Well, I did it - bought the Apera PH60 meter. I thought some, especially new winemakers, might be interested in a comparison.
I've been using kombucha pH paper for at least 10 years, originally for my kombucha. (Link for my paper below.) Sometimes the number with the paper is obvious, sometimes I have to guess. I have 2 country wines in primary right now and I estimated starting the fermentation for both around pH 3.3. Got my meter and had to compare current measurements.
Wine #1: paper, 3.0 estimate; meter 3.1.
Wine #2: paper, 2.9 guess; meter 3.1.
I was very happy they were so close! For a home wine maker the paper is certainly adequate - and a part of me wishes I would have saved my money. Paper is definitely much more convenient and faster. Though I'm really interested in some high phenolic country wines. It was difficult a couple times last year when my dark musts stained the paper!
I'll be using both out of curiosity for a while. And this is the paper I've been using:
https://www.amazon.com/Kombucha-Ins...1-1-5985efba-8948-4f09-9122-d605505c9d1e&th=1
I've been using kombucha pH paper for at least 10 years, originally for my kombucha. (Link for my paper below.) Sometimes the number with the paper is obvious, sometimes I have to guess. I have 2 country wines in primary right now and I estimated starting the fermentation for both around pH 3.3. Got my meter and had to compare current measurements.
Wine #1: paper, 3.0 estimate; meter 3.1.
Wine #2: paper, 2.9 guess; meter 3.1.
I was very happy they were so close! For a home wine maker the paper is certainly adequate - and a part of me wishes I would have saved my money. Paper is definitely much more convenient and faster. Though I'm really interested in some high phenolic country wines. It was difficult a couple times last year when my dark musts stained the paper!
I'll be using both out of curiosity for a while. And this is the paper I've been using:
https://www.amazon.com/Kombucha-Ins...1-1-5985efba-8948-4f09-9122-d605505c9d1e&th=1