Cheap Chinese-made refractometer

b-boy · Apr 23, 2013

Well - I bought a cheap chinese-made refractometer about a year ago. I paid around $20 for it on E-bay. I probably used it a dozen times.

Last week the thing literally disintegrated in my hand. I was attempting to focus it and the entire eye-piece sheared off. The lens fell out and went skipping accross the floor and under a cabinet in my garage. I can't find it.

Needless to say I'm in the market for a new refractometer. I'd like to avoid the cheap knockoffs and get a reliable piece of equipment. Anyone have any suggestions for a mid-range unit that will hold up for more than a few brewing sessions? I'm willing to pay more for a quality device.

NivekD · Apr 23, 2013

I just bought this one on Amazon today...the reviews look pretty good...so I hope it works out. It'll be here Thursday so I'll let you know if looks like it will hold up.

b-boy · Apr 23, 2013

Thanks. It says imported, so I'm a little gun-shy after the last one. I'm searching for american-made if possible. At least I'll have a warranty.

Mine seemed heavy duty. The main body was made from AL. The problem was that the eyepiece was made from the thinnest, crappiest plastic I have ever seen. I'd appreciate hearing your feedback once you get it though.

NivekD · Apr 23, 2013

Yeah, it's probably from China but it does have a 1 year warranty.

disney7 · Apr 23, 2013

I have this one:

http://morebeer.com/products/refractometer-standard-atc.html?site_id=5

Seems well made and I've had no trouble with it. As a bonus, the dual scale is actually accurate, unlike most of the dual scale refractometers out there.

reverendj1 · Apr 23, 2013

This is the one I bought (same seller too). Although it is a Chinese one, the seller is from USA, and I've used it on at least a dozen batches with no issue. I'm not too careful with it either, but I do keep it in the pretty case. They provide a two-year warranty on what they sell too, so you don't have to try and reach some customer service in China.

b-boy · Apr 23, 2013

Thanks for the input.

Did some research. It looks like I will need to spend about $80-$100 for a good-quality US-made refractometer. I'm willing to do that, assuming I get a decent warranty.

First I'm going to contact the ebay seller and see if they will do anything for me. Since the thing was shipped directly from China I'm not going to hold my breath. I guess you get what you pay for.

724b · Apr 23, 2013

I've had an eBay source refractometer for years and it's worked well. Just picked up another for $23 shipped so I could have two. Some pictures... http://www.homebrewfinds.com/2013/04/first-looks-atc-dual-scale.html

I also put together a roundup on different refractometer choices a while back... http://www.homebrewfinds.com/2013/01/refractometer-roundup.html

b-boy · Apr 23, 2013

Looks like I need to eat some crow here.

I contacted my original ebay seller and they offered to send a replacement refractometer at no charge. Apparently they had a bad batch. They apologized and will ship it tomorrow. Assuming it shows up I'm happy.

724b · Apr 24, 2013

That's great news!

b-boy · May 13, 2013

b-boy said:
Looks like I need to eat some crow here.

I contacted my original ebay seller and they offered to send a replacement refractometer at no charge. Apparently they had a bad batch. They apologized and will ship it tomorrow. Assuming it shows up I'm happy.

I'm officially spitting out my crow.

It's been over 3 weeks since I contacted my ebay seller 'nis_sales' about this item. I got a nice e-mail telling me they would send out a new item and take care of my problem. I even found out I had a 3-year warrantly on the item.

Unfortunately - there has been no contact since that first e-mail. I've sent 7 e-mails asking for details about the replacement item and about the warranty. I've received no response. All I want is confirmation that the item will be or has been shipped. I think 3 weeks is long enough to wait for a response. I'm throwing in the towel.

Looks like these guys are good at handing out warranties, but bad at honoring them. At this point I assume I'm screwed.

This is the item and the seller:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-0-32-AT...ultDomain_0&hash=item5ad9e6290c#ht_4723wt_828

I'm guessing this guy sells a lot of these to home brewers. His overall rating is pretty good, but the negative responses are similar to what happened to me. Buyer Beware.

reverendj1 · May 13, 2013

b-boy said:
I'm officially spitting out my crow.

It's been over 3 weeks since I contacted my ebay seller 'nis_sales' about this item. I got a nice e-mail telling me they would send out a new item and take care of my problem. I even found out I had a 3-year warrantly on the item.

Unfortunately - there has been no contact since that first e-mail. I've sent 7 e-mails asking for details about the replacement item and about the warranty. I've received no response. All I want is confirmation that the item will be or has been shipped. I think 3 weeks is long enough to wait for a response. I'm throwing in the towel.

Looks like these guys are good at handing out warranties, but bad at honoring them. At this point I assume I'm screwed.

This is the item and the seller:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-0-32-AT...ultDomain_0&hash=item5ad9e6290c#ht_4723wt_828

I'm guessing this guy sells a lot of these to home brewers. His overall rating is pretty good, but the negative responses are similar to what happened to me. Buyer Beware.

Bummer. Did you contact him through eBay, or through email? Can you raise a case with eBay after 60 days if they don't honor their warranty?

b-boy · May 13, 2013

reverendj1 said:
Bummer. Did you contact him through eBay, or through email? Can you raise a case with eBay after 60 days if they don't honor their warranty?

I tried both e-mail and e-bay.

He sent me a great e-mail up front apologizing for my problem, and bragging about how he stands behind his products. He told me to make sure I tell my friends how well I was treated.

After that - Nada. I think it's too late to do anything with E-Bay.

I looked at his feedback and there is a definite pattern. A lot of complaints about broken items that were never replaced.

I will definitely make sure to tell my friends how I was treated. I'll also tell them to avoid this guy like the plague.

Cheap Chinese-made refractometer

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