Brix vs degrees Plato

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I have been reading various threads on refractometers regarding their uses, benefits and limitations. @Brulosopher, recently wrote a informative evaluation article on a particular product.

Why would one choose to buy a Brix unit vs a degrees Plato unit? I understand both units roughly perform the same (1.04 difference), have the same uses, benefits and limitations. Why would a manufacture create another product if they already have a product that will do the same thing and even more (used for wine as well)?

Here are the two units:

https://hannainst.com/hi96811-digital-refractometer-for-brix-analysis-in-wine.html

https://hannainst.com/hi96841-digital-refractometer-for-beer.html

 

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Anyone have any ideas?

 

[day_trippr]

Just speculation - because tbh I'd otherwise assume it's just marketing leaving no market potential unexploited - but perhaps tradition dictates wort is measured in Plato while must is measured in Brix?

Cheers!

 

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@day_trippr, thanks for responding. I think you are correct on both points. I called Hanna and asked them the same questions. The person I spoke with said they had received requests for a refractometer that was made for measuring wort using Plato.

When I commented that it competed with their Brix measuring refractometer, the person acknowledged that it did. The person said they had hoped to gain market share from other companies. I asked the person if they were referring to other companies like Milwaukee and I was told "yes". I asked how the sales were going with the Plato refractometer and was told it was not as high as the Brix unit. The person said it is a personal choice and people probably choose what they are used to.

I guess for the home brewer consumer, it is just one of those things that in the long run doesn't matter much which is used (Brix or Plato scale)...

 

[doug293cz]

I have been reading various threads on refractometers regarding their uses, benefits and limitations. @Brulosopher, recently wrote a informative evaluation article on a particular product.

Why would one choose to buy a Brix unit vs a degrees Plato unit? I understand both units roughly perform the same (1.04 difference), have the same uses, benefits and limitations. Why would a manufacture create another product if they already have a product that will do the same thing and even more (used for wine as well)?

Here are the two units:

https://hannainst.com/hi96811-digital-refractometer-for-brix-analysis-in-wine.html

https://hannainst.com/hi96841-digital-refractometer-for-beer.html

Actually Brix and Plato are the same to about 4 decimal places. They both represent weight percent sucrose in water solution (100 * Wt_Sucrose /(Wt_Sucrose + Wt_Water).) The 1.04 is the typical difference between the refractive index of sucrose vs. wort at equal SG's. So you have to multiply (or divide can't remember which at the moment) the refractometer Brix reading by 1.04 (or whatever your refract's wort correction factor is) in order to get a better estimate of the true Brix/Plato of the wort.

I didn't notice after a quick reading of the specs for the two devices if the "Plato" version has the wort correction factor built in or not.

Brew on

 

[Shwagger]

Mine has brix and SG. Never thought to even look for Plato.

I'm fact, everything I use refers to SG

 

[doug293cz]

Mine has brix and SG. Never thought to even look for Plato.

I'm fact, everything I use refers to SG

Watch out for those SG scales in refractometers. Many of them are just wrong! You should check your refract against a hydrometer for several samples of wort.

Brew on

 

[Shwagger]

it's actually close, close enough for me. The brix side is easy to see, so I use that regardless

 

[day_trippr]

I'd advise ignoring the SG scale, and use Brix and a calculator instead. While there are some refractometers that have the Brix-SG relationship pretty close for use with wort, there are models like mine that are clearly way the eff off

Cheers!

 

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I was looking at the digital refractometers since I read on many threads that the eyepiece refractometers cause the line for some to be blurry and hard to read.

For those of you that have the eye piece refractometer, how easy is it to read the line? Could the blurriness be associated with the user rather than the refractometer?

 

[doug293cz]

I find that suspended particulates (cloudy liquid) makes the line blurry. The cloudier, the more blurry. Usually that doesn't significantly interfere with getting a reasonable reading.

Brew on

 

[Sparkncode]

I don't have any major issues reading unless i let it get too cold and it fogs up but then it really needs to be stable temperature wise so that is a non normal situation like bringing it between inside and outside with say a 15C temp difference.

I did have to adjust the eye piece focus as my eyesight is bad but once set right no issues unless i try and use the wrong eye. There is quite a bit of focus range on mine.

As doug said clouldy wort has an effect but not really an issue.

 

[Shwagger]

No issue. Just adjust the eyepiece and it will clear up