This is the first one I've ever had and it's very easy to read and work with. I went throught the calibration process but it was already right on the money. If you've been considering a refractometer this is a great one that's well built for a long life. Also, it's actually accurate and I'm confident now of the readings I get because with a hydrometer I was never really sure. A microbubble could throw the whole thing out of whack and I got sick of all the tapping!