Hydrometers always break

That's a refractometer, not a hydrometer. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
I mention this just so nobody thinks they can buy one of those and avoid having to run the readings through a calculator.

ETA: Also, there are less expensive (non-digital) refractometers available.

Edited again: That is a tempting gadget though. Sometimes analog refractometers are hard to read, especially in poor light.

 

How did you melt the container when taking a sample? I presume you did take it out first, right?
I guess I'm either lucky or careful because I am still using the hydrometer I got when I first started brewing. I don't think I do anything special to or with it- I get my measurements and then rinse it off. Later I wash it and store in the thin plastic tube it came in.

 

And when your eyeballs are over 50 years old...

 

I've only had 1 hydrometer. It's still intact.

These days I don't use it much. I almost exclusively use a refractometer, both for OG and FG. Sean Terrill has a calculator that allows you to convert the Brix readings from you refractometer to specific gravity readings, for both prefermented and fermented beer.

As for an easy-to-read refractometer, I recommend this one. It is a bit pricey, but for me well worth it as the scale is larger than those on run-of-the-mill refractometers. It is very easy to read. A temperature correcting version is also available.

For a while I compared hydrometer readings and those obtained using my refractometer using Sean Terrill's formulas. The refractometer and hydrometer obtained values were so close that I do not use the hydrometer anymore.

One caveat, though. If you dig through Sean Terrill's work you will find that the FG refractometer formulas are not very accurate for really big beers (such a RISs). If I recall correctly, they are good for beers with OGs up to about 1.070. Beyond that, one should probably use a hydrometer.

Cheers!

 

I've broken several (6ish) and now I don't take readings at all now. I trust my system to get me in the ballpark of 65% and brewcipher was always spot on w/ the FG

 

I'm quite surprised I haven't broken more. But, I also still haven't gotten around to replacing the last one I broke in house because my refractometer works just fine and I can use it with Beersmith on my mobile.

 

Home-boy brewin' years: 9

Hydrometers: 2
Broken hydrometers: 0

Brew days: ~200
Brew days sans homebrew consumption: 0

Conclusion: The probability of breaking a hydrometer on a brew-day when there's no consumption of homebrew: 100%

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YMMV if and when brewin'in IN.

 

^^ Truth.

Brewing since: 1995

Broken hydrometers: 1
Broken hydrometer glass tubes: 5-6

My tube always looks like: