Which Refractometer?

[HelenHP16]

Hello - I'm thinking of buying a refractometer as a stocking filler does anyone have a recomendation? £30 from Amazon £80 Th*n*s is there any difference

thanks

H

 

[Suzi Q]

The ones Th*rnes sell are from China. I bought from amazon, Hong Kong I think, and saved £50. Very happy with it.

 

[Davelin]

£30 ones work fine.

 

[ianorsven]

Got mine from famous auction site - about 30 quid. Does the job. Chinese I guess. Save the money.

 

[itma]

Mine came direct from China (eBay), and for basically £20 delivered I got the calibration block and special oil as well.
The thing shouldn't need calibration - I invested the extra (£4?) purely to 'sanity check' the thing.
As it is, the best means of (re)calibration seems to be to test the same honey on two (or more) instruments side-by-side.

Mine is absolutely fine. Recommended.
Not sure whether mine did come from eBay seller 'gainexpress' (recommended on here), but its the cheaper, shorter "new design" one and came with a soft padded carry bag rather than a carry box. Search for
honey refractometer
and you will be spoilt for choice of seller!
Useful is to also have a couple of quids worth of disposable plastic pipettes (eBay again) for a more respectable means of getting a drop of honey onto the instrument. Get the smallest pipettes you can. 1 ml is plenty big enough.

 

[alanf]

Not sure what paying 30 pounds adds. Going rate as a "buy now" on auction site is under 20, just make sure it's for the water percentage in honey rather than home brewing.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Just had an e mail from Swienty, refractometers are on special offer...
looks much like the Gainexpress ones from the picture, but then most of them look much alike.

Item 107910 Atago Refractometer - bestseller!
A refractometer is one of the tools that are essential whether you are a commercial beekeeper or hobbyist. With a refractometer you can measure the moisture content in your honey and determine whether the honey is ready for harvest. Too high water content in your honey will cause fermentation. The Atago refractometer is one of the best and most robust models in the market. Measures 12.0 - 30.0% water content.

December Sale! Now only € 335,50 incl. VAT (while stock lasts)
Normal price € 395,00 incl. VAT.

 

[Queens59]

Mine was an auction site special £18 inc. postage. I got the doobry, carry bag, 10 pipettes, cleaning cloth, oil and calibration checker...Worked 2 year so far with no issue...

 

[VEG]

Just had an e mail from Swienty, refractometers are on special offer...
looks much like the Gainexpress ones from the picture, but then most of them look much alike.

Item 107910 Atago Refractometer - bestseller!
A refractometer is one of the tools that are essential whether you are a commercial beekeeper or hobbyist. With a refractometer you can measure the moisture content in your honey and determine whether the honey is ready for harvest. Too high water content in your honey will cause fermentation. The Atago refractometer is one of the best and most robust models in the market. Measures 12.0 - 30.0% water content.

December Sale! Now only € 335,50 incl. VAT (while stock lasts)
Normal price € 395,00 incl. VAT.

How many do you get for that price lol


Craig

 

[Cazza]

I bought one from China for £20.00. It was utterly hopeless and sending it back there was not an option. A waste of my money.

I spent a little more and bought a Bellingham and Stanley ATC range one which has been good.

If you run out of pipettes, I find a chopstick is just the right size to poke in a cell and hold a little drop of honey on the end.

Cazza

 

[MuswellMetro]

If you run out of pipettes, I find a chopstick is just the right size to poke in a cell and hold a little drop of honey on the end.

Cazza

I just steal a few wooden tea stirrers from the Cafe down the road from my Apiary

 

[pargyle]

I just steal a few wooden tea stirrers from the Cafe down the road from my Apiary

I hope the Police are not monitoring the forum then ! LOL. They, apparently, boost their crime solved figures by watching on U-tube for idiots who post their crimes for everyone to see ... then go and arrest them !!

 

[psafloyd]

Mine was an auction site special £18 inc. postage. I got the doobry, carry bag, 10 pipettes, cleaning cloth, oil and calibration checker...Worked 2 year so far with no issue...

Me too, Queens. Probably the same one...

 

[VEG]

Gainexpress was who I bought mine from on the bay. No problems at all with it and just under £20 when I bought it.


Craig

 

[ianorsven]

Not sure what paying 30 pounds adds. Going rate as a "buy now" on auction site is under 20, just make sure it's for the water percentage in honey rather than home brewing.

I don't know either. That's simply what it cost when I bought it 2 years ago. If they're £20 now, great!

 

[HelenHP16]

Thanks everyone. Order going into Amazon as I haven't yet braved eBay

 

[BeeJayBee]

Mine came from Gain Express too, it's fine.

 

[victor meldrew]

Gainexpress was who I bought mine from on the bay. No problems at all with it and just under £20 when I bought it.


Craig

A couple of annoying probs with mine .
1 the little grub screw holding the hinge pin ,indeed the hinge itself is constructed of inferior material . Impossible to tighten without spitting .
2 The ring marrying the hinge to scope body is plagued with the same weakness !
Scope works fine but to have the hinge pin fall out whilst in use or the whole hinge assembly slip round is a little annoying
VM


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Arfermo]

I got a refractometer from Hong Kong - circa £13 I think. However, I hardly use it simply because I do not extract more that a very small fraction of uncapped cells, well within the limit that common sense dictates. I really wonder if such gear is as essential as some of the perfectionists on here would have us believe !!!! Now just wait for Finman and Co - with bullet proof gear on of course.

 

[masterBK]

Honey extracted from combs of fully sealed cells does vary in water content (typically within the range 17 -19% water) depending on the crop, time of year, the climate and also varies from year to year with the same crop. The value of the refractometer to me is two fold
a) I sell the honey with the highest water content first keeping the lowest water content honey as my "float" for the following year to keep my customers supplied in case an early crop like OSR fails so that I don't run out until next crop is in.
b) Hold back the honey with the lowest water content for the honeyshow (honey above 17.5% water rarely wins a prize)