ultravista
Well-Known Member
Looking for feedback/recommendations on a reliable digit PH meter. I would like to stay under $50 if possible.
TIA.
TIA.
Looking for feedback/recommendations on a reliable digit PH meter. I would like to stay under $50 if possible.
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.
I put some RO water in the cap before I reinstall it for storage. it holds very little.augiedoggy - does that meter need to be stored wet?
Recommendation: Take your $50 and add $10/month to it. Next Christmas buy yourself a good quality meter.Looking for feedback/recommendations on a reliable digit PH meter. I would like to stay under $50 if possible.
TIA.
Looking for feedback/recommendations on a reliable digit PH meter. I would like to stay under $50 if possible.
TIA.
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.
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?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.
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:
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?
I put some RO water in the cap before I reinstall it for storage. it holds very little.
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...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.
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.
@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.
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.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.
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.
Thank you! I honestly appreciate the point your trying to make as well. I only jumped in with all of this because these points are usually shot down and lost with all the negative assumptions before people can get honest real feedback either way.I apologize for creating a firestorm. To me, and for the type of brewing I do, Ph is critically important. This leads me to needing the most accurate and most reliable meter I can find for a reasonable value. Say I am kettle souring a Gose and each hour that goes by the ph is dropping until the magic moment when I halt souring and begin the boil. This is a very small ph zone and .1 ph is critical in the final outcome. I'd rather have the confidence that a decent meter is in my hand since I can't just run to any store and buy another cheap meter if mine fritzes on a Sunday when I am watching the ph drop like a rock.
Conversely, if I was a brewer who stayed mainstream with somewhat standard beers (apologize for the BCM comment), I would trust Martin Brungard's program and simply add what the program told me. In this regard, I suppose any meter would do since there is no real critical nature of the use as in my case. OR no meter at all is ok here, simply trust Martin.
I suppose it is a simple matter of not only how you want to invest your brewing dollars, but also the type of beers that you are targeting, as in my case, are ph dependent. As a matter of fact, a buddy asked me about meters as he wanted to try Gose brewing. I suggested he try a $15 meter to see if he wanted to continue with sour brewing. I honestly see all the various points being made here. All good.
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..
I should have followed those reviews! But instead I read about people here using cheap meters and believed I would be the 1 in 4 that got a good meter. I've read many of your own threads championing these cheap meters. My opinion was developed at the cost of my wallet. I have three low cost meters collecting dust. One worked for 3 brews, the other worked for about 6 months, the other still works but is off by at least .6 if not more. It will not hold calibration no mater what I do.
I gave them a shot three times. I wasted $50 plus dollars living the dream. Sorry to say but the old saying is true. You get what you pay for.
I now own 4 meters. And I'm trying to prevent the OP from making the same mistake that a lot of people on HBT and other forums have made. Like I said, I've spent hours reading post on pH meters. There is an overwhelming number of cheap meter post that talk about how they break or do not work correctly. So in your opinion these meters work well. In my opinion. You should count yourself lucky. I believe you beat the odds. I have three, I guess you would call me unlucky. The reviews, the post, my own experiences indicate these meters are junk. Should he spend the 100 on a meter? No. Should he spend 12 on a meter? Same answer no. Buy a pound of hops or have your water tested. Use a spread sheet it's free. I still use Bru'nwater even with a high dollar meter. It's pretty damn accurate!
There's a reason why Harbor Freight sells a volt meter for $3.99 and Fluke sells them for them for $100. There are no short cuts with scientific equipment like this. There's a reason why labs don't use 12 dollar meters. Call your local Brewery and ask them what meter they use if they even use one. I have and not one of them would bet 15 barrels of beer on a 12 dollar meter. So, why bet 5 gallons?
I apologize for creating a firestorm. To me, and for the type of brewing I do, Ph is critically important. This leads me to needing the most accurate and most reliable meter I can find for a reasonable value. Say I am kettle souring a Gose and each hour that goes by the ph is dropping until the magic moment when I halt souring and begin the boil. This is a very small ph zone and .1 ph is critical in the final outcome. I'd rather have the confidence that a decent meter is in my hand since I can't just run to any store and buy another cheap meter if mine fritzes on a Sunday when I am watching the ph drop like a rock.
Conversely, if I was a brewer who stayed mainstream with somewhat standard beers (apologize for the BCM comment), I would trust Martin Brungard's program and simply add what the program told me. In this regard, I suppose any meter would do since there is no real critical nature of the use as in my case. OR no meter at all is ok here, simply trust Martin.
I suppose it is a simple matter of not only how you want to invest your brewing dollars, but also the type of beers that you are targeting, as in my case, are ph dependent. As a matter of fact, a buddy asked me about meters as he wanted to try Gose brewing. I suggested he try a $15 meter to see if he wanted to continue with sour brewing. I honestly see all the various points being made here. All good.
I have the Hach Pocket Pro Plus and Milwaukee M102. Hach is much faster and more stable in my opinion.
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