CYCLOPS INSTRUMENTS Antifreeze Premium Refractometer for Automotive Antifreeze System, AdBlue, DEF, Battery Acid, and Windshield Washer Fluid | Measures Freezing Point Temperature and Concentration

Handy item to have for any automotive mechanic! Quality parts and a really nice case to hold the refractor. Would definitely recommend!

It says refractometer but it actually doesnt really give a refraction measurement. It just tells you what temperature range your liquids will freeze at. This is good for car maintenance, which is what it is designed for. Its pretty easy to use, just place the sample between the plastic slides and hold it up to the light. If you are having trouble seeing it through the eye piece just adjust the focus.

This enables you to buy a higher grade antifreeze and then add water to get it down to the level you want. I learned this trick from our Boat club yard manager. They buy -200 antifreeze and then water it down to the level they want. Good utility for this and a reasonable price.

This multi-functional refractometer is a great tool to have in your toolbox. It will provide extremely accurate readings to check the true freezing points of your antifreeze and windshield washer solutions in your vehicle. This is valuable when your cars antifreeze is approaching the 5 year mark when some brands break down and need replacing, while others have much longer life spans. A quick check with this tool and you know for sure when it is time to flush and fill your system. Works just as well for windshield washer solutions. No more second guessing if you need to refill with winter formula solutions. A really great feature is the ability to check your electrolyte solution of your batteries, giving you advance warning if one of your cells are going bad or if the electrolyte solution is out of balance - saving you the cost of replacing the entire battery when a solution adjustment is all you really need. I do wish there was a fahrenheit scale on the unit, but most all scientific equipment today is calibrated in celsius, so that is not a deal breaker for me.

Im sick of my old Preston bulb tester as its a piece of garbage. This refractometer will give you a dead nuts answer on the effectiveness of the coolant. I used these at a former place I worked at so I do have some knowledge on how to use it. Watch a video online on how it works as the instructions they provide are not that informative. Regardless, it seems to be providing accurate results.

This instrument is relatively easy to use, and the instructions are well written but do not get into deep details. Calibration is easy, and that is the main focus of the instructions. Then, the optical scale grades battery fluid and liquids with an antifreeze agent. For battery fluid, the scale provides a density equivalent since that is the actual metric for characterizing the state of the battery. For antifreeze, the freezing temperature is the relevant value. I appreciate the large range of focus adjustment on this instrument, it accommodates people that depend on glasses with high dioptric values. I cannot tell how accurate the measurements are, I can tell that the measurements are consistent, which is a good proxy for the quality of the instrument. Much easier to use than regular density testers, just a drop of fluid is all it takes. The manual states that temperature plays a big role in accuracy, and fluids should get to room temperature for accurate readings. For the immediate practical value, this instrument confirmed my suspicion about a cheap windshield washing fluid bottle that I picked up on a road trip from the middle of nowhere a while back, and ever since I suspected it has only color and nothing else but water. I also did a test of battery fluid, mostly to test if the materials in this instrument withstand the acid solution: all good, got both a satisfactory measurement and also there was no fogging of the lens nor discolorations to the other parts of the instrument that may have come in contact with the fluid. I expect this will save me from some unnecessary fluid changes like engine coolant changes pushed by repair shops more often than the time or mileage based replacement schedule recommended by the car manufacturer, a waste of money if the fluid is clean and still within parameters. I just love being in the know when there is push for not-needed work on the car.

These things can really save your vehicle come winter time. Know for a fact how protected your car is. Save money by buying concentrated and blending with distilled water to get the correct protection.

These are a great way to insure your coolant is rated/mixed properly for your climate. Being a motorcycle repair shop its nice to verify coolant especially for winter storage, and summer riding. I have used this to upsell customers on a coolant flush, since alot of liquid cooled bikes never ever get coolant flushed and they need it to. I prefer my tools measure in freedom units, but I keep conversion charts on the wall for quick reference anyways. The meter seemed to be accurate when tested against fresh coolant, using the non diluted rating for comparison. I love things that come with a case for storage, so its nice to see they included needed accessories as well as a case to protect the tool. Overall very happy with the tool.

The instructions were very poor. I had to refer back to the item description on Amazon to get the information I needed. Once I had the info it was easy to use the item. I found it very easy to use and extremely accurate. There are several scales for different liquids so this tool is very useful. The antifreeze scale is marked in centigrade so I had to convert the reading to Fahrenheit for my local use. It would be handy if the instructions included a conversion chart. This tool gives much better results than the tube wilt floating balls . It is nice to get a tool that works well and doesnt require batteries. Just point it at the daylight and it works. I like that they included a dropper for getting the sample from the radiator to the tool. Overall very good tool , poor instructions, good value. I would get this again.

Im really impressed with the refractometer kit! It comes with clear instructions for calibration and use, a dropper for putting liquids to be tested onto the glass plate, a screwdriver for calibration, and a hard-sided case to keep this precision instrument safe amidst my other tools. Ive used it to check my antifreeze, which was very helpful. It also allows for testing of battery acid and washer fluid. The one note I would make is it was not clear exactly where the calibration screw is from the directions. Remove the rubber cap to reveal the hole where the calibration screw is, then turn the screw for calibration as clearly described in the instructions. Hope that helps!