Is it worth the money to invest in a higher end PH Meter or will the lower end Milwaukee PH meters be just as accurate? My understanding is that most, if not all, PH meter readings have to be recalculated when using them at mashing temps anyway. Any thoughts?
Things to look for in a good meter:
Dual point calibration
Waterproof
ATC (auto temperature compensated)
Replaceable electrode
Hold function
Auto off
I use a Hanna 98127 and really like it, its temp range is 140F.
I have the $30 economy version with one calibration point. Whenever I re-calibrate, I am always right on. Maybe I am consistently measuring the wrong number, but the beer doesn’t show it. It’s not high-end gear, but it works.
It all really boils down to what accuracy you will personally require.
The PH600 “economy” is non-ATC so this just means you have to correlate temp of reading with reading of ph. When testing at/ around 60-80f which you should to prolong the electrode life it is not of enough consequence to matter. The resolution of the meter is 0.1 and accuracy is 0.1 and has only the 7PH calibration so if your comfortable just hitting 5.2-5.5 you will be fine with this meter.
The PH 51-55 are Auto ATC( not really an advantage as explained above also the very highest some of these auto ATC meters will comp is 122-140f which is a low tolerance for 150f+ Mash. Test at that temp if you must but accuracy and probe life will suffer also the presence of grain husk can skew the reading. Anyway If testing at mash temp just compensate for the reading to be 0.3 higher than it would at room temp), replaceable probe(darn near the cost of the unit anyways, so this becomes a non issue) And also only has 0.1 resolution and 0.1 accuracy but these models do carry a two point calibration so accuracy slides up just a touch.
The PH 56 is where it’s at if you want to up the accuracy for just a few more bucks. It has auto ATC, replaceable probe,two point calibration, BUT the resolution is 0.01 and the accuracy is 0.05.
I know the PH 51-56 all have double junction and I believe the economy model also has a double junction. The only reason this matters is because solutions containing proteins and other that wort will have tend to clog probes so double junction just provides a secondary reference to help with accuracy and probe longevity. As always rinse your probe with distilled water after testing samples to help prevent clogging.
It is good to check the calibration often and also most portable meters have a small sponge in the cap and just keep this “moist” with a dab of PH 4 calibration solution or KCL. This helps keep the electrode from drying out in between uses.
The aforementioned Hanna 98127/ PHep 4 compares with the Milwaukee Ph 51-55 with auto ATC, replaceable probe, two point cal and resolution of 0.1 and accuracy of 0.1
The Hanna 98128/ PHep 5 would be a similar upgrade to the Milwaukee PH56 with a 0.01 resolution and 0.05 accuracy. The only additional feature of the Hanna is the hold feature.
I noted this when looking for price at Amazon on the Hanna 98127:
“Stability indicator to help prevent false readings”.
Any input Baratone? I have not noticed this feature before when looking for personal units. Does it indicate when calibration is necessary as it notices readings sliding or such?
The only mention of it in the users manual is this:
“Measurements are highly accurate with a unique stability
indicator right on the LCD”.
+1 I check the calibration at the start of each brew day and it’s never more than 0.1 off. I eventually killed my first meter by dipping it directly in the mash (although it took like three years to finally mess it up), so I now do room-temp readings by putting a small glass bowl in the freezer at the same time I start heating the water and then scooping out a little wort into the bowl for a quick chill. Works well from pH3 (sour beers) to pH10 (Austin tap water).
[quote=“ITsPossible”]
I noted this when looking for price at Amazon on the Hanna 98127:
“Stability indicator to help prevent false readings”.
Any input Baratone? I have not noticed this feature before when looking for personal units. Does it indicate when calibration is necessary as it notices readings sliding or such?
The only mention of it in the users manual is this:
“Measurements are highly accurate with a unique stability
indicator right on the LCD”.[/quote]
The stability indicator tells you when the meter has stabilized to take the most accurate reading.
The Hanna 98127 & Hanna 98128 also feature auto buffer recognition for five buffer values.
The hold feature is very handy on both models and have the battery level indicated at each startup.
Ahhh, very good that explains the feature. Which is very beneficial actually as most types you need to just let rest in solution for a few minutes to assume it has finalized a reading.
When you say 5 types we are talking 4.01, 7.01 10.01 then 6.98 and 9.98 in most cases correct?
I notice you mention the hold feature quite a bit. In practice I typically find a reading and write it down on my brewday notes. Where and What do you feel this feature adds? Maybe I’m missing something.
4.01,6.86,7.01,9.18,10.01
The hold feature is just nice in case you have to pull the meter out of the solution to read the screen or you need a few minutes to write down the reading.
Good info Baratone, really good thread actually. I can honestly say I might be veering towards the Hanna 97128 over the PH56 due to the stability indicator. Makes another piece of “guesswork” go away as you know it has bottomed out. I currently have a PH51 and its time has come. So I am actually in the market for a new meter come spring. I see the Hanna 98128 and PH56 models are pretty darn close price wise, so what the heck another feature can’t hurt.
Appologies to the OP I’m not trying to steal your thread.
ITsPossible, I really like my Hanna 98127. I got a good deal on mine when I bought it a few years ago. It came with a storage case, meter, couple of sachets of buffer, and some cleaning solution for around $75.
That being said, I’m pretty sure that the Milwaukee pH56 also has the hold function and stability indicator. The replacement electrodes for the pH56 run about $10 cheaper and it comes with a 2yr warranty on the meter.
Right on, I did not notice those features with the PH56 I’ll look into it. I do know the probes are a touch cheaper and it replaces without a tool. I did look into a probe replacement for the 51 but due to the fact that it only carried 0.1/ 0.1 accuracy/ resolution I started looking towards the 56 as I want better accuracy at this time. I would think this is all good follow up for the OP in his hunt towards the best opinions. My apologies also if this went to far off course.
+1 I check the calibration at the start of each brew day and it’s never more than 0.1 off. I eventually killed my first meter by dipping it directly in the mash (although it took like three years to finally mess it up), so I now do room-temp readings by putting a small glass bowl in the freezer at the same time I start heating the water and then scooping out a little wort into the bowl for a quick chill. Works well from pH3 (sour beers) to pH10 (Austin tap water).[/quote]
Hmm… so I shouldn’t stick my meter directly in my mash, eh? Bummer.
Well, it’s probably worth the ~$10 a year (assuming $30 meter lasts three years) for the convenience of just taking the temp in the MT. 
where can I find a temp conversion chart for mash temps when measuring ph with my meter (Mil ph600) ? or may be a quick program that will do it?
As stated above if you must test at that temp: Assume 0.3 PH higher than if measured at room temp.
