pH Meters

Need recommendation on a new pH meter. I have used the same brand of meter for the past 8 years, have purchased over 4 of them, have changed the diodes regularly. about every 1.5 years or so the main unit dies and I have to replace it. I am fucking tired of doing this.
Almost 3 weeks into 12/12 and the mother fucker has died. Only thing I have on hand are pH strips and we know how well these work.
So I am looking for recommendations I can check out.

Blue Lab guardian monitor

Done.

bluelab guardian great, but overpriced imo. I got a Hanna groline combo meter right now and works great, responds fast.

Can you get much more than 1.5 years?
I'm not familiar with modern pH meters but it used to be the case that the probe only had a 1yr guarantee with blue lab?

I have had blue lab, milwalkee and Hanna all crap out on me before 2 years after spending big money on them. Now if I just want PH I use those cheap bastards from china $10 to $15 and I have had them last just as long as the $250 hanna. I bought 4 of them about 3 years ago and all of them seem pretty much the same, I calibrate before each use and not one of them has crapped out on my on its own, grant it you can't just drop them in your tank and pull them out to see the reading like the expensive ones as only the probe is waterproof not the unit but other then that I don't have any complaints, they seem just as acurate but require a calibration for each use IMO.

gr865 said:

Need recommendation on a new pH meter. I have used the same brand of meter for the past 8 years, have purchased over 4 of them, have changed the diodes regularly. about every 1.5 years or so the main unit dies and I have to replace it. I am fucking tired of doing this.
Almost 3 weeks into 12/12 and the mother fucker has died. Only thing I have on hand are pH strips and we know how well these work.
So I am looking for recommendations I can check out.

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Milwaukee MW102 $118.99
https://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-MW102-PH-Temperature-Meter/dp/B001DTNDME/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=milwaukee+mw102&qid=1601727432&sr=8-1
I also use a Blue Lab PH meter with remote double junction probe. Bought it for about $140. It has since been unnecessarily discontinued and replaced by the Blue Lab PH meter with Leap probe. It is significantly overpriced at over $200. For that reason I cannot recommend Blue Lab. For what it's worth I prefer my MW102 over the Blue Lab. Both take accurate readings without issue. However, the MW102 displays tenths and hundredths of a point whereas the Blue Lab only shows tenths. So the Blue Lab will take a reading of 6.5 for instance. The MW102 will display a more accurate reading of 6.59 which gives you more information. You can tell which way the PH is drifting. I cannot do that with the Blue Lab.

I tried 2 Hannah meters with poor results. I returned both units and have since written off Hannah. Blue Lab sells everything at a premium to the cannabis industry. The MW102 is the most reliable meter out there and is the sweet heart of the home brewing hobby due to it's reliability and performance. Probes are replaceable for about $45. I have dropped my MW102 on the floor several times. Battery even popped out. Still works like a champ.

Star Dog said:

Can you get much more than 1.5 years?
I'm not familiar with modern pH meters but it used to be the case that the probe only had a 1yr guarantee with blue lab?

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Yes, if you buy quality equipment with remote replaceable probes. Just say no to PH pens. They are all varying degrees of garbage and will not last long term. You may get 1 year out of a high quality unit if you're lucky.

Guardian. Nothing else comes close.

HighFlow said:

Guardian. Nothing else comes close.

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Gaurdian's are great, but most growers do not need to spend $300 for PH and TDS monitoring in their garden. The only scenario I would consider purchasing a gaurdian would be if I had a recirculating bucket or flood and drain setup with 1 large primary reservoir. That would allow quick rapid monitoring of the TDS / PH by just turning your head in the direction of the display. That's very convenient. In my case however I have 2 separate reservoirs I use for veg and flower. I move my reservoirs all over my basement which means having a gaurdian monitor in a fixed mounted position would be very inconvenient for me, and expensive to boot. Great equipment for the right situation, but I prefer a unit that is not designed to be used in a fixed position and not $300. Again, if I had a recirculating bucket setup with 1 central reservoir a gaurdian would be fantastic.

Yep, that's the guardians gig. It's so useful just to be able to pop your head round the door and get an instant readout. Get the combo meter then. I've never had one, but after owning the guardians, that would be my meter of choice. They're not cheap, but neither is replacing cheap meters all the time. I usually have a couple of spare standard cheap ones knocking around for testing my buckets and cloners etc. It's always good to have a second meter handy to test the reliability of the first one without calibrating and in case your primary breaks.

@gr865 Milwaukee MW101. same one i've had since our long ago led days. the rep told me to rinse the probe in white vinegar and store in distilled water. hasn't let me down yet (knocks on wood)

HighFlow said:

Yep, that's the guardians gig. It's so useful just to be able to pop your head round the door and get an instant readout. Get the combo meter then. I've never had one, but after owning the guardians, that would be my meter of choice. They're not cheap, but neither is replacing cheap meters all the time. I usually have a couple of spare standard cheap ones knocking around for testing my buckets and cloners etc. It's always good to have a second meter handy to test the reliability of the first one without calibrating and in case your primary breaks.

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All excellent points. Great info dude!

rkymtnman said:

@gr865 Milwaukee MW101. same one i've had since our long ago led days. the rep told me to rinse the probe in white vinegar and store in distilled water. hasn't let me down yet (knocks on wood)

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I'm pretty well sold on milwaukee's quality. Reasonably priced and manufactured very well. Hannah really let me down. I tried 2 of their $100 pens and even after calibration the PH would drift. They accepted the returns and refunded my money so no complaints from me, but I think their superior quality marketing is all smoke and mirrors. I really wanted to believe too

Thanks guys, I ordered the Milwaukee Instruments MW102, should arrive today, via Prime.
I have been using the Extech pH 100 for years, having to replace the diode at least yearly and this is the third meter main body that has died on my over that time. Just figured it was time to try something new.

gr865 said:

Thanks guys, I ordered the Milwaukee Instruments MW102, should arrive today, via Prime.
I have been using the Extech pH 100 for years, having to replace the diode at least yearly and this is the third meter main body that has died on my over that time. Just figured it was time to try something new.

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my 101 went for a quick swim a few years ago. took the battery out , let her dry and she's still kicking it!!! i've had a 102 as a spare for about 5 years but still new in box.

rkymtnman said:

@gr865 Milwaukee MW101. same one i've had since our long ago led days. the rep told me to rinse the probe in white vinegar and store in distilled water. hasn't let me down yet (knocks on wood)

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I have the milwaukee mw802 and it's been rock solid.