I bought my ph pen with a tds included on ebay for 15$ canadian! 2 years later, both work no problem. I only checked the calibration of the ph pen once last summer and all was still good..haven't even had to change batteries yet lol. Being that i grow for myself at home, i took the risk, but if it's something someone counts on for medical reasons or even money to live, then i guess quality is the way to go, but again, i compare mine every few months to my friend's who spent 200$ on them, and there is no difference when dipping them in the same solution! The ppm meter is off by no more than 20 ppm's..ph is right on..though mine doesn't show to the hundredth decimal place like his.