Is it really necessary to own a refractometer?

[rico567]

Again, you're looking in the wrong places. BMW will do 59.99 each and they're not even wholesale. You can get em off Amazon for $49.99. and Ebay for 29.99

I bought mine from eBay. That being said, if I ran a local LHBS, I probably wouldn't even carry refractometers. Too few one-time sales- as a previous poster implied, I'm just not going to try to keep that inventory and compete with mass sellers like "Happy Fun Luck Trading Co. of Hong Kong." That's just a recipe for red ink. I'd be happy to tell my customers just where they could go to buy a nice cheap one.

For those who don't understand my position above, I view it as a micro version of the Wal-Mart vs. Vlasic Pickles story: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/77/walmart.html

Sure, I'd stock some hydrometers- they're $6.95, and they get broken all the time in the middle of a brew, just read HBT. Given that, sure, I'd keep some in stock as a convenience for my customers.

 

[camiller]

I bought mine from eBay. That being said, if I ran a local LHBS, I probably wouldn't even carry refractometers. Too few one-time sales- as a previous poster implied, I'm just not going to try to keep that inventory and compete with mass sellers like "Happy Fun Luck Trading Co. of Hong Kong." That's just a recipe for red ink. I'd be happy to tell my customers just where they could go to buy a nice cheap one.

For those who don't understand my position above, I view it as a micro version of the Wal-Mart vs. Vlasic Pickles story: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/77/walmart.html

Sure, I'd stock some hydrometers- they're $6.95, and they get broken all the time in the middle of a brew, just read HBT. Given that, sure, I'd keep some in stock as a convenience for my customers.

Absolutly, we keep one refractometer in stock just for that guy that refuses to buy online or "wants it now". I usually tell my customers I'd rather them save money on hardware (it's also cheaper to buy a boil kettle elsewhere rather than the polarware kettles we stock) and buy more ingredients to make more batches of beer.

 

[lucasszy]

I would say you pretty much need one or the other. At minimum a hydrometer, for convenience sake a refractometer is an upgrade..it's nice to have but not a necassity. A 1987 honda civic will get you to work in the morning, just not in the same manner as a new porshe.

PORSCHE is a two syllable word... Just being funny, but it was a quote from some movie years ago!

Cheers

 

[Kaiser]

At this point I have 2 hydrometers (one wide range and one narrow range), a pH meter and just recently an oxygen meter, but no refractometer. I have used one before and do think that they are cool and make brewing easier but buying one always got the boot because it measures something that I can already measure with my existing tools.

I plan to get one soon though as I want to take measurements throughout the mash to demonstrate how the mash gravity rises.

Kai

 

[bakins]

I bought one after I broke my second hydrometer. Once I got it, I wondered "how did I ever brew without it." Worth every penny, IMO.

 

[remilard]

At this point I have 2 hydrometers (one wide range and one narrow range), a pH meter and just recently an oxygen meter, but no refractometer. I have used one before and do think that they are cool and make brewing easier but buying one always got the boot because it measures something that I can already measure with my existing tools.

I plan to get one soon though as I want to take measurements throughout the mash to demonstrate how the mash gravity rises.

Kai

OT, but where did you get the DO meter? The one Morebeer sells seems like overkill for my purposes at least.

 

[Synovia]

I bought mine from eBay. That being said, if I ran a local LHBS, I probably wouldn't even carry refractometers. Too few one-time sales- as a previous poster implied, I'm just not going to try to keep that inventory and compete with mass sellers like "Happy Fun Luck Trading Co. of Hong Kong." That's just a recipe for red ink. I'd be happy to tell my customers just where they could go to buy a nice cheap one.

For those who don't understand my position above, I view it as a micro version of the Wal-Mart vs. Vlasic Pickles story: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/77/walmart.html

Sure, I'd stock some hydrometers- they're $6.95, and they get broken all the time in the middle of a brew, just read HBT. Given that, sure, I'd keep some in stock as a convenience for my customers.

The problem is, I specifically avoid stores that do this.

I'd much rather you tell me "Buy this $40 refractometer, otherwise you'll be replacing hydrometers every third brew". You do that, I'll come back. You try to keep selling me disposable crap, I won't.

Any cash I save on the refractometer in your store is just going to go into buying grain or yeast or whatever from you.

 

[zman]

I need some refractometer advice. I think SWMBO is going to get me one for Xmas. I see ones that vary in the Brix range (0-20, 0-32, 45-80) What range is most suitable for beer and wine

TIA

Zman

 

[bakins]

I need some refractometer advice. I think SWMBO is going to get me one for Xmas. I see ones that vary in the Brix range (0-20, 0-32, 45-80) What range is most suitable for beer and wine

multiply Brix by 4 to get a good estimate of OG. Mine is 0-40, so in theory, it's good for a 1.160 batch... I do a couple of meads a year, so it's good for me.

 

[Saccharomyces]

It's a handy tool to have, especially if you forget to take your OG reading as I sometimes do... you can take a hydro FG and a brix reading, and using BeerSmith or other tool can compute your OG by inputting both numbers. In some cases where I don't know OG (like when making a cider with lots of blueberries in it) this is the only way to compute the %ABV.

 

[khiddy]

I have a refractometer and use it in concert with my hydrometer, but I really am amazed by how often people are breaking hydrometers!

 

[z987k]

I need some refractometer advice. I think SWMBO is going to get me one for Xmas. I see ones that vary in the Brix range (0-20, 0-32, 45-80) What range is most suitable for beer and wine

TIA

Zman

The 0-40 are nice if you do a lot of super high gravity stuff, but both the 0-40 and 0-32 scale take up the same amount of space, making the 0-32 much easier to define the .2 brix marks and still give you up to 1.128. 0-20 is a little low as that tops out at 1.080.

 

[Kaiser]

OT, but where did you get the DO meter? The one Morebeer sells seems like overkill for my purposes at least.

I bought this one: http://www.eseasongear.com/milwaukeesm600.html

Kai