Is there a cheap and good refractometer that I could buy?

[Elysium]

I was wondering if there is a cheap and good refractometer for brewers?

So far my main issues with refractometers were:
-my eyes get tired as hell from trying to figure out exactly what the reading is
-accuracy. I was told they are made for juices...not for beer which has particles in it and makes the reading inaccurate.

I am wondering if any homebrewers use some refractometers with great results?

 

[jpakstis]

I'm no expert at all (just boiled my third batch this past weekend), but I in my last brew I went all grain and used this refractometer:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0099Z2GSG/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I couldn't figure out how to use the light source but otherwise using it could not have been easier. It comes with a little eyedropper and so I pulled a clean sample (all the trub had settled so there weren't any particles floating around) and looked at a light. It took about 3-5 seconds to accurately read the sample and I pulled another one just to double-check. I wouldn't worry about your eyes getting tired; it takes virtually no time.

The only "tricky" part was that the reading was on the Brix scale, but I found a Brix-to-gravity calculator online.

 

[Calder]

As far as I know, all refractometers measure simple sugars. It is impossible to make one that accurately measures sugar in beer as different types of beer have different sugar make-ups.

If you have one that says it reads beer gravity, it will just be a regular refractometer with a slightly adjusted scale to approximate beer gravity - not sure they make them.

And of course, all post fermentation readings are incorrect, and need to be run thru an emperically derrived tool to approximate the gravity.

 

[olotti]

Just check Amazon. Mine just reads the Brix scale but a buddy of mine has one that has Brix on one side and gravity readings on the other. I only use mine to read pre boil gravity and OG at the end of my boil so I know if I'm close or if I have to boil off more. Also remember the reading is temp sensitive, to hot of wort will give you lower readings so either let it cool before dropping the sample onto the sight glass or here are conversion calculators out here to compensate for the higher sample temp.

 

[fun4stuff]

There are a bunch in amazon for $20-30.

 

[Natdavis777]

I picked mine up on Amazon for <35$