My Herculometer made of polycarbonate platistic arrived last week. It seems to be made well and is pretty much what was expected. It should take care of the broken hydrometer problem. It cost $17, but after breaking 3 hydrometers, it is well worth it.
Official Broken Hydrometer Count
- Thread starter JefeTheVol
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk:
Congrats!
I still wouldn't put it to a mechanical stress or drop test, that thin polycarbonate shell, although a bit more resilient and flexible than glass, must still be somewhat fragile, especially with the weighted bottom.
It's kinda puzzling why we don't see more of those poly hydrometers around.
The site makes a claim 'the Herculometer® is virtually unshatterable.' hahaa I don't know if I would go that far.. but it does seem pretty hearty.
https://www.northernbrewer.com/products/herculometer-triple-scale-hydrometer
I too am puzzled why we keep buying the glass ones and breaking them.. I figured there had to be some kind of downside to the plastic one.. so I posted the question.. but got not answer about it.. I guess it comes down to what we are used to..
TwistedGray
El Jefe Brewing Company
I don't like when manufacturers call something "virtually xxxxx" because we don't live in a virtual world; we live in a real world. So what they are saying is that it can be shattered but unlikely. I wonder if you really break it if they'll replace it or if you only virtually break it. /annoyed
![Craft A Brew - Safale BE-256 Yeast - Fermentis - Belgian Ale Dry Yeast - For Belgian & Strong Ales - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [3 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51bcKEwQmWL._SL500_.jpg)
2297. Decided to fill my cylinder first this time. I usually fill it last, but I figured I would get the bubbles from the first pump in the hydrometer sample. The movement from pumping my auto syphon knocked the cylinder over, hydrometer didn’t make it. Kind of bummed because I got a refractometer for my birthday and wanted to compare the readings. This batch was a partigyle so at least I got my big beer measured before it broke.
You know, my refractometer is a super nice one and I took a reading for both my strong and my small beer, but the big beer did not agree at all with my hydrometer measurement even with the Sean Terrill calculator. I think I’m doing something wrong. Checked the calibration with water and the refractometer says it is for brewing. I didn’t have the refractometer when I brewed. I measured an SG of 1.120 on brew day with my late hydrometer. Right before I broke it I measured the FG at 1.038. My refractometer read 17 Plato.
JDWebb
Well-Known Member
2- in one day. That's why I order 3 at a time when I break one. My stash so far? - 7.
Add one for me last weekend. Cleaning IC, one of the connections tapped the full sample and knocked it to the tile floor, broken hydrometer and tube, and a sticky mess to clean up in the kitchen.
total - 2299
total - 2299
bracconiere
Jolly Alcoholic - In Remembrance 2023
2302? damn, i haven't broke a hydrometer in over 10 years! lol, but i'm getting bored with this one, so i thought i'd say that to see if i do! 
still looking for a single SG scale one, so it's not ALWAYS the scale pointing AWAY from me!
still looking for a single SG scale one, so it's not ALWAYS the scale pointing AWAY from me!
I've never contributed to this thread, and in my 6 years of brewing, I've broken 3.
2305
2305
I broke 2 this year, total death toll in 12 years of brewing.............7
looks like we missed one from Kayts (Aug 15), and with ABI Brewery (above) contributing 7, that gets us to: 2313.
Silver_Is_Money
Larry Sayre, Developer of 'Mash Made Easy'
I've broken at least two and possibly three hydrometers in my day. Eventually I settled on a refractometer, even for my FG readings, wherein I use Sean Terrill's software to assist in correcting my FG.
I'm glad someone keeps score!
It looks like these 2 weren't added in either.
We're now at: 2315
That puts us at 2317!
Silver_Is_Money
Larry Sayre, Developer of 'Mash Made Easy'
With refractometers going for $19 to $23, why bother with a hydrometer?
The worst hydrometers from a reliability standpoint are the plastic ones. And sooner rather than later they leak and fill up with beer.
The worst hydrometers from a reliability standpoint are the plastic ones. And sooner rather than later they leak and fill up with beer.
For accurate measurement of FG.
Whatever refractometer correction formulas I use, I rarely get to my exact hydrometer reading, which itself is being corrected by subtracting 2 points from the bottom meniscus reading.
I do use the refractometer to detect changes in gravity, for example, when dry hopping during active fermentation (the 30-70% point) and toward the end to determine that fermentation has actually completed. One drop a time does have a lot of charm.
bwomp313
Well-Known Member
+1....2318
killed another this past weekend..
2319
2319
Why are they not reliable? It's just a plastic shell, instead of a glass one.
Silver_Is_Money
Larry Sayre, Developer of 'Mash Made Easy'
Poor calibration and quality control has been reported. Also plenty of eventual leaks at the glue seam. What they really need is a plastic weld seam.
Ah, glued, that explains a lot!
I've never seen a live sample of the plastic ones, NB and MW are the only places that seem to sell them and I don't give them my business. I have also little need for a plastic version since I take good care of my glass ones. I've broken a nice one in my early brew days (already accounted for here), it torpedoed down in the wine thief and bottomed out. Just a stupid mistake rookies can make.
Thanks for the analysis!
