pH meter options

[toniogarces1988]

Hi all, looking for a pH meter and I see prices range from as cheap as 16 to over 100 and more dollars. Any insight? Will a 20 dollar meter do for checking ph of mash?

 

[IslandLizard]

Read the pH meter sticky in the Brew Science forum.
A $20 pH meter won't be accurate/repeatable enough. Sadly you need to spend around $50 at minimum to get reliable and meaningful readings.

 

[augiedoggy]

Hi all, looking for a pH meter and I see prices range from as cheap as 16 to over 100 and more dollars. Any insight? Will a 20 dollar meter do for checking ph of mash?

$12 meters are hit or miss I have a couple and one is damn accurate when compared to the Milwaukee 102 we use and have to recalibrate every single time we use it... when we run out of calibration solution or get results we question we use the cheap red one to back it up. IMO you might go through a few meters but if your looking to get your mash in the correct range the cheap meters are fine one you find one that works .. if your looking to do lab work or .01 accuracy they are not the way to go.

my cheap meters are 4 years old... both work but one hold calibration better than the other (cheap red ATC model that cost $12 on ebay) we did try 3 more expensive meters which were still fairly inexpensive from the local HBS ... a red hanna which wasnt very reliable and a green meter with a clear cap that also wasnt stable. those werent mine so I cant vouch for why.. only that I attempted to recalibrate and use them with bad results but maybe they were damaged from misuse or care IDK.

we were also given the cheap meters to check plate chemistry at work on our processors... same as the red one I have.

 

[redllama]

I have the Omega PHH-7011 (here) and would definitely recommend it. It is definitely on the high end of the price spectrum but it works great. I'm amazed at how well it holds its accuracy. I know that it isn't a best practice but I only have to calibrate it every couple months and it is typically with .02 when I stick it into the solution before calibrating.

 

[Andrew Hodgson]

I have the Apera PH60 which seems pretty popular around here.

https://www.amazon.com/Apera-Instru...00/dp/B01ENFOIQE?ref_=bl_dp_s_web_14574843011

I find it does what I need and calibrates pretty painlessly. Not cheap but worth it so far in my opinion.

 

[augiedoggy]

An inportant question I Guess should be asked is if your like many home brewers who have made what you consider good beer without one but want to improve on that and are looking for something to tell you whether your just in that 5.2-5.6 range or are you someone whos going to be striving for a specific mash ph of say 5.34 where a mash of 5.32 or 5.36 is completely unacceptable?

To me the expectations and attention to required maintenance are going to make all the difference here..

 

[Blazinlow86]

I have the Apera PH60 which seems pretty popular around here.

https://www.amazon.com/Apera-Instru...00/dp/B01ENFOIQE?ref_=bl_dp_s_web_14574843011

I find it does what I need and calibrates pretty painlessly. Not cheap but worth it so far in my opinion.

I also have the same meter and like it. I use it alot as I grow using a hydroponic setup and check the ph every day on that. I also liked that it has a carrying case. Cheers

 

[Blazinlow86]

An inportant question I Guess should be asked is if your like many home brewers who have made what you consider good beer without one but want to improve on that and are looking for something to tell you whether your just in that 5.2-5.6 range or are you someone whos going to be striving for a specific mash ph of say 5.34 where a mash of 5.32 or 5.36 is completely unacceptable?

To me the expectations and attention to required maintenance are going to make all the difference here..

Also a good point. cheers

 

[Cato1507]

Hi all, looking for a pH meter and I see prices range from as cheap as 16 to over 100 and more dollars. Any insight? Will a 20 dollar meter do for checking ph of mash?

I use an Apera 60 ph meter. I think it was about $70 on Amazon but it has a replaceable probe.
I'm likely biased from previously working in a research facility, but I I learned you need accurate data in order to make informed decisions, so it was worth it to me to get dependable readings.

 

[day_trippr]

The Apera is a recent entry to the HBT pH meter sweepstakes. Prior to the PH60's appearance the vetted pH meters were (iirc) the Hach Pocket Pro +, the Milwaukee MW102, and the Hanna HI 98128.

fwiw, I had the Hach and the Hanna. The Hanna's sensor is near EOL and it won't calibrate correctly (stupid autocalibration), and I had killed the Hach's sensor with the slightest errant tap against my sample glass (stupid user). I ordered the PH60 and a replacement Hach sensor on the same day.

And I really like the PH60, for a few reasons: while its calibration method is funky the display is really good, it resolves very quickly (so far), replacement sensors are almost cheap (1/3rd the price of the Hach and the Hanna!), and it has the simplest and likely most reliable storage procedure of any of them: fully immerse the sensor in their storage solution and you're good to go.

So far it has performed admirably, so the Hach is now backup and the Hanna is a museum piece

Cheers!

 

[toniogarces1988]

An inportant question I Guess should be asked is if your like many home brewers who have made what you consider good beer without one but want to improve on that and are looking for something to tell you whether your just in that 5.2-5.6 range or are you someone whos going to be striving for a specific mash ph of say 5.34 where a mash of 5.32 or 5.36 is completely unacceptable?

To me the expectations and attention to required maintenance are going to make all the difference here..

I'm just trying to make sure I'm within the right mash ph range so that my beer can be improved. I already make what i consider to be tasty beer, but I'm interested in water composition and ph as the next step in my journey. Just another fun thing to play with and make better a more controlled beer as a result. I do like precision, but can live with being in the range.

 

[Rev2010]

I too use the Apera pH60 - love it. It comes as a kit too with some starter calibration and storage solutions. Also, the body of the meter has a nice little inbuilt o-ring which prevents the storage solution from evaporating out of the cap.


Rev.