Ph meters

[z0b]

Is there a difference in the accuracy, usefullness, or Nything else between a soil or water ph meter. Any 30 dollar range suggestions?

 

[Fazer1rlg]

Get a good one don't go cheap on a ph meter. You will regret it.

 

[Zoltan44x]

All this are cheap, calibrated(!) and in the same R/O water. Look at the numbers and think again before buying a cheap one.

 

[Fazer1rlg]

All this are cheap, calibrated(!) and in the same R/O water. Look at the numbers and think again before buying a cheap one.

Good post bro! There's the proof right there!

 

[z0b]

That is a good post lol damn im waiting to spend that money till after i get through what im calljng my trial run. Im using my basic equipment to minimize cost and just gain the necessary knowledge to use what i have. Example im using a 600 with a generic bulb but i have 4 nextgen aircooled 1000w setups with hortilux super hps bulbs.

 

[cheechako]

How does one determine if a pH meter is good before ordering it? Is it anything that costs over $50? Over $70? Seems like a pretty crappy way of determining what is good quality.

I bought a cheap ($20) Milwaukee and it died in a couple of weeks. Now I'm nervous of buying any meter. I thought name-brand would get me something good. I know the danger of buying cheap, but what is the exact dollar amount when meters move from cheap to good?

 

[Trousers]

$7

That is how much a drip tester costs.
I used drip testers to calibrate my ph pens, expensive and cheap. They all eventually failed.
The drip tester has never failed me. It never has to be calibrated.

I'm sure some expensive ph tester works well and lasts years, but I am done throwing money away looking for that one.

 

[^Slanty]

I have been using my NutraDip Tri-meter for the past 3+ years without issue! I calibrate it once per grow just for peace of mind, but rarely have to make any adjustments ever!

 

[blacksun]

$7

That is how much a drip tester costs.
I used drip testers to calibrate my ph pens, expensive and cheap. They all eventually failed.
The drip tester has never failed me. It never has to be calibrated.

I'm sure some expensive ph tester works well and lasts years, but I am done throwing money away looking for that one.

Hell yea!

I have a $200+ blue lab, a ~$180 hannah, a ~$150 hm that goes to the hundredth (xx.xX), and a few cheaper ones.....all sitting around, not even being used.

The GH drip test kit is the shiznit.

It can get a little bit hard to squeeze out drops when you get near the end of a bottle, but they're only $7.

 

[Cobnobuler]

$7

That is how much a drip tester costs.
I used drip testers to calibrate my ph pens, expensive and cheap. They all eventually failed.
The drip tester has never failed me. It never has to be calibrated.

I'm sure some expensive ph tester works well and lasts years, but I am done throwing money away looking for that one.

...How do these work? Do you have a link to these kits? Thanx

C

 

[Trousers]

It looks something like this:

You take some of the water to be tested in the little plastic jar, put in a few drops and shake it a bit.
You can tell the ph by the color. You can be pretty accurate if you can see colors well.

 

[mrbungle79]

i'll stick with my bluelab meters. no guess work and they have been spot on.

 

[RodriguesIV]

That's not a good test at all because RO water is essentially PH-less since it has so few particles. All those PH meters will struggle unless you add some sort of dissolved solids to that water.

All this are cheap, calibrated(!) and in the same R/O water. Look at the numbers and think again before buying a cheap one.

 

[cheechako]

You take some of the water to be tested in the little plastic jar, put in a few drops and shake it a bit.
You can tell the ph by the color. You can be pretty accurate if you can see colors well.

I have those drops and I still struggle with it. Guess I'm not good at seeing the colors. So, I'm still searching for a reliable meter. Perhaps I'll track down some strips in a narrower pH range first. I haven't seen those at the hydro store yet, but brewing ones would be the right range, and I'm sure I could find others.

 

[Cobnobuler]

It looks something like this:




You take some of the water to be tested in the little plastic jar, put in a few drops and shake it a bit.
You can tell the ph by the color. You can be pretty accurate if you can see colors well.

Thanks I want to try to find this and give it a shot. It would be at least better than Hannas 20 dollar meter. which is a digital poop stick.

 

[Doobius1]

I am pretty happy with my Blue Lab. My Hanna went down and replacement probe was $80 and 2 week wait thanks to xmas. Said F it and bought new. Best feature is how fast it reads. Hanna, Oakton, and Milwalkee took 30 seconds or so to get a accurate reading. Yes this my 4th ph pen. I'm hydro guy so the drops dont work for me.

 

[urgod]

as far as i am concerned, soil pH meters are shit. Water pH meters can be shit too if you dont take care of it. water pH is good cuz u get fast readings, and the results are consistent. However, it doesnt mean that it is accurate. you need to calibrate your device frequently, since accuracy of the meter drifts off as time passes.

 

[Trousers]

I'm hydro guy so the drops dont work for me.

I'm a hydro guy and the drops work great for me.

 

[Malevolence]

i use the drops.... yellowish orangeand dont think about it again.

 

[hotrodharley]

Milwaukee PH55. One of their higher end models. Been using mine for a while. Easy enough to calibrate but sensitive. Stays calibrated. Be sure to keep the probe wet no matter the maker unless instructions specifically say the probe can be store dry.