Great deal on a refractometer on Amazon

[FATC1TY]

You can use it to measure at the end, you just have to do the proper calibration(In Beersmith/etc) to calculate your correction factor. Do this over like 5 brews to get a good average correction factor and you should be able to calculate your final gravity just fine. Keeping the hydrometer around is always a good idea though, just to double check. I dont use the refractometer as much for speed, which its great for, i like to use it as a second source of data to get a more accurate idea of my gravity. I hate reading hydrometers, there seems to always be a few millimeters between ranges..is it 1.065? Or 1.068?

I have no trouble using a hydrometer, so I find mine to be the most accurate to do that.

Like I said above, to have to start referencing charts and software to get a reading, it's worth it for me to just get a big sample and do a hydro when I think I'm at my FG. I like to sample it anyways.

But for mash running gravities, pre and post boil, it's easy to use and works so I don't have to take large samples and cool them to get my numbers, I can make adjustments on the fly better.

 

[rgarry]

I have his but some how got the one that only does brix. Amazing how one little steps prevents me from taking starting and finishing gravity.

 

[StanJohnson]

I found this on ebay a few days ago. It has auto temperature compensation, an SG scale, and is pretty cheap.

I bought this one. I clicked the make offer button and offered them $13. They accepted my offer. Total with shipping was $20. I've used it several times and I really like it.

 

[FATC1TY]

I bought this one. I clicked the make offer button and offered them $13. They accepted my offer. Total with shipping was $20. I've used it several times and I really like it.

That's pretty much the same thing offered everywhere else, honestly.

It's the same one I have roughly. They are all made in china.

Just check yours against a calibrated hydro that you know what it reads.

 

[Hopper5000]

Yeah it's really not that hard to convert from brix to SG either. The rough guess it multiply the Brix number by 4 but I believe it's really about 4.1 or 4.2. I think it makes more of a difference as you get into higher gravities obviously

 

[william_shakes_beer]

Is this true? I don't mind taking some sample from pre-boil wort and runnings using a hydrometer, but it would be very convenient to get proper FG readings for fermentation/bottling purposes.

Try this link. Read down to http://www.homebrewstuff.com/refractometer-how-to

 

[hbr2547]

Try this link. Read down to http://www.homebrewstuff.com/refractometer-how-to

I purchased and having trouble using. I calibrated water to 1.00 and tested many times - works. I ran a sample of my RIS and reads 1.051 when in actuality it's 1.031 and fermenting. What am I doing wrong?

 

[mcbaumannerb]

I purchased and having trouble using. I calibrated water to 1.00 and tested many times - works. I ran a sample of my RIS and reads 1.051 when in actuality it's 1.031 and fermenting. What am I doing wrong?

Did you use that long formula to calculate? Once fermentation has started you have to account for the alcohol in the sample.

 

[fosgate]

If it is fermenting you will not get an accurate reading with either a hydrometer or a refractometer.

Hydrometer measures sugar by buoyancy
Density of alcohol
0.789 g/cm3
Water
1.000 g/cm3

Hydrometer will read false Low

Refractometer Index of refraction of alcohol
n=1.36
Pure water
n=1.33
Sugar water
n>1.33
So Refractometer will also read false High.

A batch I bottled today in my brewing science class registered 1.008 on the Hydrometer and the refractometer registered 1.018 before adding bottling sugar. Neither are accurate at face value and are simply an estimate once alcohol is added to the fray. So in a sense neither tool is viable after yeast is pitched.

 

[hbr2547]

If it is fermenting you will not get an accurate reading with either a hydrometer or a refractometer.

Hydrometer measures sugar by buoyancy
Density of alcohol
0.789 g/cm3
Water
1.000 g/cm3

Hydrometer will read false Low

Refractometer Index of refraction of alcohol
n=1.36
Pure water
n=1.33
Sugar water
n>1.33
So Refractometer will also read false High.

A batch I bottled today in my brewing science class registered 1.008 on the Hydrometer and the refractometer registered 1.018 before adding bottling sugar. Neither are accurate at face value and are simply an estimate once alcohol is added to the fray. So in a sense neither tool is viable after yeast is pitched.

So not sure what's the use? Only OG or am I missing something. I've always counted on hydrometer and refractometer way off so I guess use hydrometer for FG and refractometer for OG?

 

[mcbaumannerb]

So not sure what's the use? Only OG or am I missing something. I've always counted on hydrometer and refractometer way off so I guess use hydrometer for FG and refractometer for OG?

You can use the refractor - you just need to adjust for the alcohol:

Formula for compensation of ethanol effect on refractometer:

SG=1.001843-0.002318474(OB)-0.000007775(OB^2)-0.000000034(OB^3)+0.00574(AB) +0.00003344(AB^2)+0.000000086(AB^3)

SG = Specific Gravity, OB = Original Brix, AB = Actual Brix (Brix Readings During Fermentation)

 

[hbr2547]

You can use the refractor - you just need to adjust for the alcohol:

Formula for compensation of ethanol effect on refractometer:

SG=1.001843-0.002318474(OB)-0.000007775(OB^2)-0.000000034(OB^3)+0.00574(AB) +0.00003344(AB^2)+0.000000086(AB^3)

SG = Specific Gravity, OB = Original Brix, AB = Actual Brix (Brix Readings During Fermentation)

Wow - that's intense

 

[fosgate]

You can also cheat at the math to get your ABV by using a beer calculator tool. Here is a basic one. http://www.beercalcs.com/#refractometer

 

[Daver77]

I just got it in the mail. Looks great can't wait to use it this weekend. Also it actually shows brix and SG so no converting.

 

[hbr2547]

You can also cheat at the math to get your ABV by using a beer calculator tool. Here is a basic one. http://www.beercalcs.com/#refractometer

Thanks. If I used a hydrometer on OG and since readings were pre-fermentation, can I use hydro reading equivalent of brix for starting brix?

 

[mcbaumannerb]

I just got it in the mail. Looks great can't wait to use it this weekend. Also it actually shows brix and SG so no converting.

Mine left North Jersey this morning - I'm really hoping it arrives by tomorrow so I can use if for my brew on Sunday. In looking at that scale, I don't know if I'll be able to make out the SG scale - unless it does some magnification!

 

[Daver77]

Mine left North Jersey this morning - I'm really hoping it arrives by tomorrow so I can use if for my brew on Sunday. In looking at that scale, I don't know if I'll be able to make out the SG scale - unless it does some magnification!

You will, It's magnified already and you'll be able to tune focus.

 

[FATC1TY]

Mine is the same one. You will need to verify it's the correct scale from Brix to SG. Some aren't... Just because you have the dual scale, doesn't mean it's accurate.

 

[fosgate]

Just got mine. Came in a soft case, Brix only. Missing the cleaning cloth. Just ran it against my Hydrometer at various ranges 1.030-1.077 and it was spot on to the brix to SG conversion chart I found earlier. Going to just print that chart off and put it in the case. There is no manufacturer info on the documentation or product so I am assuming a Chinese knock off. Pretty sure it would probably break if I dropped it. I think it will do the job for the occasional brewer just fine.

 

[mcbaumannerb]

I put mine to use today and it worked great - even with my bi-focals I was able to bring the scale into sharp focus (and more importantly I could read it!) Far more accurate than my normal best-guesstimate when looking at the bobbing hydrometer in my cylinder (with all the bubbles.) Very happy with this purchase.

 

[hlhorne]

I put mine to use today and it worked great - even with my bi-focals I was able to bring the scale into sharp focus (and more importantly I could read it!) Far more accurate than my normal best-guesstimate when looking at the bobbing hydrometer in my cylinder (with all the bubbles.) Very happy with this purchase.

Is that the one originally linked to at the beginning of this thread? I would like to order one ASAP. Thanks!

 

[alestateyall]

Is that the one originally linked to at the beginning of this thread? I would like to order one ASAP. Thanks!

Buy this one:

http://brewhardware.com/refractometer

The store owner is a homebrewer and member of HBT (bobby_m).

 

[mcbaumannerb]

Is that the one originally linked to at the beginning of this thread? I would like to order one ASAP. Thanks!

Yes, this is the one I ordered from Amazon last week using the OPers link.

 

[BOBTHEukBREWER]

Don't forget though, at end of fermentation you will have "some" sugars unfermented (let's say equal to 1.010) and some alcohol (lets say equal to 0.985), the trick is to calculate the 1.010 from a brix reading anywhere between the two........

 

[C-Rider]

Thanks! ordered one.You could just print this chart and put it in the box to just look up the SG conversion from Blix. http://distillique.co.za/catalog/article_info.php?articles_id=174

Full size, just the chart. http://distillique.co.za/catalog/images/articles/balling_brix_plato_to_sg.png

Interesting. I have a chart I found online a year ago it was a PDF file I printed out. Readings are different from "your" link. Not by much but the above table reads about 1.003 higher than my print out.

 

[C-Rider]

Thanks for the post - I've been contemplating getting rid of my hydrometer and this sealed the deal!

Don't you still need the hydrometer for FG when you have beer and not wort.

 

[mikescooling]

I'm using brewzor app on my droid it converts OG-FG and brix and lots more. I have wart in mason jars for my next starter and some I racked 3 days ago and finished beer; I've played with this thing all day and works great. With all these beers I had taken hydrometer readings and this thing is on the money.

 

[dfc]

Looks like its so cheap because it ships straight from Hong Kong. Its only about $8 cheaper than the one from amazon, and if it arrived broken I would much rather deal with Amazon than a Hong Kong ebay seller. I wonder what freight for that from the US to China costs? Probably as much as the item itself..

Shipping is $8.50 on that item.