digital vs naked eye you decide

[Aqua-Digital]

Yes, all digital meters require solution. It is unimportant whether NSW or NACL as it does not get effected by mineral or impurities, unlike refractometers. The only two key points are

1. the solution is within ppm range of the manufacturers calibration guideline
2. you are confident in its accuracy

with digital meters it is often best to use the supplied manufacturers solution.

[Mike-fish]

With the traditional refractometers how much of an error factor are we talking about nacl - NSW

[Aqua-Digital]

I have seen readings as far out as 5mS and more, it varies depending depending on the mineral content of the (wrong) solution you have used.

[sphelps]

Well if you're using a calibration solution for a digital meter anyway then you can certainly do the same for a refractometer. No matter what kind of refractometer you have if you calibrate with a NSW solution at the same range you keep your tank then you will have no accuracy issues and you don't have to calibrate it every time you use it. You really can't say this digital meter will be more accurate, that's just not accurate information and unethical marketing. All you can say is that rather having to read a gauge you get a digital read out which to me seems hardly worth while as refractometers are very easy to read.

[Aqua-Digital]

Originally Posted by sphelps

that's just not accurate information and unethical marketing.

Erm??? Not quite sure why you are getting upset over this, the thread is asking for users input in a new product and its viability, nobody is marketing anything. We are asking for feedback of a potential new product not askiing you to believe some marketing hype.

That being said, a prism refractometer is only as accurate as its calibration (same as a digital unit) however there is no risk of human miss read error with digital.

I am looking for balanced debate for and against nothing more, in other words what would make people switch?

Based on everyones feedback that is relevant to the original question we can then decide the market potential of this product.

[sphelps]

I'm not debating marketing or getting upset, just stating I don't see any valuable gains to such a product and my reasons why as per your request. I wasn't stating you were being unethical or marketing the product but it seems the main advantage here is accuracy and not convenience however it should be clear that the gained accuracy is from human error alone not that refractometers are inaccurate which is a conclusion people tend to make whether it was stated exactly that way or not. That's all I wanted to say, there are many similar products out there now and all being marketed with the claim our refractometers aren't accurate which is just isn't true. If I'm given the opportunity to stop another product from making such claims I will do so.

[jorjef]

Even if the reading is a few points out does it really matter??.. Using the same testing tool, match tank water with new water change water, adjust if needed and add to tank... I would never by a digital ...... hand grenade and horse shoes.

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by Aqua-Digital

a prism refractometer is only as accurate as its calibration (same as a digital unit) however there is no risk of human miss read error with digital.

Exactly however unlike other testing equipment refractrometers don't require the hopeless attempt of matching a color to another set that all look the same So digital kits like Hanna are quite valuable and are not overly more expensive. A typical refractometer costs around $60 and IMO are easy to read, the difference between blue and white is noticeable and the line is very defined. So the question is how much more does one have to pay to eliminate the so called difficult task of reading a refractometer?

[The Guy]

I have a refractometer and use it only for SW, I have calibrated it a couple of times, but I have never had to make adjustments. It's always bang on so I would not change to something different at this point.

[Aqua-Digital]

we estimate based on us in charge of manufacture about $45.00

The pro to this in our view is

Easy of calibration no requirement to find a good NSW solution
Ease of reading.