible. And the distance between each .01 is about 1.5 inches. So easy to read and more exact. I use mine exclusively since i rarely make anything over 1.070 SG.

Actually the one's I'm looking at are 0.98 - 1.020.
 
0.98 to 1.020 is the finish one. The other they are talking about are just longer ones that are easier to read. I like a refractomter for the OG. Quick to check and no need for temp fix.
 
I bought a final gravity and a 1.000 to 1.070 hydrometer, but went back to using my old cheap wide range one. The narrow range ones had a 60F calibration so I needed to do a correction as most of my samples were closer to 68F.

Also the 1.000 to 1.070 was not that much easier to read then my cheap wide range unit. The final one was just slightly easier to read.
 
Anyone use a final gravity hydrometer? I'd like to add one to my wishlist as I think it would be a valuable addition to my brew hardware.

How many of you are glad you got one?

Anyone find it unnecessary or not as useful as they thought? I'm debating if that extra accuracy is really worth it.

Yes. Narrow range hydrometers are a very useful tool. I have a set of 3 including one in the 0.98 to 1.02 range

Getting samples to the correct temperature (60F) is not difficult for me as I have a refrigerator in my kitchen where I brew.

Easy to Read
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I have a FG hydrometer but I had to buy a new hydrometer tube because the hydrometer itself is quite a bit bigger at the bottom than the triple scale ones you use for OG and so it wouldn't fit in the tube I had. Because the hydrometer tube is so much larger (the hydrometer is a lot longer than the triple scale one too) you have to waste more beer to read the FG. So the short answer is don't get the FG hydrometer I got but get one that has the same diameter bulb as the triple scale one if you can find one. I never use mine except when I have way more beer in the fermenter than will fit in the keg.
BTW it is WAY easier to read than the triple scale ones.
 
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I have a FG hydrometer but I had to buy a new hydrometer tube because the hydrometer itself is quite a bit bigger at the bottom than the triple scale ones you use for OG and so it wouldn't fit in the tube I had. Because the hydrometer tube is so much larger (the hydrometer is a lot longer than the triple scale one too) you have to waste more beer to read the FG. So the short answer is don't get the FG hydrometer I got but get one that has the same diameter bulb as the triple scale one if you can find one. I never use mine except when I have way more beer in the fermenter than will fit in the keg.
BTW it is WAY easier to read than the triple scale ones.

The three narrow range hydrometers I have are a similar length and diameter (at their widest) to my larger range hydrometer.

No additional kit was needed for me to use them and they require the same volume of wort/beer to take a reading. Typically ~100ml

In my experience their dimensions and sample size needed would not be a disadvantage to their use.

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