And yet another MA-871, lol

[bracconiere]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/334122747945?hash=item4dcb448829:g:wiUAAOSwN4xhIqnN
@Garfield43 if you're interested.....otherwise some one else can get it....

 

[Garfield43]

Thanks, I didn't realize they came in digital.
Probably work better than the cheap Chinese ones you look though an eyepiece.
I was hoping you had found the secret to make the cheap ones work.
I will pass on a digital one for now.
If any one else wants it, feel free to grab it.

 

[bracconiere]

yeah it's a gimicky toy, but fun to play with...

$85's not a bad price either.....

 

[Garfield43]

From what I have read the cheap Chinese ones work with your wort but they loose their minds when there is any alcohol. Reminds me of some of my relatives

 

[bracconiere]

From what I have read the cheap Chinese ones work with your wort but they loose their minds when there is any alcohol. Reminds me of some of my relatives

the digital ones don't work with alcohol either? but alcohol elevates a refrac, and reduces a hydro. so you can compare the two readings and figure how much ABV....

 

[balrog]

From what I have read the cheap Chinese ones work with your wort but they loose their minds when there is any alcohol. Reminds me of some of my relatives

As the refractometer shows refraction of light through the liquid, and "works" for sugar solutions, then any refractometer when viewing a solution with alcohol will "lose its mind", regardless of its quality.

 

[Garfield43]

Good to know, thanks.
Most of the ones on Amazon say things like "Find the proof of any liquor with just a few drops!".

 

[Golddiggie]

There's plenty of apps, or even an Excel sheet, that will take care of the offset due to alcohol being present. There are even sites that will help you out. I've used all of the options to date. I like the site the most (google it) but the spreadsheet also works if you have Excel installed.

I ordered a brand new MA871 off Amazon in early June. I've been using it more to check the OG, but have also used it to check the FG. You do need to make sure there's no CO2 present in the sample. Which is easy to do IMO. You just degass the sample and then check the gravity.

I like the MA871 since my eyes are not as good as they once was. I have to take off my glasses to use the manual refractometers. Luckily I can see decently at that distance, but it's a pretty close thing these days. No issue with the digital.

I will say that you need to be sure the bowl is filled with the sample before you hit the 'read' button. Otherwise you won't get an accurate reading. I have been checking it for zero before each session, to make sure it's still calibrated. Easy to do with the included bottle of distilled water. I also have plenty of that on hand for both the glycol chiller and for the PH meter rinsing.

BTW, the current model has a different shell color than the pictures posted by bracconiere. The ones on Amazon are correct. At least for what I received.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007Z4IN58

 

[bracconiere]

Good to know, thanks.
Most of the ones on Amazon say things like "Find the proof of any liquor with just a few drops!".

those are made to tell you how much alcohol is in a mixture of pure water/ethanol....i have a couple hydros for the same reason.

 

[Broothru]

There's plenty of apps, or even an Excel sheet, that will take care of the offset due to alcohol being present. There are even sites that will help you out. I've used all of the options to date. I like the site the most (google it) but the spreadsheet also works if you have Excel installed.

I ordered a brand new MA871 off Amazon in early June. I've been using it more to check the OG, but have also used it to check the FG. You do need to make sure there's no CO2 present in the sample. Which is easy to do IMO. You just degass the sample and then check the gravity.

I like the MA871 since my eyes are not as good as they once was. I have to take off my glasses to use the manual refractometers. Luckily I can see decently at that distance, but it's a pretty close thing these days. No issue with the digital.

I will say that you need to be sure the bowl is filled with the sample before you hit the 'read' button. Otherwise you won't get an accurate reading. I have been checking it for zero before each session, to make sure it's still calibrated. Easy to do with the included bottle of distilled water. I also have plenty of that on hand for both the glycol chiller and for the PH meter rinsing.

BTW, the current model has a different shell color than the pictures posted by bracconiere. The ones on Amazon are correct. At least for what I received.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007Z4IN58

^^^Exactly THIS^^^

I got mine about six wines and seven brew sessions ago. I'm pleased that I no longer have to futz with the hand held versions or sacrifice a couple hundred ml of product to check gravity.

I will emphasize two points @Golddiggie made. First, you want to make sure there's no CO2 in your sample. Simply stir quickly to drive dissolved gas out of the sample before putting it into the sight well. Second, flood the sight well. Fill that sucker up to overflowing if you want to avoid an error code or unreliable reading. It also helps to have clarity in the sample. Cloudy unsettled samples will "bounce photons" and give inaccurate readings. It's no different than the difuse line you'd see on a hand held refractometer with a cloudy, gassy sample instead of a sharp distinct line from a settled, degassed sample.

And of course, calibrate the device frequently. It only takes a few seconds. I occasionally crack out the hand held refractometer and narrow range hydrometers to 'recalibrate' my trust in the electronic device. Generally all three are matched or in variance to an insignificant degree. That holds true also for ABV % calculations as well using various available online calculators.

 

[Golddiggie]

IMO, the digital refractometer is a full win item. It makes getting OG readings (and FG when done properly as outlined above) easy no matter how your eyes are. Then there's how little a sample you need to get the readings. I typically take the extra that's in the tubing from the recirculation fitting off my BK (also the pump out line) and save that for testing later. It gets set aside to settle and cool. Once I'm done cleaning up in the brewery/garage, I use a pipet to fill the bowl. I have yet to have any issue with the samples doing it that way.

I'd also add to make sure you clean the bowl when you're done. It doesn't hurt to take a reading with distilled water to make SURE there's no trace. Oh, and don't be a skinflint and "save" the pipet you used for another batch later. These things are stupid cheap to buy (when you do it right). I probably have at least several years worth that I bought about a decade ago now. IIRC, these are the 2ml size, which is perfect for use with the MA871.

Besides stirring, I've also used a syringe (10cc, no needle) to pull/push the sample through to degas. Does a good job of it. I might give the stirring method a shot on the next sample I pull that has CO2 traces (from either fermenting under pressure, or post carbonating).

 

[Broothru]

I used the 'small' tipped pipette to draw samples for the sight well. It's about 2-3 ml which is plenty to flood the well. The small tip also makes it easy to skim any fine bubbles off the sample that may be floating on the surface.

One thing I did at first but no longer do is to use a Kleenex to absorb the liquid sample with capillary action. What was happening was tiny fibers would remain on the glass after cleaning the well and would become "floaters" in the next test sample and interfere with readings. The fibers are barely visible to the eye, but cause enough light diffusion to give bad readings. Now I use a lint free cloth to remove the liquid sample, give the well a squirt of distilled water and wipe with a lens cloth. You can do a quick recalibration at the same time by just pressing the Zero button. That gives better, more accurate results in about 1-2 seconds.

 

[Golddiggie]

I check to see if distilled water reads as 0 or not. So far, every time, it has (using the water that came with it). I never used Kleenex to clean mine off. So I've not had any of those issues.

 

[Broothru]

I check to see if distilled water reads as 0 or not. So far, every time, it has (using the water that came with it). I never used Kleenex to clean mine off. So I've not had any of those issues.

Once calibrated to zero, the device does seems to hold the zero null quite well, even after powering down and sitting idle for a few days. It's just so quick and easy to recalibrate that I've taken to doing it frequently between different samples.

The Kleenex capillary draining of the sight well was equally simple since I usually have a box close to my work area and was less wasteful than using a paper towel every time. Unfortunately it also left a lot of micro fibers and lint behind. If I could ever remember to do it, I'd pick up a supply of surgical sponges which should work perfectly to absorb liquid samples, then follow up with a distilled water flush and lens cloth wipe. I know it must sound like a lot of effort but it only takes a few seconds and goes a long way to obtaining an accurate reading.

 

[Golddiggie]

I use mine in the kitchen, so paper towels are right there. I could bring up a shop towel (the blue ones, on a roll) if I really wanted to (I usually buy the 12 roll packages and use them for a lot of things). I have tissues close, but the paper towels are more closer.

I agree that doing the distilled water test takes little time and is a way to ensure it's good to go. I use one of the pipets that it came with for the distilled water testing. I have that in the case I'm using (a Pelican case I was using for the manual refractometers). I take a handful of the pipets out of storage at a time and keep them in a ziplock bag next to the case as well. I like having all related items within close proximity. Helps reduce time locating things when needed.

 

[Broothru]

Yeah, I've been too cheap (or lazy; or both) to get more pipettes. Do you have a link to the ones you ordered. IIRC the original shipping material may have had a link to 'replacement parts' but at the time they seemed ridiculously expensive for a few plastic pipettes.

 

[Golddiggie]

The link no longer works (on Amazon). I bought them in 2011. 1ML size, 500 count bag. So I have a LOT left to go through.

Did a quick search, and 100 pack is all of $6 (free shipping if you have Prime).
https://www.amazon.com/KINGLAKE-Transfer-Pipettes-Essential-Gradulated/dp/B01CU78QS83ml set of $200 for the same price:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BSPBH6...pY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1

 

[Broothru]

The link no longer works (on Amazon). I bought them in 2011. 1ML size, 500 count bag. So I have a LOT left to go through.

Did a quick search, and 100 pack is all of $6 (free shipping if you have Prime).
https://www.amazon.com/KINGLAKE-Transfer-Pipettes-Essential-Gradulated/dp/B01CU78QS83ml set of $200 for the same price:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BSPBH6...pY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1

Perfect! That works.