pH meters - what's good and what's not?

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Drunk Az

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Hi all, I am wanting to buy a pH meter, what is everyone using, what's good and what's not? Do you need to spend mega bucks to get a good accurate unit?

Cheers,
Az
 
Gday, I'll probably in the same boat so can't recommend anything, but I've seen someone recommend the Craft Brewer one. Will follow the topic & see what pops up.
 
More expensive ones will be more accurate and have higher quality probes. You get what you pay for.
However for my purposes I just bought a $25 evilbay jobbie and although the temp reading on it became inaccurate (probably my fault for not storing the probe properly) the ph meter seems to work fine. I calibrated it every few brews and was hitting 5.4 as predicted by the water calculator. I only use it occasionally now for peace of mind because I've developed a severe case of rule of thumb.
If you get right into the water chemistry side of things and want reliable accuracy then buy well. Otherwise grab a cheapie.
Mine looks like the craftbrewer one but only has two buttons. It has a replaceable probe worth about 10 bucks. Be sure to care for the probe as they're sensitive.
 
I have chewed through two, either breaking the bulb or cheap batteries leaking internally. Going to get a new one soon that can do 0.01pH accuracy and resolution. Most cheapies are 0.1 accurate and given the pH scale is logarithmic, 0.1 is a big difference.
 
In perspective though, there was a bulk buy of the Hanna ones not long ago. Something like 200 and the probe has to be replaced every 12months and cost almost the same as the meter. That didn't seem worthwhile to me.
 
lael said:
In perspective though, there was a bulk buy of the Hanna ones not long ago. Something like 200 and the probe has to be replaced every 12months and cost almost the same as the meter. That didn't seem worthwhile to me.
Click to expand...
Yeah would not pay that, careful searching on ebay of aliexpress results in 0.01pH accurate ones for around the $80 mark. I kind of feel lost without it now when brewing, hate guesswork on something that is pretty critical.
 
I own a hanna pH meter and I am very happy with it. I agree they are expensive and not for everyone. However some of the earlier claims in this thread are a stretch: you don't need to pay $200 ($140 delivered from eBay) nor do you have to replace the probe every year nor does the cost of the probe costly nearly as such as the unit pay ($50 delivered on eBay). If you treat it right it will last a long time: cool the wort before measuring the pH. I have owned it for 2 years and have used it fortnightly and have not had to replace the probe to date. For me it came down to the fact that Hanna was a reputable company and I felt I would get a quality and accurate pH meter. How do you verify the accuracy claim of your pH meter? The other reason I chose the hanna was I know in a few years time when I need a replacement probe, I will be able to buy one, and won't have to bin the whole unit.
 
If you think pH is important then you need to spend money on a high end pH meter, the more you spend the better the accuracy and the longer it will last. ( probe excluded) .
pH will tell the total story of your ferment which is important in beer quality and reproducibility.
I bought a Horiba pH meter which cost me $600 plus 5 years ago but it will survive my brewing career and its accurate.
Nev
 
NewtownClown said:
.01 resolution with a .05 accuracy. 3 point calibration. Replaceable probe. Under $60 delivered

I have had one for 3 years without needing to replace the probe yet. It is important to look after the probe. Get some storage solution for keeping the bulb wet and don't immerse it in hot samples.
Click to expand...
I have the same one. I like it. I haven't used anything else though so I'm no authoritative voice. I calibrate every brew and then check against the calibration solution to get a sense of drift. And yes, yes, yes to the storage solution.
 
Thanks everyone for your input, I was just checking out the Hanna website (and all of the other links posted) and there are a LOT of options! What model Hanna do you have Black N Tan and if you had your time again would you get the same model or another one? Does anyone know what the difference is between a pH meter and a pH tester?
 
Drunk Az said:
What model Hanna do you have Black N Tan and if you had your time again would you get the same model or another one?
Click to expand...
I have the Hanna 98128 and I would buy the same again. It is more than adequate from brewing at home.
 
Does the 0-50 degree celsius bit concern you Mr Fox?
 
mofox1 said:
Cam - was it this one? http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/221419051198

I'm planning on getting either this or the one mentioned earlier...
Click to expand...
Very similar to that one but a yellow fascia. Mine's a coupla years old though. Pretty sure it was just under $30 delivered. I'll see if I can find a link.

JB, I only measure cooled liquid with mine considering the price/quality. But it hasn't let me down...yet.
 
Ahhhhh that makes sense ... Thanks
 

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