I've never found a good hand-held meter in the under $100 range. Can anybody recommend something that works? I've had the Milwaukee pH53, the Checker, a bunch of others and they all fall flat fast. Every time I calibrate this new Milwaukee, it drifts in minutes. Same calibration solution, but 10 minutes later it's reading half a pH unit off! I don't subject them to harsh acids or even yeast; and I put them away carefully in storage solution. I need something that is reliable and accurate. Any help?
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Frustrated with pH meters!
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I've been very happy with the Exstik PH-110. If memory serves, I paid about $120 for it. This model has a replaceable reservoir in the electrode, and replaceable reference junction. Obviously you need to keep it clean, dab, not wipe the glass bit, and so on.
I have never compared it to an expensive bench model so I don't know how it stacks up accuracy-wise, but testing with buffer solutions says it's almost always within 0.03, and that's good enough for me. I only need to calibrate about twice a week, and it only takes a few minutes.
It's quite tough, completely waterproof, and floats if you drop it in liquid. Recalls the last 15 readings.
Here's a bit of company marketing propaganda:
http://www.extech.com/instruments/pr...=69&prodid=431 including data sheets and a couple of video demos.
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Bumping an old thread
Looking into the finer points of pH meters has led me to the following questions. Most of the "cheaper" handhelds with ATC top out at about 140°F Since I prefer to measure pH at the temp it will be used at (mash in/sparge temp) how critical is it if the ATC poops out at 140°F. Can I assume the difference is minimal or does the ATC just flat out not work if it is over temperature? I have tried many different meters (with and without ATC) and the differences are shocking even in side by side comparisons.
Should I just suck it up and get one with a higher ATC range (probably)?
I guess the other option is to cool the sample first, but this adds time and doesn't truly give the "actual pH" at use temp......Scott LaFollette
Fifty West Brewing Company
Cincinnati, Ohio
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hmmmmm....
WaterEng:
Your response actually gets more to the crux of my issue. I have read texts that say 5.2-5.5 pH at mash temp and I have read texts that say 5.2-5.5 at reference temp (~room temp). Then there are others that don't reference or infer any temperature.
I know for the most part I am ok as long as I "pick one convention" and go with it. Until now it has been the "check at actual temp" method. Unfortunately my previous engineering experience won't let me accept this amount of test variability.....
I guess I need to do some more comparisons at mash temp vs. room temp and come up with a more "robust" measurement process.....
So I'm curious to know what is everyone else out there doing. Measuring at mash temp or measuring at room temp?Scott LaFollette
Fifty West Brewing Company
Cincinnati, Ohio
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Just to be crystal clear, the company is EXTECH, and the product is:
PH110: ExStik® Refillable pH MeterMike Lanzarotta
Commercial Real Estate Broker
finding space for breweries in Southern California
former owner and brewer, Crown City Brewery, Pasadena CA
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