Whats the collective thoughts on these fermenter floating devices?

[Frisp]

After a long time out I find there is wealth of new brewtoys that wernt a "Thing" back in the day.

The biggest step forward are these float in your fermenter gravity and temp readers such as tilt or Pill

Whats the collective thought on these tools?

They dont seem cheap so are they worth the money?

Are there any cheaper, yet effective, versions out there? I am struggling to get new toys past the wife

 

[nickjdavis]

Ispindel is cheaper....can be had around £30 to £35

 

[The Baron]

I have the Ispindel which @ £30 is cheap enough to help you guide yourself through the fermentation process but they are not to be used for accurate readings but a guide.
You can calibrate them to make them more accurate or just take note of where they start and finish against hydrometer readings so that you can adjust the reading to a realistic reading.
Mine is approx 3 points out @ SG and approx similar @FG so I just use that to get a very near approximate of where it is.
If you want to calibrate it to be nearer Agentgonzo has a tool he has made available to members that will do this for you

 

[Rodcx500z]

I bought a rapt pill, sent it back and got a refund it was a total waste of money. it worked for 1 brew then nothing

 

[Frisp]

Ispindel is cheaper....can be had around £30 to £35

Ah I saw the ispindle thread in teh classifieds didnt realise they were floaty things.. Ill follow that up..

 

[MashBag]

Pointless. Wont help your beer, but will save your back having to carry a heavy wallet in your back pocket.

 

[Dazzelknight]

Ispindel ,, £38 and for me money well spent.. gives me a temp reading and lets me know when fermentations finished..saves me having to go to the garage and take readings…Now winters here and if my Ferm fridge is in use, and Iv got a second brew I used it to check temp over a few days in and around the house (top of my stairs is a constant 20c, wouldn’t have known without it ) .. Bought one on a whim, but I’m glad I got one. EBay, GingerNeil,, he’s on this forum.

 

[The Baron]

Yes I forgot about the temperature which is usually pretty accurate Dazzel.
I use it more than the gravity reading

 

[MickDundee]

Ispindel is cheaper....can be had around £30 to £35

MaltMiller did the Rapt Pill for £30 for Black Friday. I haven’t used it yet thought because I have 4 full kegs

 

[dtashmore]

brought myself a rapt pill, great tool, not too worried about the accuracy but found it gives an accurate indication for the end of ferment, one issue with it is that everytime I have to open it out needs recalibrating, have brought a wireless charging device so I need never open again.

 

[sifty]

Pointless. Wont help your beer, but will save your back having to carry a heavy wallet in your back pocket.

Disagree.
Got a couple of ispindels and use one on every brew.
Fantastic for following progress from afar. I've saved one brew when I had a fridge failure and could call home to have someone reset things. So that's one that's paid for itself already.

Also really useful for knowing when to raise temp or add hops/fruit etc during fermentation. Let alone not having to intrusively take samples.

Yes I still take hydrometer OG and FG readings for accuracy, but I consider the tilt hydrometer one of my best tools...

 

[dave_77]

Disagree.
Got a couple of ispindels and use one on every brew.
Fantastic for following progress from afar. I've saved one brew when I had a fridge failure and could call home to have someone reset things. So that's one that's paid for itself already.

Also really useful for knowing when to raise temp or add hops/fruit etc during fermentation. Let alone not having to intrusively take samples.

Yes I still take hydrometer OG and FG readings for accuracy, but I consider the tilt hydrometer one of my best tools...

I have the ispindel, and my thoughts follow @sifty.

I use the Brewfather app and you can use a offset + or - to match the OG measured at the start of fermentation. From there on the gravity recorded is pretty spot on so gives accurate indicators of when fermentation is complete.

No gravity samples mid fermentation is a bonus Great for fast lager method as you can seen when you have reached each point of fermentation and know when to ramp the temp. I like to dry hop at 85% complete fermentation, easy check.
If fermentation is slow to star t removes fermentation anxiety as there is a page on Brewfather where you can see the recorded angle change of the ipsindel well before any krausen forms. This is also useful at the end of fermentation also when it's still slowly fermenting.

Only downside is a 10g/l dry hop mucks up the readings until you cold crash.

I love the graphs in Brewfather too

https://share.brewfather.app/ac1dco7WZs1DWo
Angle change overnight

 

[sifty]

Just taken a screenshot of current brew, 8 days in. I've turned off temp for clarity (just bumped up setpoint from 12 degs this evening). Clearly shows curve of fermentation progress, really useful tool...

 

[Clarence]

The question that needs to be asked is: Why?
Why do we need things floating in our beer which don't really work anyway? Don't we, with a bit of experience, have a feeling for when a beer ought to be done and then check that with a hydrometer?
Doesnt an inkbird TC control the temperature within his limits or, if not using T C, doesn't a stick on strip thermometer give at least a good readings as a floater?
Why spend all the money?

 

[Agentgonzo]

The question that needs to be asked is: Why?

Because people enjoy using them. That's what a hobby is about

 

[MashBag]

I agree with both of the above posts.

It's 'Need' or 'want'
If you want one & enjoy them, it's for you.
Do you need one to make beer. Nope.

But some stuff doesn't have to be about to money or justification, just is.

 

[Frisp]

I have the ispindel, and my thoughts follow @sifty.

I use the Brewfather app and you can use a offset + or - to match the OG measured at the start of fermentation. From there on the gravity recorded is pretty spot on so gives accurate indicators of when fermentation is complete.

No gravity samples mid fermentation is a bonus Great for fast lager method as you can seen when you have reached each point of fermentation and know when to ramp the temp. I like to dry hop at 85% complete fermentation, easy check.
If fermentation is slow to star t removes fermentation anxiety as there is a page on Brewfather where you can see the recorded angle change of the ipsindel well before any krausen forms. This is also useful at the end of fermentation also when it's still slowly fermenting.

Only downside is a 10g/l dry hop mucks up the readings until you cold crash.

I love the graphs in Brewfather too

https://share.brewfather.app/ac1dco7WZs1DWo
Angle change overnight

View attachment 92793

I get it now, that all seems perfectly logical to me . My mild OCD is being fueld by tthose readings..

 

[Chippy_Tea]

The question that needs to be asked is: Why?
Why do we need things floating in our beer which don't really work anyway?

I don't use one but many members do, why do you say they don't really work when members have proved they they do for what they bought them for.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

It's 'Need' or 'want'
If you want one & enjoy them, it's for you.
Do you need one to make beer. Nope

The same argument could be made about most brewing equipment, a perfect example being an all in one do you need one to make beer no are there cheaper ways to make beer yes yet many members prefer to use one.

 

[peebee]

The bigger the better!

Well, I do like them, but seriously ....

The original Tilts, maybe some Ispindels (and the "Pill" ) are too small. Easily swamped by enthusiastic top-cropping yeasts and often given a rough ride in the fermenter, they are (in some cases expensive) "indicators" of what was going on. Still useful, knowing more-or-less what's going on and can be used to great advantage, and avoids the temptations to lift the lid, temporarily drop a hydrometer in, and otherwise un-necessarily muck about with the fermenting beer (and its associated risks).

The bigger devices (there are bigger Ispindel designs, and I use a TiltPRO - even more expense!) are "semi-submersibles"; bit like comparing a cork on a stormy sea and an iceberg (okay, a somewhat exaggerated comparison!). They can be reliable at any time all the way to FG.


Temperature is an interesting one: The floaty device doesn't control the temperature (I understand the "Pill" can be integrated into a larger "system"?), another thermometer does that. So I have Tilts taking the surface temperature and the thermostat near the bottom controlling cooling or heating. The difference between the two thermometers can be quite large (3-4°C, usually only when fermentation is dying down). Does make a mockery of attempts to control temperatures to fractions of a degree.