Pocket coffee densitometer PAL-COFFEE (BX/TDS) From import JPN

The unit is very portable - it is small and comes with a compact carrying case. I found the unit easy to use - once I figured it out how the display works (more on that later). I cannot attest to the accuracy of the unit (as I have no way to test this) - but I can say that the readings are very consistent (which bodes well). Note: Socratic Coffee did a test against the VST III and found both units to be equally accurate (google for more info). There is one important thing to be aware of when using the unit - after placing a sample in the well (of the unit) it needs time for the temperature to stabilize to get an accurate reading - so simply do multiple reading until you get 2 or 3 in a row that are consistent (within 0.01 or 0.02) and use this as your reading.Don’t make my silly mistake - a bit of humour (but also unfortunately at the time very frustrating for me :)How the display works... it took me 4 days to figure out how the display works - because it gives 5 different readings and I could not figure out which one was the TDS - and the instructions were only in Japanese so that did not help. I spent many hours searching the internet - but everyone else was just “reading the TDS from the display” it seems that I was the only person in the whole world that has this problem. I was at my wits end - why was something so basic not documented - I started looking for a Japanese translator... I watched dozens of videos hoping to see a photo of the dipslay and the corresponding reading written down - to no avail - further confirmation that nobody else had any difficulty with the basic issue of reading the display. The solution when I eventually figured out was simple - there is only one reading and it scrolls across the display (this is because the display is small and only shows 3 digits and decimal point). To be fair this is documented in the Japanese instructions that come with the unit (but apparently nowhere else in the world that I could find :)

I've used this product for a while now. Bought this one for my own use. I hesitated due to the shipping delay... it showed up and worked fine. Instructions are all on other languages so you'll need to find that elsewhere

This is a great product and a great way to measure coffee strength. I used an Atago Brix meter for years, but this one has another digit of resolution and is calibrated for both Brix and coffee TDS. When using Brix, I used to calculate TDS equals approximately 0.85 x Brix.

Great device and accurate. Worth the price, only issue was the outer case just need a screw tightened.Great buy for anyone interested in dialing coffee/espresso correctly!

It is a simple gadget that use properly has a great impact in our coffee cups quality. It works as expected!

Great product I love it easy to use

Excelent

I picked up the Atago coffee pal to improve my coffee making experience and was very disappointed in the precision AND accuracy of the data. I went as far as to order Atago Magic (silver piece sitting in the well of the picture) from the manufacturer's website to improve the data collection. To some extent, the "Magic" did improve the precision, but that is not included with the Coffee Pal and costs >$40 after shipping.Despite carefully calibrating and cleaning the unit, I found the numbers unreliable and I continuously questioned it.This unit will be returned and I plan on purchasing the more expensive industry standard.Update: Ended up purchasing the VST. The unit is vastly more consistent from sample to sample, easier to use, and overall just a higher quality product.