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

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.

Handy multipurpose refractometer, if you want accuracy this is the tool, take your time, read the instructions, dont forget to calibrate with distilled water.

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.

Im a big fan of these for vehicle antifreeze and battery electrolyte. I never measured DEF, just poured it in the DEF tank. This device can pay for itself in a winter on windshield washer antifreeze alone! This can be used to dilute a -30F rated windshield washer solution if only protection in the teens or 20s is needed. Can save 50% or more. Certain brand antifreeze containers can have cryptic instructions on them and its hard to differentiate between antifreeze that is already diluted or the concentrate. This solves that problem. The temperature charts between ethylene glycol and polypropylene are technically slightly different depending on the point on the temperature scale, but they are so close that if one were to make a mistake reading the graph, the impact would likely not be all that great. I used to use the battery electrolyte testers with the floating balls. What a mess!! Use this refractometer instead!! A drop or two from each cell is all it takes to determine if your flooded battery is in good shape. Its better than a voltage measurement. Be sure to let the battery rest for 6 to 24 hours unless specific gravity during equalization is being checked on deep cycle batteries. The price at $15 for this is decent. This is good enough. Be careful not to bump or drop these. They are fragile!

This tester will check battery acid, DEF fluid, Windshield washer fluid as both Propylene and Ethylene Glycol based antifreeze. Very good instructions

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 is an excellent way to ensure your coolant and windshield wiper fluid have enough antifreeze. Without a proper level your engine may overheat, your engine block may crack or a wiper fluid reservoir could crack. It can also be used to test battery electrolyte health. I first tested some distilled water and found it to test out right at the waterline with no additional calibration required. As others have indicated, this can be a bit finicky to use until you get the hang of it. While my distilled water reading was very easy, my first attempt at Honda coolant was more difficult. The Honda coolant had no distinct results line until I gave the tester some vertical inclination and the line clearly popped showing -40 degree Fahrenheit (had to convert from Celsius). You may want to visually examine your coolant or wiper fluid before testing to ensure it looks normal as contaminants in it would skew the accuracy of the refractometer (e.g. wiper fluid created with hard water rather than distilled water, oil contamination in coolant). A nice tool at a low price. While I wont use this every time I buy coolant Ill be sure to use it if I do a brand swap or if I am concerned antifreeze protection is waning.

Very Accurate instrument but must be initially calibrated. Delivers a more precise analysis of antifreeze condition and quality. A great value!

I dont have a large garage, so I didnt want to deal with having a traditional bulb reader taking up room. This, however, serves the role perfectly (maybe even better) while taking up way less room. The unit is well made in metal. After a quick calibration with water, testing is quick and kind of fun. I feel more confident that my fluids will stay fluid, and also that Im not wasting any by not diluting enough.

What a cool little tool. The husband has always bought those cheap bulb type devices to check his antifreeze levels in the fall. He has a lot of vehicles. Cars, tractors , two pickup trucks , a bulldozer . So it’s always a worry that the little cheap types aren’t accurate . Even with care they don’t last more than a few years. When I saw this antifreeze refractor I thought he would really like it . I will say that it’s definitely different to use and there is a bit of a learning curve for the first few times one uses it . The directions are pretty clear, but we ended up watching a few online videos just to be sure we were using it correctly. Just to test it out we used a bit of windshield wiper fluid as a sample . It works! Basically one uses either distilled water to start on the plate or sa product made for these type of devices to get an initial setting . Then just a place few drops of the liquid that one wants to check on the plate . It is then a matter of looking through the viewfinder and adjusting it like a binocular type lens to see the temp that the liquid will freeze at . There is a small fine adjuster knob to adjust the precision even more . It’s pretty cool! My photo taken with my phone through the viewfinder isn’t great but give an idea of what it looks like when the liquid one chooses is on the plate. Maintenance seems simple l keep the glass plate wiped off seemed like the most important thing . It came with a good sturdy case to store it properly. Anyone who tinkers with cars or tractors would like to have this type tool in their collection !