Refractometers From E-bay (hong Kong) Any Good?

[bignath]

Have you checked yr post ferment refrac readings vs yr hydro? I'd been led to believe that they can't be trusted even with a conversion chart.

To be honest Hatchy, no i haven't mate.

My reasoning is this.

At the moment, i'm happy with the brews i'm churning out, and am focussing on consistency from one batch to the next. I also have heard that people have had many discrepancies with refract vs hydro correlation. It doesn't really worry me too much (but i am conscious of it) as i always get the same reading from one recipe everytime i brew it.

for example: If at the end of my standard fermentation cycle of (insert recipe here) i get a reading of say, 6 brix, i come back a couple of days later and check again. If it's dropped, okay, wait a few more, if it's the same, that's good enough for me. And all of my current recipes are like this. I've been taking notes of my recipes and everytime i brew a particular recipe, it always lands on the same (not similar, the same) brix reading.
At the end of the day, i'm not really fussed whether my brews finish at 1008 or 1010 or whatever. It's consistency i'm going for, and consistency i'm getting.
I'm not one of those brewers that get hung up on the tiniest details of my brewing.

It'll be finished when it'll be finished type of thing - within acceptable and expected limitations of course....

If i started getting different results each time i brewed the same recipe i might start tracking down discrepancies but at the moment, everything is going well in the brewery..

Nath

 

[kjparker]

Wow, my refractometer is certainly taking the scenic route to Australia:

2011-03-25 02:08:00

Fri​

SINGAPORE SIN

Shipment arrived at airport​

2011-03-24 19:03:00

Thu​

HONG KONG

Shipment departed from airport​

2011-03-24 16:00:00

Thu​

HONG KONG

Shipment departed from facility​

2011-03-24 14:00:00

Thu​

HONG KONG

Shipment arrived at facility​

2011-03-23 23:01:18

Wed​

SHENZHEN SHENZHEN

Shipment operation completed​

2011-03-21 19:53:05

Mon​

XIAMEN XIAMEN

Shipment arrived at facility​

2011-03-17 14:15:03

Thu​

ZHANGZHOU

Shipment information received​

Unbelieveable! No wonder postage is free!

 

[DU99]

something like my magnetic stirrer's.."i been everywhere man"

 

[hsb]

Looks like that refractometer is still at least another week away, that's a tough ride, hope it's well packaged

 

[Brewing_Brad]

Wow, my refractometer is certainly taking the scenic route to Australia:

Mine took close to 4 weeks to arrive. Worth the wait though.

 

[cdbrown]

Those dates and times are exactly the same for my tracking number. I guess our refractometers are travel buddies.

 

[cdbrown]

These shouldn't be too far away now. According to singpost
RF057720645SG Tracking -Despatched to Overseas Postal Admin (From SG/ to AU/)

 

[nala]

These shouldn't be too far away now. According to singpost
RF057720645SG Tracking -Despatched to Overseas Postal Admin (From SG/ to AU/)

Ordered mine from here: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...e=STRK:MEWNX:IT
ordered 24 March2011 delivered today 30 March 2011

 

[kjparker]

These shouldn't be too far away now. According to singpost
RF057720645SG Tracking -Despatched to Overseas Postal Admin (From SG/ to AU/)

My tracking still hasnt changed. Looks like they atrent travel buddies after all!

 

[cdbrown]

The last tracking info was from singapore post, not the courier that handled it at the start.

 

[kjparker]

The last tracking info was from singapore post, not the courier that handled it at the start.

Interesting. When I checked that earlier, it had no information (I did try the singapore post page), and now it does! Oh well. I'm sure it will get here eventually!

Edit:

Just rang Australia Post, the item ios in the country, and is clearing customs. I would expect it should be here by the end of the week!

 

[Gormand]

Ok I got mine last week, calabrated for water and I will get to test vs my hydrometer tonight. Readings are very easy to read and very clear so as long as its accurate I am happy with that.

 

[mickpc]

Ill just leave a nice little conversion spreadsheet
Here

Its from more beer and calculates the final gravity given the origional, from brix to SG.

Just click on the links below the vidieo.

Beers MIck C

 

[keifer33]

After pissing around today with my hydro decided its time to get a refractometer.

Quick question do you have to let the sample cool or just take a drop and away you go? As in pre-boil gravity at around 60c

Ended up getting this one
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...e=STRK:MEWNX:IT

 

[Gormand]

After pissing around today with my hydro decided its time to get a refractometer.

Quick question do you have to let the sample cool or just take a drop and away you go? As in pre-boil gravity at around 60c

Ended up getting this one
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...e=STRK:MEWNX:IT

As it is only a couple of drops the temp will drop a fair chunk just transfering it from 1 place to the next. Also apparently they automatically compensate for temp. But I doubt my sample is above 30 once I start taking the reading.

 

[Silo Ted]

They claim automatic temp control, but I still like to let the sample cool down a bit - it only takes a minute when youre drawing such a tiny volume of liquid.

Edit: Beat me. What Gormad said :icon_cheers:

 

[BOG]

They are only good for reading unfermented wort. i.e Starting Gravity.

You cannot use them for measuring fermented wort. i.e to determine final gravity.



BOG

 

[bignath]

They are only good for reading unfermented wort. i.e Starting Gravity.

You cannot use them for measuring fermented wort. i.e to determine final gravity.



BOG

I disagree. I haven't used my hydrometer for atleast the last 15/20 batches. There are plenty of conversion charts going around that convert you readings from brix into gravity, for both unfermenting (any time up to the point of pitching yeast), or fermenting beer.

I get consistent results every time, without having to draw off the best part of a litre over the course of fermentation just to take readings. I just apply the same principles to my refractometer that i used to with my hydrometer - ie: once i get two or three readings the same once it's close to the expected FG, then it's done.

Refractometer has been one of the best investments for my brewery, but you do need to use conversion charts to interpret the readings.

 

[Wolfy]

They are only good for reading unfermented wort. i.e Starting Gravity.

You cannot use them for measuring fermented wort. i.e to determine final gravity.

True to an extent.
If you want to be absolutely pedantic, its correct.
But if you want to fairly good good idea of the fermented wort gravity is, you can use a conversion chart to get to well within home-brew tolerances - and to be honest if the readings are the same and indicate fermentation is finished, who really needs to be more pedantic and accurate than that.

 

[Fourstar]

They are only good for reading unfermented wort. i.e Starting Gravity.
You cannot use them for measuring fermented wort. i.e to determine final gravity.
BOG

This is simply not true. Some people obviously dont read the whole thread.

refracs coupled with beersmith and a hydro you can also determine the starting gravity of commercial examples to help you further dial in style clones. (or when you forgot or stuffed up your OG readings.)

As noted by wolfy, there is a conversion (also related to my post above) that takes your starting OG and give you the equivilant SG from your ferment(ed)ing gravity. Pretty accurate and typically more reliable than a hydro thats being pushed around in a vial due to CO2 coming out of solution.