Home Distiller

I see pH meters on amazon for as little as $19.99.

will this get the job done? if not, what is a better alternative?

I use a Milwaukee MW102. It's a pretty good meter. If you buy a meter and find you constantly need to re-calibrate then you've probably wasted your money as it's not reliable.

I use a ph meter similar to this one, and with proper care they are good for a few years..
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-Pen-Typ ... SwUKxYcFpT" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Mars

+1 on the mw102. Really works well. The auto temp calibration is a must. The 102 is worth the extra $$ over the 101.

I'd like to say thank you all for your answers, this helps a ton!

Happy distilling!

I agree with the mw102, also always cool what you use it in. I will add Hanna handheld hi 98128, always had the best luck with that one. Always keep the meter stored in storage solution, try to get one with replaceable probes, as that is what usually goes bad. They have a 6 month warranty while the rest comes with from 30 day to three year. Been through a few of them.

aliexpress.
i think i paid like 6.00 for a digital
and thats canadian
cheaper in u.s

There are cheap ones, expensive ones. They are known to go bad, use them every day or a few times a week, keep them calibrated at least once a month at 4 and 7 and watch how they start to drift and crap out. There are gel filled ones, refillable a , glass and plastic bulbs, two junction and single junction. Manual and digital calibrated, with ATC on no ATC. Throw aways and replaceable probes . Etc. Some last and some dont

I bought this in 2018, for €120, at a Belgian brewery online shop: Homebrewshop.be.

It is not cheap, but it has something that I wanted: replaceable probe, storage can be "dry" (very important to me, simplifies life a lot), can use AAA batteries and also AAA Ni-Mh accumulators, it has an internal thermometer and gives you a temperature adjusted value (ATC, automatic temperature compensation). It's pretty much stupid-proof. It also measures mV but I don't have a use for that function so far.

The general quality and reliability of those instruments seem to be very good, laboratory level so to speak.

I have read often about the low duration of the probes, and the problems which are due to the storage of the probes. This probe appears to be able to last much more than the typical two years of use according to some sources which I found two years ago, at the time of purchase.

Last but not least, it's proudly made in Italy

https://www.xsinstruments.com/pocket-te ... er-kit.htm

I used it for the first time a few days ago, because I have a stuck fermentation for which I wanted to check the pH. I had to re-hydrate the probe with water for 1 hour (to "wake it up") and then calibrate the instrument with the two solutions (pH 7.01 and pH 4.01) which are provided with the kit. Easy-peasy. Then I measured the ferment and the various measurements were stable to the second decimal figure, no incertitude, and I like that a lot, so I wanted to write my experience here.

My reason to buy this is also because I will soon begin brewing "all grain" and a pH meter is very useful for that. For mere distilling it might be a bit of an overshoot, unless you like reliable instruments in themselves