Expensive PH pen worth it?

[Lethidox]

not much stores sell digital PH pens and i need one still the only one i found that sells them sells 1 brand which is expensive think the store sells it for $120-140. online it costs $80. Wondering if it's worth it or just buy a cheap one?

my current grow is already in flowering so it will probably be too late to use it by the time i get it but i can use it on my next grow right after.

if so which would be a decent PH pen to buy thats reliable? also if anyone knows of a major store that might sell them please let me know i really don't see any stores here selling them. i have the test strips but i don't trust them to be super accurate

 

[Bigworm4201982]

Bluelab rocks, its worth it to order.

 

[Lethidox]

Bluelab rocks, its worth it to order.

yea that is the one they are selling but it costs like $80 online on amazon then shipping is maybe $20-30 for me so it's around the same price they are selling it at the store i just pay slight extra since the store is kinda more pricey due to shipping + paying for rent and workers and all that jazz. plus i get the product 1-2 weeks earlier. if i buy online im saving only idk $10-20 at the cost of waiting 1-2 weeks for it to come in.

 

[Lucky Luke]

yea that is the one they are selling but it costs like $80 online on amazon then shipping is maybe $20-30 for me so it's around the same price they are selling it at the store i just pay slight extra since the store is kinda more pricey due to shipping + paying for rent and workers and all that jazz. plus i get the product 1-2 weeks earlier. if i buy online im saving only idk $10-20 at the cost of waiting 1-2 weeks for it to come in.

always support your local store if its close to $ online. Its better for the local community.

 

[Bernie420]

not much stores sell digital PH pens and i need one still the only one i found that sells them sells 1 brand which is expensive think the store sells it for $120-140. online it costs $80. Wondering if it's worth it or just buy a cheap one?

my current grow is already in flowering so it will probably be too late to use it by the time i get it but i can use it on my next grow right after.

if so which would be a decent PH pen to buy thats reliable? also if anyone knows of a major store that might sell them please let me know i really don't see any stores here selling them. i have the test strips but i don't trust them to be super accurate

Get the ph drops if you dont find a pen and if you do get the drops anyways then if you notice the ph went crazy on you, you can check it with the drops to make sure before you act on a faulty pen.

 

[MickFoster]

I don't own a pen - been using the drops for over 25 years with never a problem. Inexpensive, no calibration, no calibration solutions, no storage solutions, no cleaning solution, and most importantly - the drops are never wrong. Good luck.

 

[Lethidox]

Get the ph drops if you dont find a pen and if you do get the drops anyways then if you notice the ph went crazy on you, you can check it with the drops to make sure before you act on a faulty pen.

the store doesn't sell the drops they only carry 3 things 1. the pen 2. the strips which i bought for $7 ( pricey ) 3. a small like PH care package which includes PH up PH down and i think a small sample of the drops i didn't really check it but i will try to use it today if it does since i have to water today.

always support your local store if its close to $ online. Its better for the local community.

yea that is what i try to do but at some point buying locally is much more expensive for me then shopping online simply due to cost of rent for businesses and shipping.

 

[Lethidox]

finally bought a damn PH pen and hygrometer XD damn spent $150. money well invested though. ended up buying the bluelab pen. $140 same like the other store but this store gave me a 10% discount

 

[Lethidox]

i have a question about PH pens. never used one before and im reading the instructions but it states i need to keep the bulb hydrated 24/7. is this true? also if so how do you guys do this because the little tray it is in is so tiny i poured a bunch of the solution inside but it leaked out. guessing gonna have to use a damn syringe or something. it also states to hydrate it 24 hours before using but is that necessary or just 12-20 hours good enough?

just seems like a hell of a lot of upkeep for a device to me

 

[MickFoster]

i have a question about PH pens. never used one before and im reading the instructions but it states i need to keep the bulb hydrated 24/7. is this true? also if so how do you guys do this because the little tray it is in is so tiny i poured a bunch of the solution inside but it leaked out. guessing gonna have to use a damn syringe or something. it also states to hydrate it 24 hours before using but is that necessary or just 12-20 hours good enough?

just seems like a hell of a lot of upkeep for a device to me

Yes you have to keep it hydrated 24/7, and yes you have to hydrate for 24 hours before using.

 

[bartow]

I bought a PH soil tester and a PH water tester on ebay for about $13 each with free shipping. I really didn't think these devices would work but they do. It is hard to measure soil with paper PH strips but they work fine in wager. There is no precision with the paper but they come pretty close. I would rather have a PH close to 6 than close to 7. For me anything under 6.8 works o.k. I have never had soil test lower than 6.

 

[Lethidox]

Yes you have to keep it hydrated 24/7, and yes you have to hydrate for 24 hours before using.

how often does the liquid tend to dry out in the cover? doesn't seem like a large amount can fit inside and it doesn't seem air tight either. instructions say fill it once a week but just wondering.

I bought a PH soil tester and a PH water tester on ebay for about $13 each with free shipping. I really didn't think these devices would work but they do. It is hard to measure soil with paper PH strips but they work fine in wager. There is no precision with the paper but they come pretty close. I would rather have a PH close to 6 than close to 7. For me anything under 6.8 works o.k. I have never had soil test lower than 6.

yea that is why i bought the pen i don't trust the strips in my other hobby we have to test more then just PH and everything is very crucial as well and must be 100% accurate. the ranges in that hobby for failure are much shorter then with growing and can be deadly for the live stock as well. trying to get out of that hobby though more expensive and takes up just as much room as growing does

 

[Lethidox]

Nvm i watched a video about it. didnt see the sponge inside.

 

[Joe.Grow]

I put my ph pen in a cup of water. Just make sure it’s not over the line on the pen to prevent damage.

Cheap pens work decent, just keep some calibration fluid around to check it’s accuracy.

 

[Kipn]

expensive ones are worth it but cheap ones work you just have to calibrate them ever few weeks. personally i prefer the cheap meters because when they brake you didn't just lose $200. expensive ones will give you a quicker reading with more accuracy with less need to calibrate. i used them cheap $10 meters for about a year with little problems. ive used the drips and strips i think both are crap as i find the accuracy on them to be trash. consistent yes but still trash if you grow hydro.
now i rather spend no more then $50 on a meter and just replace it once every few years

 

[Blue back]

always support your local store if its close to $ online. Its better for the local community.

Yes and most (if there smart) will match or beat online pricing. A local store here doesn't even have prices on anything. They look it up on the computer to find the lowest price while your at the counter paying for it and they will match that price. So low sum times I can't believe it or how they stay in business.

 

[Jypsy Dog]

Spent 80 bucks 3 years back on this one. Made for use in Schools. Damn near bullet proof!
http://www.milwaukeeinst.com/site/products/products/standardportable-meters/80-products-g-standard-portable-meters-g-mw101?jjj=1546902168076

 

[Blue back]

60 bucks local store

As said already it must stay calibrated or can really screw things up

 

[Jypsy Dog]

Drops need to be replaced once a year... Write the date on them.

 

[CAPT CHESAPEAKE]

not much stores sell digital PH pens and i need one still the only one i found that sells them sells 1 brand which is expensive think the store sells it for $120-140. online it costs $80. Wondering if it's worth it or just buy a cheap one?

my current grow is already in flowering so it will probably be too late to use it by the time i get it but i can use it on my next grow right after.

if so which would be a decent PH pen to buy thats reliable? also if anyone knows of a major store that might sell them please let me know i really don't see any stores here selling them. i have the test strips but i don't trust them to be super accurate

You could do like most wind up spending a crap load on 2,3,4 cheap ones. Make several errors because of inaccurate info coming from a cheap meter. Eventually wind up buying a nice PH and PPM meter. Yes there is maintenance involved even on a good unit but worth it to have accurate info. Once you get comfortable with maintaining it and using it you almost don't need to use it if everything stays the same. Bluelab Rocks as stated on a earlier post.