Well $h!t ...

Brewer's Friend 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
bellhp

bellhp

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2022
Messages
421
Reaction score
885
Location
South Louisiana
... Just broke my hydrometer .
What should I replace it with , Another hydrometer or a refractometer ?
I have been brewing small batches lately which point to refractometer but I've always been happy with my hydrometers till I break 'em .
If you have an opinion I'd like to hear it , and if you're in the refractometer camp give me a model / brand recommendation please.
 
Best would be to have both. If you have to decide between both, then use a hydrometer. Refractometer is great for pre-fermentation readings and quick checks if fg has been reached. But refractometers are horrible for getting reliable numbers as soon as alcohol is in solution as well. Refractometer correction factors are also more or less just a wild guess, so you are better of with a hydrometer after fermentation s arted.
 
I started with a refractometer. Was gifted a nice USA-made hydrometer. Used it a few times, found my refractometer to be quite accurate. Back to refractometer for all measurements, pre- and post-pitch. Nothing special, just a <$20 jobber off Amazon.
 
I appreciate the feedback , plastic hydrometer looks like a good idea Floppyknockers , but my last one was dual use for beer and wine ... 1.070 won't cut it. Got my first batch of mead going now also and plan on doing more if it doesn't suck.
 
I have one of the Brewing America hydros. I like them alot. Just wish the print was a bit larger. The one I broke had larger print, but I can't remember if I got that one from Northern or William's.

And yes, get two.
 
I'm on my third refractometer (don't buy the cheapest, kids) and second hydrometer. All from Amazon, the refractometer I have now works great and keeps its calibration. Hydrometer isn't fancy but it works. 'Frac for preboil/postboil, hydrometer for FG if I feel like it. Unless I'm using a yeast I'm not familiar with, I rarely take FG measurements. If it tastes done, it is done.
 
Two words: Easy Dens.

Pricey, but accurate, fast, easy to use, only needs 5~10 ml samples. Measures either Plato or Specific Gravity, with ATC. Displays temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit. Saves and graphically depicts fermentation progress. Much more.

I still have 5 different hydrometers in three different range scales and two optical refractometers that have been collecting dust for a year or two. Ditto a Milwaukee 871 electronic refractometer that hasn’t been out of its case since I got the Easy Dens, except to validate the Easy Dens performance with the known accuracy of the 871 and the gravity hydros for a few fermentations. The Easy Dens was the most accurate and never gave ambiguous readings. I love this thing.
 
Brooothru said:
Two words: Easy Dens.

Pricey, but accurate, fast, easy to use, only needs 5~10 ml samples. Measures either Plato or Specific Gravity, with ATC. Displays temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit. Saves and graphically depicts fermentation progress. Much more.

I still have 5 different hydrometers in three different range scales and two optical refractometers that have been collecting dust for a year or two. Ditto a Milwaukee 871 electronic refractometer that hasn’t been out of its case since I got the Easy Dens, except to validate the Easy Dens performance with the known accuracy of the 871 and the gravity hydros for a few fermentations. The Easy Dens was the most accurate and never gave ambiguous readings. I love this thing.
Click to expand...
🤑 i'm jealous....
 
Brooothru said:
Two words: Easy Dens.

Pricey, but accurate, fast, easy to use, only needs 5~10 ml samples. Measures either Plato or Specific Gravity, with ATC. Displays temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit. Saves and graphically depicts fermentation progress. Much more.

I still have 5 different hydrometers in three different range scales and two optical refractometers that have been collecting dust for a year or two. Ditto a Milwaukee 871 electronic refractometer that hasn’t been out of its case since I got the Easy Dens, except to validate the Easy Dens performance with the known accuracy of the 871 and the gravity hydros for a few fermentations. The Easy Dens was the most accurate and never gave ambiguous readings. I love this thing.
Click to expand...
Damn, at 400 bucks it should be accurate. LOL. I still use the hydrometer from NB kit I got originally. I have been thinking of going refractometer, but every time I do, the old hydrometer seems to be accurate and easier to deal with. Good luck.
 
bellhp said:
What should I replace it with , Another hydrometer or a refractometer ?
Click to expand...
I'd stick with the hydrometer. I tried to switch to refractometer, calibrated it every time and thoroughly calculated the correction factor with 30 samples of wort, and still it measured very inconsistently. I guess it's the Automatic Temperature Correction function, whatever it is, messes the measurements up. If you're set on using a refractometer, buy a state-of-the-art industrial-grade one. A $15 Chinese refractometer is a joke, with it you'll need to recheck your measurements with a hydrometer anyway.
 
I bought the poly one after breaking a glass one. I also have a cheap refractometer. I use it during the boil to see how it is progressing and if I should let it boil an extra 15 minutes. Accurate? Not perfect as I know it reads a few points high.
Oh and my mfg pre-cal Tilt from the factory matches my hydrometer readings.
 
Last edited:
Protos said:
still it measured very inconsistently
Click to expand...
Mine was a popular style from a big on line store from around 2017. I gave up trying to create a single correction factor a while back. It works fine on the "hot side"; I use a finishing hydrometer post fermentation (and generally adjust "small batch" volumes to include two FG measurements).

In the early 2020s, there is a "sticky equivalent" in another forum that offers some reasons why a specific brand (or brand model) might not have a single correction factor (e. g. wort color).
 
BrewnWKopperKat said:
reasons why a specific brand (or brand model) might not have a single correction factor (e. g. wort color).
Click to expand...

I haven't found or read that "sticky" yet, but no refractometer has a single correction factor. It's a wort correction factor, not a refractometer correction factor.

It's used to adjust for the sugar makeup of wort vs sucrose solution. Measure a sucrose solution, use 1.0. Measure a 100% malt wort, use roughly 1.04. A Belgian or British wort with a good amount of candi or invert, it'll require something in between.
 
DBhomebrew said:
I haven't found or read that "sticky" yet, but no refractometer has a single correction factor. It's a wort correction factor, not a refractometer correction factor.

It's used to adjust for the sugar makeup of wort vs sucrose solution. Measure a sucrose solution, use 1.0. Measure a 100% malt wort, use roughly 1.04. A Belgian or British wort with a good amount of candi or invert, it'll require something in between.
Click to expand...
^^^Nailed it^^^
 
bellhp said:
I appreciate the feedback , plastic hydrometer looks like a good idea Floppyknockers , but my last one was dual use for beer and wine ... 1.070 won't cut it. Got my first batch of mead going now also and plan on doing more if it doesn't suck.
Click to expand...
Well, you're in luck! They make a set of three that covers a wide range of gravities. 0.980 -1.020, 1.000 -1.070, & 1.060 -1.130. I only got the one because that's the range I normally fall in. Highly recommend it for its ease fo reading alone.

https://www.northernbrewer.com/products/brewery-essentials-herculometer-advanced-gravity-testing-kit
 
Based on what I have read so far ... I'll get another hydrometer whether I opt for a refractometer or not .
I won't be spending hundreds of dollars for the high end refractometer though ... I have two kids in college , may spring for a more budget friendly model after y'all discuss correction factors and such ... 🤔. Ill check back after my morning teams meetings ( got to go solve other problems of the world) . Carry on .
 
I have and use both. the refractometer measures pretty durn close to accurate, even without worrying about the correction factor - it's within the margin of error. EVery so often I do double check with the hydrometer to be sure, especially if I made a mistake somewhere along the line.
For most of my repeat brews, I'm mostly measuring to make sure it's in the vicinity of expected gravity, and if it's moved since last test.
 
I have the same hydrometer set FloppyKnockers posted about, the three hydrometers in different scale ranges. I use a Tilt during fermentation but always confirm gravity (pre-boil, post-boil, and post fermentation) withe appropriate range hydrometer.
 
DBhomebrew said:
I haven't found or read that "sticky" yet, but no refractometer has a single correction factor. It's a wort correction factor, not a refractometer correction factor.
Click to expand...
From what I've read, after I gave up on using it post fermentation, there may also be "high SRM" wort correction factor, a "low SRM" wort correction factor, ... for some brands/models. 🤷‍♀️
 
BrewnWKopperKat said:
From what I've read, after I gave up on using it post fermentation, there may also be "high SRM" wort correction factor, a "low SRM" wort correction factor, ... for some brands/models. 🤷‍♀️
Click to expand...


i'd be curious with these optical refracs how precisily you can tell what the reading is between say 6.5, 6, 7
 
I'd always have a standard glass hydrometer with a scale appropriate for the beer OG and FG that I intend to brew.

A refractometer is great too. But when you get that wonky reading from the refractometer that you can't quite believe then you'll have something to double check against that will be the correct SG.
 
bracconiere said:
i'd be curious with these optical refracs how precisily you can tell what the reading is between say 6.5, 6, 7
Click to expand...
Discerning the refractive index between 6.5 and 6.7 isn’t hard at all, and is certainly easier and more accurate than seeing where the meniscus crosses a hydrometer. But accuracy is more dependent on calculating and applying the correction factor to the observed index, along with temperature corrections.

I hate to beat a dead horse, but if you feel the need for accuracy the Easy Dens measures SG precisely to three decimal points or a tenth of a degree Plato in about 2 seconds and displays the exact sample temperature in with F or C values. It really is easy to use, and extremely accurate if that’s what you want.
 
Brooothru said:
Discerning the refractive index between 6.5 and 6.7 isn’t hard at all, and is certainly easier and more accurate than seeing where the meniscus crosses a hydrometer. But accuracy is more dependent on calculating and applying the correction factor to the observed index, along with temperature corrections.

I hate to beat a dead horse, but if you feel the need for accuracy the Easy Dens measures SG precisely to three decimal points or a tenth of a degree Plato in about 2 seconds and displays the exact sample temperature in with F or C values. It really is easy to use, and extremely accurate if that’s what you want.
Click to expand...

well, this thread was someone who broke their hydro wanting to hear some ideas on a replacement....i just know on my optical refrac i can't read it any close then a half BRIX....not that that wouldn't be good enough...

i don't know? so far MA871 has come up, EasyDens, Polycarbonate hydros. i mentioned 'plain form' or single scale ones...i think we have served well as a public forum!
 

Similar threads

T
Struggling to hit final gravity with using grainfather G40
Replies
12
Views
2K
jambop
J
Protos
Hydrometers Giving Different Readings in the Same Water
Replies
31
Views
2K
Protos
Protos
P
What happened to IPA?
2
Replies
49
Views
3K
Clint Yeastwood
Clint Yeastwood
David Kilduff
Tinplate Mini-kegging for St.Patricks Day
Replies
1
Views
171
JohnSand
JohnSand
ace0005
For Sale * FOR SALE * 5-10 Gallon All Grain Propane System - $900 OBO - NJ
Replies
0
Views
657
ace0005
ace0005

Latest posts

Back
Top