Refractometers - worth having?

[Jim]

SWMBO (bless her) is asking what I want for Xmas. About the only thing I can think of is a refractometer.

I've read up a bit on them (including a few threads on JBK) but just wanted to poll some opinions as to pros and cons. I have gathered so far: -

- You need a table or calculator to convert Brix to degrees of gravity
- Measuring once alcohol has been produced is tricky and requires compensation calculations etc.
- They are usually pretty accurate
- The optical types (which is the only type I'm likely to get due to cost) can be difficult to read
- Easy to use compared to a hydrometer
- Seem to usually have some kind of temperature compensation built in

Any more thoughts, opinions or recommendations for particular ones (£30 is the top limit of cost, so nothing exotic)?

[barneey]

I`ve used one in the past, the greatest asset has to be the ability to take a reading very quickly with hot wort, as a drop doesn't take long to cool down. I found bright sunlight the best condition to take a reading as it produced a clearer site.

Any tables are very easy to use for a conversion.

From memory mine was only < £20.00 and came from ebay far east.

I wouldn't say its easier to use than a hydrometer just quicker and temps aren't so much of an issue.

[vacant]

I got one from Ebay for £11.35 delivered (from China). It was meant to come with SG and Brix scales but had Brix only though I read the SG scale tends to be wrong at higher SGs on these cheapo ones

I have the equation to convert Brix to SG in a spreadsheet but multiply by 4 is good enough when I'm working out what to boil off and OG. There's another equation for Brix to FG using OG.

Dead easy to use/read, should have got one years ago as it makes hot SG measurement a doddle. Of course I compared with a hydrometer as I went along the first brew I used it.

[Hairybiker]

I have one of the ebay ones as well. Dual scale fine for my brew range 1036-1060.
Dead easy to use, just a couple of cc's of wort needed and no faffing about with the hydrometer to get the correct reading.

[boingy]

I got a cheapo ebay one and it's one of my best purchases. You can test the pre and post boil gravity in a few seconds with a one drop of wort rather than force-cooling a sample jar of wort. Most brewing software will happily include brix/plato targets on your brew sheet for various stages so I don't have to look anything up because I know the ideal value. They do need a decent light to use but standing under the fluorescent tube in the garage makes it very easy to read. I'd say it's easier to read than most hydros.

Once fermentation has started the best thing to use is a hydrometer though. In a typical brew cycle I test with refractometer 3 times - pre-boil, post-boil and just before pitching the yeast and then about 5 days later I'll usually only take one hydro reading and decide it's ready to be chilled down and kegged. I used to take loads more readings using both hydro and refracto (!) but they always agreed (and taking mid-fermentation readings is a bit pointless unless you think something has gone wrong or you like plotting graphs).

[Mr. Dripping]

They are very useful. I decided to steer away from ebay and got one made by Bellingham & Stanley.

[DeadFall]

Love mine. It reads the same as my hydrometer pre-ferment and I can constantly and easily monitor the gravity during the brew day. It can be blurry to read if the light source isn't good enough. Daylight is usually perfectly fine. Mine has brix and SG scales. It's a good idea to give the wort a good mix before taking a reading. Again, a cheap Chinese one from Ebay.

[Jim]

Sounds like it's just the thing for me!

Thanks chaps!

[Wezzel]

+1 for Chinese EBay ones. Mine works fine. Just make sure you buy the model that is correctly calibrated for wort as they sell them calibrated for other purposes too.

Very handy for checking gravity of the final runnings when sparging. Just catch a few drops of the wort mid flow from the tap with a small pippet (supplied with mine) and place a drop or two onto the instrument. Takes less than 10 seconds.

[6470zzy]

Many refractometers intended for the homebrew market now come with the specific gravity graduations already so that there is no need for any calculations on the brewers part. I only wish that I had been able to control my urge to purchase a refractometer until I had seen one of these.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00A ... MXSBXMW3W7

Cheers

[Jim]

Many refractometers intended for the homebrew market now come with the specific gravity graduations already so that there is no need for any calculations on the brewers part. I only wish that I had been able to control my urge to purchase a refractometer until I had seen one of these.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00A ... MXSBXMW3W7

Cheers

That one looks just the donkey's. Mainly good reviews as well.

[cumbrianwolf]

I am also a fan of the refractometer and it has both Brix and S.G. scales and it works great for all my tasks.

[Jim]

Ordered the one off Amazon.

Unfortunately I'll only be able to have one go to make sure it works, then she'll insist on wrapping it up for Xmas.

[6470zzy]

Ordered the one off Amazon.

Well done, glad to have done my part

[barneey]

From memory, you will need some distilled water to zero the thing, a boiling kettle or pot will provide the drip required.