Which refractometer is the best?

Dr. Foster and Smith has some real bargains and they are easy to deal with. Personally I got the one from Marine Depot because I wanted a lighted one (not required)
 
Is it really that difficult for some of you to just hold it up to a light and get the reading,lol. I mean good grief. Light or no light get a refractometer and be accurate.
 
I just point mine at the fish tank, and that's plenty of light to see to get a reading.

I believe the MD and F&S blue models are the same brand. I think I got mine from MD, and it works fine. They're on sale at F&S today.
 
I have one of the blue ones. It works great -- just make sure whichever you end with, order one of those little $4 bottles of PinPoint 1.0264 fluid. Calibrating with ro/di water can be a little off and if you're already spending the money on a refractometer, might as well ensure it's completely accurate.
 
I use the Marine Depot unit (blue one). I point mine at my kitchen light and it is plenty bright enough. Tank light works to. So save on the optional light option, unless you will have some late night refractometer fetish. The calibrating fluid is a good point, but quite honestly, the difference is a fraction of a ppt and not that significant, especially compared to an old fashion swing arm. Chris.
 
I have the MD blue one. It works great. I bought the fluid and it was perfect right out of the box. I also agree that if you are too lazy to point it at a light then you should not be in the hobby:eek1:
 
I have the MD blue one. It works great. I bought the fluid and it was perfect right out of the box. I also agree that if you are too lazy to point it at a light then you should not be in the hobby:eek1:
 
For those of you who think that those who don't point a refractometer at a light should not be in the hobby need to chill out a bit. I have multiple tanks on the first floor and multiple sumps in the basement in an enclosed fish room. Having a light in the refractometer makes life a whole lot easier as the light in this room is dim by intention and there are no tank lights. And of course, my eyes are not as good as they once were.

In any case, this is supposed to be a kind and gentle place to come for information. If you would prefer us old farts not come help you new to the hobby, there are many other forums I can spend my time with.

And cloak, you might find out that your floating glass hydrometer is not very accurate. You might try calibrating it with a refractometer. If the 7 dollar instrument were just as good, they would not sell any refractometers.
 
Just make sure you calibrate it with a seawater standard of some sort. Cheap refractometers are often not accurately calibrated with DI water, despite the claims. :)
 
I got my "simple" refractometer from e-bay last month for $20 plus ship from the first link. I didn't need "heavy duty" or a lighted version, calibrated it with filtered water, and confirmed it's reading accuracy with the LFS. The readings I am getting from the refractometer are approximately .002 from my hydrometer. I am quite happy with it. The F&S model has been "on-sale" for weeks! BTW, I e-mailed nis_sales after the purchase about calibration fluid and never got a reply. IMO, if you can get some with your purchase it's worth it; otherwise, I will get some next time I place an order with a vendor that also carries it.
 
I wish I'd gotten the one with the light, too. For some reason, I always feel the need to check my tank's SG right before I go to bed and the only light I could use is right next to the tank. Think of the bristleworm mass chaos, hysteria, and looting if I were to turn that on!
 
Well, the one with the light is handy. I use this for acclimation of fish to SG and I keep the lights off so as not to stress them. And of course, I don't normally turn lights on in my basement fish room so there is another way I find it useful.
 
I suggest, however, calibrating with pinpoint salinity calibration solutions NOT filtered water. .002 sounds small but really is larger than you think.
 
Yup! you gotta get the one with the features you need. The .002 difference was with my hydrometer. My refractometer appears to be accurately calibrated. I still support calibration with pinpoint fluid, and the best time to buy it is when you buy a refractometer.
 
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