PH Meter Recommendations?

[ultravista]

Looking for feedback/recommendations on a reliable digit PH meter. I would like to stay under $50 if possible.

TIA.

 

[Kent88]

sub'd, carry on

 

[bschot]

I've got a Milwaukee and it is fantastic. Whatever meter you decide to get check the price of replacement probes, some replacements are about as expensive as a new meter.

 

[passedpawn]

I've been using the following for a couple of years and it's been a very good meter. It's my second - the first, which was a different model, fell apart due to improper storage and general poor upkeep. I use it for cheese, beer, and all sorts of add things around the house. It's unbreakable, which I love.

Extech PH100 ExStik 0.00 to 14.00-PH Waterproof Meter

with

Atlas Scientific pH Calibration Solution Kit 4.0, 7.0, and 10.0 - 4 Oz Bottles

 

[LarMoeCur]

Looking for feedback/recommendations on a reliable digit PH meter. I would like to stay under $50 if possible.

If you run a search you will find there are no recommended ones for under $50. For a recommended one that is stable your looking at more than $100.

Hach Pocket Pro+ #9532000
Milwaukee MW102
Hanna 98128 (Calibration issues according to AJ)
Omega PHH7011

 

[Drk93TT]

Just purchased a MW102 at 109$ .. not concerned with the extra cost if its easy to calibrate and quick to take accurate readings. You can buy a 8$ PH reader on eBay.. and i know theres a thread here comparing one of the cheapies to a high end model somewhere.. to lazy to link it.

 

[LarMoeCur]

Your better off spending 8 bucks on a pound of hops. Use the Bru'nwater spreadsheet and your margin of error will be just about the same as that 8 dollar meter. I still use Bru'nwater with my meter and it within .5 everytime.

 

[Drk93TT]

Your better off spending 8 bucks on a pound of hops. Use the Bru'nwater spreadsheet and your margin of error will be just about the same as that 8 dollar meter. I still use Bru'nwater with my meter and it within .5 everytime.

Yeah Ive been using BruNwater for some time now, curious to check it real time w my meter. . . Wish I could brew more... avg 1 5.5 gal batch a month lol.

 

[brick_haus]

I have the Hach Pocket Pro Plus and Milwaukee M102. Hach is much faster and more stable in my opinion.

 

[augiedoggy]

I have both of these as well as the older yellow cheaper ph meter...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-PH-...hash=item4890b57f5b:m:mcL5zj_4EyW2Esb-k9pIKZw
been using them all for a couple years... the red one Ive had for around 2 years and theyellow Ive hade for like 3 years... I use one to check the calibration of the other every now and then and crecalibrate them when they read off from one another...
If your looking for someing to just tell you your in the range of 5.2 than these do work perfect for me... My brewing buddy bought a hanna recently and both times we have compared them they have been consistent with each other in readings so... The TDS meter works well too... Its amazing the difference in disolved solids between tap water and RO water which is close to 0

 

[ultravista]

I brew only a few times a year and occasionally ferment a batch of peppers for hot sauce - I need something that will see 4-5 uses a year.

 

[ultravista]

augiedoggy - does that meter need to be stored wet?

 

[augiedoggy]

augiedoggy - does that meter need to be stored wet?

I put some RO water in the cap before I reinstall it for storage. it holds very little.

 

[platypotamus]

I've been using the yellow Dr.meter 0.01 High Accuracy Pocket Size pH Tester for a few years now. No complaints so far. It has .01 accuracy, calibrates easily, and it came with the blue TDS Tester when I bought it. Cheap, accurate, and, if it breaks, it's no biggie to order another one.

 

[BobBailey]

Looking for feedback/recommendations on a reliable digit PH meter. I would like to stay under $50 if possible.

TIA.

Recommendation: Take your $50 and add $10/month to it. Next Christmas buy yourself a good quality meter.

 

[FranklinNewhart]

Looking for feedback/recommendations on a reliable digit PH meter. I would like to stay under $50 if possible.

TIA.

I have a couple of these from off E-Bay. one with lighted display and one without. I have never had a problem with either one.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Portable-Dig...439403?hash=item1c6b7d03eb:g:xe4AAOSwtnpXmcdE

You might also consider having a TDS meter I have one of these as well and it is dependable also.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/LCD-Digital-...8?hash=item5d67ab1bb8:g:wJoAAOSw6n5XrUR9:fro:

 

[okiedog]

I've been using the yellow Dr.meter 0.01 High Accuracy Pocket Size pH Tester for a few years now. No complaints so far. It has .01 accuracy, calibrates easily, and it came with the blue TDS Tester when I bought it. Cheap, accurate, and, if it breaks, it's no biggie to order another one.

Is Dr. Meter .01 accuracy or resolution?

 

[mtnagel]

Your better off spending 8 bucks on a pound of hops. Use the Bru'nwater spreadsheet and your margin of error will be just about the same as that 8 dollar meter. I still use Bru'nwater with my meter and it within .5 everytime.

0.5 is a huge difference from predicted. Of the 40 times I've measured pH after using Brun Water, the worst was 0.23 units higher than predicted while the average difference is 0.06 units. Did you mean 0.05?

 

[augiedoggy]

I have a couple of these from off E-Bay. one with lighted display and one without. I have never had a problem with either one.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Portable-Dig...439403?hash=item1c6b7d03eb:g:xe4AAOSwtnpXmcdE

You might also consider having a TDS meter I have one of these as well and it is dependable also.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/LCD-Digital-...8?hash=item5d67ab1bb8:g:wJoAAOSw6n5XrUR9:fro:

I have the same TDS meter as well as an older yellow non lit ph meter it came with that I bought like 3 years ago and a newer red backlite one with the 0.01resolution display.

all mine still work well

 

[aperper]

I know the cheap meters get ragged on, but i have used this meter for the past 1.5 years for both my fish tank and my mash. costs 15 bucks and gets me to the accuracy that is needed. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LNSEZH2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[Morrey]

I bought a $15 meter off Amazon and it worked fine...for about a month.

Then I figured ph was a very important value to me as I brew lots of sour beers and need to monitor the ph precisely as the wort goes down in ph. Thusly, I spent $125 for the Hach Pocket Pro + and never looked back.

Conversely, if I was a BCM type of brewer, I'd trust Bru'n Water and forget the whole meter subject. In summary, get a decent $100 meter if this is important to you.

 

[LarMoeCur]

0.5 is a huge difference from predicted. Of the 40 times I've measured pH after using Brun Water, the worst was 0.23 units higher than predicted while the average difference is 0.06 units. Did you mean 0.05?

Good catch...Fat fingered typo! I did indeed me .05


Thank you!

 

[JimmyC-BYOB]

I put some RO water in the cap before I reinstall it for storage. it holds very little.

@augiedoggy - Please don't use RO water for storage. RO water does not have enough ionic strength and can poison the reference of your sensor causing an offset. You can calibrate the offset out but the more you do it the more you take away from the accuracy.

Ideally, you want to use KCL (same as in the fill solution) but if you don't have any you are better off just using plain tap water.

Just an FYI.

 

[JimmyC-BYOB]

Those cheap meters are worthless. Incidentally, it has nothing to do with the pH glass but the electronics. A pH meter is only as good as the electronics and the temperature compensation algorithm.
Go to eBay and buy a good brand name lab meter (Mettler-Toledo, Orion, Hach just to name a few). You can get them for a fraction of what they go for retail and have an incredibly accurate measurement. The pH sensor is the disposable part but if you take care of them they can last for ever. Get a refillable with a temp element internal to it. For about $100 you can get something worth a $1000 and will last you for the rest of your brewing career. If you need some help choosing (I work in the industry of lab and online analytics) I would be happy to help. Just IM me.

 

[augiedoggy]

I bought a $15 meter off Amazon and it worked fine...for about a month.

Then I figured ph was a very important value to me as I brew lots of sour beers and need to monitor the ph precisely as the wort goes down in ph. Thusly, I spent $125 for the Hach Pocket Pro + and never looked back.

Conversely, if I was a BCM type of brewer, I'd trust Bru'n Water and forget the whole meter subject. In summary, get a decent $100 meter if this is important to you.

So lets look at this from a rational point of view. Your cheap meter broke but worked fine while it was working... From the amount of others like myself that have been using our for years without a problem vs those who actually gave the cheap meter a chance and had it fail, it really seems your results arent typical yet you advocate everyone forgo the $10-15 option and spend 10 times more on another meter because of the slight possibility it could fail when in reality he could just spend $20 on 2 cheap meters in the unlikely event that his fails like your did and still come out ahead right? I have read of 2 accounts where these cheap meters both supposedly "crapped out" and only in one case did someone actually explain how and that he did bother to check the batteries... I believe many buy them with the expectation of failure and so when something simple like dead batteries or the unit needing calibration happens they throw it away and buy what they think will be something easier to use and maintain only to find in some cases that the probes can still fail on the expensive meters and care still needs to be taken to maintain them like soaking or storing in a solution or water...

In any case the OP stated he wasnt looking for lab quality accuracy since he would only use it a handful of times per year..
I know little about brewing sours and im sure the specific ph comes into play a lot more often than when brewing a non lambic style which apparently you view as "BMC" beers although most others in this forum would disagree with you. so more percise or robust ph meter may be the better choice for you but it doesnt mean the cheap meters failing is a typical outcome and as you say it worked fine for the first month so that would support that they do in fact work despite the assumptions by many that they just cant possibly work because of cost vs what they bought theirs for.

 

[LarMoeCur]

I bought a $15 meter off Amazon and it worked fine...for about a month.

Then I figured ph was a very important value to me as I brew lots of sour beers and need to monitor the ph precisely as the wort goes down in ph. Thusly, I spent $125 for the Hach Pocket Pro + and never looked back.

Conversely, if I was a BCM type of brewer, I'd trust Bru'n Water and forget the whole meter subject. In summary, get a decent $100 meter if this is important to you.

If you put in the time to do a quick google search, you will find that this is the number one complaint on these cheap meters. Some users get years of use, some get 10 days. Read the Amazon reviews 60% say worked fine for BLANK days then craped out. The other 30% say DOA. The other 10% 5 stars best 10 bucks ever spent. It's a crap shoot.

There are hundreds of post on HBT some get very detailed with information from people who use meter everyday at their jobs. Some of these people have done testing on all sorts of meters and posted the data on HBT. You can spend hours reading these post or just trust that some of us have. The bottom line is if you want a meter that is accurate, stable, and will last. It's going to cost you just over 100 bucks. If you don't want to spend the money buy pH strips or use Bru'nwater or the other 10 spread sheets that calculate pH. The accuracy of these spread sheets is well documented and will get you not only in the ballpark but pretty damn good seats.

 

[augiedoggy]

@augiedoggy - Please don't use RO water for storage. RO water does not have enough ionic strength and can poison the reference of your sensor causing an offset. You can calibrate the offset out but the more you do it the more you take away from the accuracy.

Ideally, you want to use KCL (same as in the fill solution) but if you don't have any you are better off just using plain tap water.

Just an FYI.

This is good to know but so far my meter has held calibration pretty well. I should point out that I usually use some water from my HLT which is honestly usually an RO and tap water mix thats sat out overnight with a camden tablet disolved in it so that may be why I havent had an issue. You say these are garbage and dont work yet I have referenced mine against another more expensive meter and another cheap meter and mine in fact DO work well for what I use them for.... Again we are arguing apples to oranges. this is not a LAB enviroment.. We have folks here brewing good beer without them and in aluminum kettles with tap water in some cases, Do you really think the majority of home brewers will ever actually appreciate any real benefit from a lab quality ph meter if they are just using it to check mash and sparge ph?

 

[augiedoggy]

If you put in the time to do a quick google search, you will find that this is the number one complaint on these cheap meters. Some users get years of use, some get 10 days. Read the Amazon reviews 60% say worked fine for BLANK days then craped out. The other 30% say DOA. The other 10% 5 stars best 10 bucks ever spent. It's a crap shoot.

There are hundreds of post on HBT some get very detailed with information from people who use meter everyday at their jobs. Some of these people have done testing on all sorts of meters and posted the data on HBT. You can spend hours reading these post or just trust that some of us have. The bottom line is if you want a meter that is accurate, stable, and will last. It's going to cost you just over 100 bucks. If you don't want to spend the money buy pH strips or use Bru'nwater or the other 10 spread sheets that calculate pH. The accuracy of these spread sheets is well documented and will get you not only in the ballpark but pretty damn good seats.

The problem with those reviews is they are by folks who have no idea how to use a ph meter this is their first one and many likely wont bother reading the directions with such a minimal investment. Both good and bad reviews there should be taken with a grain of salt unless further info is given by the person leaving the review. This is why a forum like this is a better place for those to actually get more detailed info about whether these are a good buy or not... Be honest with yourself, you have developed your opinion and likely wont change it regardless of whether you have any actual first hand knowledge of the subject like others here right? Especially if you already purchased another meter.

So far we have how many who use them without issues and how many how really gave them a shot only to find that it broke after a month of working good? 4 with good experiences and 1 without.

Why does the OP need to spend <$100 for a meter that "will last" theres a good chance he may use it a couple times and realize its not really doing him much good either way and stoop using it. Ive seen a number of people here clam they no longer bother using a ph meter or strips and instead rely on things like brun water or acid malt or 5.2 stabilizer... I think $12 is a worthwhile investment for some to make and if they feel its so important to them that they need to spend much more thats great... But the point here is these meters work well for many home brewers.

A couple years ago people here were very discouraged against using a chinese heating element vs a camco or american made brand. They were widely touted and thought of as dangerous, unreliable and not to be considered.. Yet now the vendors here all sell them and they outnumber the camco element sales 2 to 1 here ... Does the camco element have a better track record as far as less failures and better performance, yes. But they also come at about twice the cost (for the stainless based ones) and for many the minimal risk is worth it. Case in point the original 4500w camco element I had put out 4460w of heat but thebase rusted, so I later replaced it with a chinese 4500w element I paid more for through the electric brewery website that only put out 4050w or so but the base doesnt rust... It was all about compromise vs what would work well for me at the time. Ive since upgraded again not because I had to but because I could justify the advantages of a different element to myself... It doesnt make the old elements junk. I actually paid less for my new chinese based TC elements than any of the previous ones and they work better with more flexibility so its not always about cost.

 

[brew703]

I've been using the yellow Dr.meter 0.01 High Accuracy Pocket Size pH Tester for a few years now. No complaints so far. It has .01 accuracy, calibrates easily, and it came with the blue TDS Tester when I bought it. Cheap, accurate, and, if it breaks, it's no biggie to order another one.

This is the one I have as well. Could not justify spending $100 for a ph meter. I also use Bru N Water and the recommended PH is close when checked with the Dr Meter so I am satisfied. And if it breaks then no real loss.

 

[augiedoggy]

ok so that 5 + and one - experience