looking for a good refractometer

[virginiadiver69]

Up until now I have been using a hydrometer but for the second time the disk in the swing arm has come loose so I am going to upgrade. There are many choices ranging from $20 to several hundred. There seem to be several in the $100 range but they all look alike to me. Obviously ease of calibration and accuracy are most important to me. Please give me several trusted brand names to look at.

 

[mantis32]

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...n=PROD&Product_Code=REFRACT-PA&Category_Code=

that's a good one. I bought it to replace my $10 one that kept giving wrong readings due to trapped bubbles.

 

[Capt_Cully]

ebay has some good ones. I got mine from marine depot.

 

[virginiadiver69]

Re: looking for a good refractometer

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10154680#post10154680 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by virginiadiver69
Please give me several trusted brand names to look at.

 

[jdjeff58]

Re: Re: looking for a good refractometer

Re: Re: looking for a good refractometer

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10155425#post10155425 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by virginiadiver69

I found this one (Milwaukee) to be of very good quality for the price ($63). I truly believe this is one of those areas where you get what you pay for. $20 cheaper can make a major difference in the quality of materials used for an instrument like this. Be sure to get one with automatic temperature compensation (ATC).

http://www.aquacave.com/detail.aspx?ID=616

 

[fatdaddy]

I bought mine at marine depot. My swing arm hydrometers were way off and it seemed to be changing as well.

 

[Ronny#66]

DR Foster & Smith $44.99 type in dodge on online purchase save 20% till January 07

 

[virginiadiver69]

Thank you, jdjeff58
Just the specificity I am looking for. If I could get some reliable brands I feel I could make an informed decision.
Come on people, I know reefers love to drop the brand names of their equipment...now is your chance.

 

[jdjeff58]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10158455#post10158455 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by virginiadiver69
Thank you, jdjeff58
Just the specificity I am looking for. If I could get some reliable brands I feel I could make an informed decision.
Come on people, I know reefers love to drop the brand names of their equipment...now is your chance.

Well...I'm new to reefkeeping.....but not instrumentation. I know good test eq. when I see it. Milwaukee uses glass and metal parts whereas the cheaper ones tend to use plastic to different degrees. It's kinda like picking up a cheap pair of binoculars vs. a good pair. You can feel the difference. And the main principle at work here is optics. ATC is extremely important with a refractometer. And once again, some perform temp compensation better than others. The quality of the metal strip which expands and contracts based on the temp of your sample comes into play. For our purposes, we do not need a $2000 (or even a $200) refract. But we also don't want a $20 one either. They simply don't perform as well.

 

[virginiadiver69]

Well...it looks like Milwaukee for me.