Homemade Sausage Making

Mike I see when you get into something you don't play around! That is a lot of salumi for the inaugural run! Reading those test strips is a major pain. I think you will just have to break down and get a PH tester. I finally did and am certainly happy about it. I spend too much time and money already on this hobby and with a proper tester there is considerably less chance of failure.

redzed

What PH meter do you use and do you have any thoughts or recommendations on others?

Mike

I would have liked to get the Hanna unit like Devo's, but ended up buying this one, cause of the huge price dif.

http://www.top-messtechnik.com/jtlshop/ ... ab45po1bhv

So far works great. Made in Taiwan and not Germany. Super fast shipping and no brokerage fees or additional taxes.

I don't know what you guys paid for your Chinese meters, but I recently received my HI 99161 Hanna meter and couldn't be happier. I paid $331 which included shipping. Out of the box, it was calibrated right on the money. Before this, I had a cheap Chinese meter that was so hard to calibrate that I threw it away and started using pH strips. The test strips are difficult to use unless you have super great color vision. I didn't want to take that chance.

Thank you Devo for recommending the Hanna meter.

IdaKraut wrote:I don't know what you guys paid for your Chinese meters, but I recently received my HI 99161 Hanna meter and couldn't be happier. I paid $331 which included shipping. Out of the box, it was calibrated right on the money. Before this, I had a cheap Chinese meter that was so hard to calibrate that I threw it away and started using pH strips. The test strips are difficult to use unless you have super great color vision. I didn't want to take that chance.

Thank you Devo for recommending the Hanna meter.

The link I provided above shows the price. The meter is made by Lutron, a well established manufacturer of diagnostic insstruments. I can't offer a proper review of mine at this time. It works very well right now, and I am satisfied. But I don't know how long it will hold the calibration and most of all, how long will the electrode last.

While Hanna is based in the US, I believe most of their meters are made in Singapore. In reading reviews of the Hanna on Amazon, there were numerous complaints that the newer models are not dependable and fail early. So it's not always easy to make a decision on these things.

Im in the market for one too. What did it cost all in...shipping ect?

Thanks
Toby

I bought mine through Ebay
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... 1087889907
Cost with everything in CDN was $170. Arrived in a week. No HST or brokerage fees.

Amazon UK has the same one even cheaper, but I don't know how they ship and the cost.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Soil-Meter-Hard ... B003ZZ1B7I

Redzed,

The problem I had with my Chinese meter was the probe. I was the kind that needed to be immersed constantly in a special solution to keep the tip from drying out. Either it got too dry or something got inside the probe that made it go crazy with reading jumping all over the place. I bought it probably 10 years ago so maybe the one you got will have been improved.

The Hanna I just got (bought from ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/HI-99161-Hanna- ... 5ad86c8715) was drop shipped directly from Hanna in the US. It shows that it was made in Romania, whether that's good or bad, I don't know. I like that it has a gel filled probe and doesn't have to be in solution constantly plus it is rated for cheese, meats, sauces.

Thanks Redzed

IdaKraut wrote:Redzed,

The problem I had with my Chinese meter was the probe. I was the kind that needed to be immersed constantly in a special solution to keep the tip from drying out. Either it got too dry or something got inside the probe that made it go crazy with reading jumping all over the place. I bought it probably 10 years ago so maybe the one you got will have been improved.

The Hanna I just got (bought from ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/HI-99161-Hanna- ... 5ad86c8715) was drop shipped directly from Hanna in the US. It shows that it was made in Romania, whether that's good or bad, I don't know. I like that it has a gel filled probe and doesn't have to be in solution constantly plus it is rated for cheese, meats, sauces.

Hmm. I'm no expert here but I was under the impression that all electrodes have to be kept in a solution. I also read somewhere that the average lifespan of the probe is two years. Hanna warranties it for only six months and I'n not even sure I have any warranty wiil have to check.

Hey Redzed

Does the meter probe feel like the glass might break easily? I have read that they are quite fragile. And do you need to calibrate it each time you want to use it?

thanks
Toby

tobertuzzi wrote:Hey Redzed

Does the meter probe feel like the glass might break easily? I have read that they are quite fragile. And do you need to calibrate it each time you want to use it?

thanks
Toby

HiToby,

Not sure whether it looks like it might break, it's probably quite delicate but I don't have any experience with other probes to compare it to. And it does not need to be calibrated between uses. I recalibrated mine after 3 months, and it is a fairly quick process.

ok great thanks