someone help a first timer pls

its going to be my first hydro grow pretty soon. im doing a switch from soil to ebb flow buckets with a 55 gal. res. i was just wondering if someone could tell me what ph/ec meter is good for this setup. i want a meter that i can just drop the probes in and get a constant reading. also want a brand i can trust that any hydro store will have replacement probes if needed. i seen some hanna's out there but dont want to get those cause i heard they do a different conversion on the ec readings in the US. please help with a model and name of it, much apreciated guys.

Get a truncheon stick... they seem to be really durable and easy to use.

example #1: ec/ppm meter
Original Truncheon Meter (EC/PPM)

example #2: pH
Bluelab Instruments pH Truncheon Meter: J from Kalyx.com - Hydroponics & Gardening - Testing, pH, TDS, EC

They're a bit pricey, but well worth it, and you didn't say "cheap." Maybe even go ahead and order some replacement parts to save some heartache and shipping in the future ;)

Keep us updated!

All probes have a limited life, about 18 months.

now I find out that there is a brand that has a strip
when the meter can't be calibrated you just pull out a little more of the strip,not sure if you cut off excess.

I wouldn't worry about the dif. in conversion, its available as a comparison chart

I have a millwalkii tri-meter, but the probe still only lasts so long,I'm on my second $85 probe,wish I would have known what I do now,next probe is a generic off the net for $35

do you think this meter is good and will be the only meter i will need to start with? also does this meters probe need to be constantly wet like my ph pen? do i just leave the probe in my res with this one? thanks guys! sorry for this dumb question.

Milwaukee SM802 SMART pH/EC/TDS Combined Meter/Tester - eBay (item 370181371170 end time Apr-29-09 12:36:50 PDT)

yep the 802 is the one I have,, the probe needs stored in a bottle of storage solution when not in use, rinsed before useing and before returned to storage,
I believe it can be left in the nuit solution,,this will also cause the EC barbs to corrode
you will need a small 9 volt DC power supply,or the batt. will need replacing often
The cheap generic probe is only Ph not a combo,but the EC probe barbs can be cleaned many times

check out the tri-meter by nutridip,it has seperate probes for Ph/EC, and useing the $35 generic probe makes it cheaper to maintain