MilwaukeeInstruments MA871 Digital Brix Refractometer, Range 0-85%

Worked great! I bought with the hopes of making maple syrup easier after my old hydrometer failed me on my last batch. The MOST important thing I can say is read the instructions before you use it! I was trying to figure it out and was having issues but those issues were user error! If testing a sample that is not room temperature you most wait till the sample heats the sensor area up to get a proper reading which the instructions say.

This product falls into one of those categories - it is something that you should have, but can't justify spending more money on a lab grade piece of equipment. There are too many other things that I need in brewing beer, and my hydrometers work rather well. The problem with using a hydrometer is the wasted beer. How much easier it is to pull several drops from your fermenting beer than to drain it into a test jar and then pitch it. After reading a lot about digital refractometers, I settled on this one.To begin with, this is a precision instrument. After it arrived, I quickly assessed that a carrying case was definitely needed. Having it packed into a padded case allows me to sleep well every night. The instrument arrived in great condition, packaged really well. READ THE DIRECTIONS. Although you might think it is easy, take 5-minutes out of your precious time and read the directions. It might not reveal anything that you do not already know, but it does allow you to rest assured that when you take the reading the proper way, and clean the pan after each use.It is also important to understand how Brix is different than OG/FG is different than Plato. If you use this instrument as it should be used and treat it as a precision instrument, anyone who brews beer should find this produce one of the best investments they make on any piece of equipment.

I purchased this to use for processing birch syrup. The instructions were brief but easily understandable to a new user. The 9 volt battery, which came with it, was a bit difficult to install. The space for the battery was just large enough to allow room for the battery. It did fit, however, the battery wire was pinched a bit and I was concerned with damaging it. No damage resulted, however, and the unit worked as it should. I had to spread the terminal connector a bit to get it to connect to the battery. My first attempt to make birch syrup was a resounding success and I could not have done it without a good refractomoter such as this. I also used it to measure the sugar content of our beer and wine. I suggest purchasing additional pippets. Two came with the unit but you will likely need more. Packaging could have been better.

I use my MA871 for homebrewing. I Love this meter. It is sooooo much nicer than a handheld refractometer and with a much more dependable reading. Check the calibration with a drop of distilled water at the beginning of the brew day and you're good-to-go for wort pH readings throughout the day. It measures in Brix so one needs to translate that into Plato or Specific Gravity, which is easily done with published reference tables.

I used this for finishing Maple Syrup. I had been trying to determine sugar content using temperature and a hydrometer. I found both very difficult to use. The refractometer was much easier. I just put a drop of solution onto the prism and it instantly gave me a reading. I would then absorb the solution with a paper towel, then put clear water into the reservoir and then absorb that with another paper towel. Very easy and I think the readings were quite accurate.

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The product information claims that this is "ideal" for beer brewing but I would argue it is at best of limited use and at worst totally useless. If you are planning to buy this product for your beer brewing you will not be happy with it.If I could return this unit and get back my money on this purchase I would but unfortunately I was too slow in realizing the issue.I was really looking forward to using the brix meter for my beer brewing. The ease of use and increase in efficiency would greatly simplify brew and bottling days. However, after a few months of missing my expected gravity readings and agonizing about what I was doing wrong on the brewing process, I started questioning the accuracy of the readings. I compared to a reading using a glass hydrometer and realized my brix meter was way off and reading about 3 brix higher than what the manual reading showed (the hydrometer reading was bang on my expected gravity). I did read some product reviews later about the accuracy at lower brix (below 20) being inaccurate which I wish I would have seen earlier.There is another unit made by this brand that measures brix from 0 to 50 whereas this one measures from 0 to 85. Perhaps the other unit is more accurate? I have no idea but I'm not interested in buying another unit to test out if this is true.Overall I would say that I am very disappointed with this product because this it is pretty expensive and it did not meet my expectations. It should be clear in the description of the product that certain ranges are more accurate than others if this is the case.I would definitely not recommend this product for beer brewing use.

Cheapest brix hydrometer i have found on the market for brewing beer. Cheaper than a Hanna model. I would buy another one for home brewing too. Using this in a commercial brewery 6 batches in and is working flawlessly.