PH/EC Testers. What Do You Use?

[Weedhound]

And do you love them, hate them or could take or leave them?

Which ones do you guys think are the best and the worst? Fast or slow? Easy or hard to read? How about to calibrate and store?

ALL meters...ph, ec and/or tds any info would be great. :thumbsup:

Thanks. :jointsmile:

Weedhound Reviewed by Weedhound on 12-04-2007. PH/EC Testers. What Do You Use? And do you love them, hate them or could take or leave them? Which ones do you guys think are the best and the worst? Fast or slow? Easy or hard to read? How about to calibrate and store? ALL meters...ph, ec and/or tds any info would be great. :thumbsup: Thanks. :jointsmile: Rating: 5

[BigWeed]

And do you love them, hate them or could take or leave them?

Which ones do you guys think are the best and the worst? Fast or slow? Easy or hard to read? How about to calibrate and store?

ALL meters...ph, ec and/or tds any info would be great. :thumbsup:

Thanks. :jointsmile:

I have a hanna grocheck combo cant live without it easy to use and easy to calibrate.:rasta::rastasmoke:imp:

[PharmaCan]

I have a Milwaukee pH51. It's medium fast, easy to calibrate, the cap holds just the right amount of storage solution and doesn't leak.

Only negative I've found is that it doesn't have an auto shut-off.

PC :smokin:

[Opie Yutts]

I already said this in your other thread, but in case anyone cares and doesn't get over that way,

I have an inexpensive Control Wizard for both PPM and PH (two pens). As far as I know they've never done me wrong.

[Weedhound]

Well I've had horrible issues with both my hannas....ones a combo (waterproof) and the other is a handheld with probe on a stick thing. I've had sincere questions on BOTH of their accuracy more than once.

[rhizome]

Oakton pH Tester ( w/ ATC- well worth the $10 US)
Truncheon EC meter ( Mine's the old New Zealand Hydro manufacture- which should tell you how reliable these meters are. )

Both these meters are coming on ancient- but function like brand new.

Both are on their original electrodes.

The Oaktons pH meters will last a lot longer if you fold up a piece of filter paper ( I use a bit of a coffee filter) into a little square that you can tuck into the very tip of the cap and dampen w/ 7.0 buffer ( or storage solution, if ya just gotta have one more bottle on the shelf). Keeps the junction nice and moist. They used to come w/ this pre-installed- don't know why they stopped.

At some point you'll be tempted to calibrate in the cap- I gotta shamefully admit that I do, but w/o problems. ( I can hear Stinky groaning and muttering about " laboratory best procedure"...) Just rinse it out really well.

Let the Oakton TDS dry out once in a while- no wet-nap for the tds.

Truncheon has required no care but batteries, and the occasional wipe of the tip w/ some Scotchbrite. ( Ya gotta pop off the little oval tip sheild- DO NOT LOSE THIS!!! The design of the meter pretty much gaurantees that if you run w/o the tip gaurd, you will promptly manage to ground the electrodes and burn the board.)( NO STEEL WOOL! EVER!)

:stoned:Love the flashy lights.:stoned:

Most useable meter I've ever used- and I've used just about everything.


I've said it before and I'll say it again- :wtf:HANNA METERS ARE GOD-AWFUL CRAP.:wtf: Ya put it down in a non-reverent manner and it's done.

'Sa good idea to color-test the pH once in a while as a matter of course- It's tough to diagnose temp compensation circuit probs, as they won't show in calibration.

[Weedhound]

Well I just coughed up the dough for a Truncheon ph meter which will be here soon so I'm afraid it's too late for the oakton ph tester. One nice thing about the truncheon is the size of it....I can stick it in the w/f and never get my hand wet the way I always had to to with hannas....... and I got my drops so I'll be set with that as far as a backup.

I have a strong feeling that what you are saying about the temperature/condensation IS causing the issues with the hannas.....they calibrate dead on...then turn around and read the same solution several different ways...the reading for ph just is NOT reliable even minute to minute and the tds readers just quit.....period. They may need a new probe but they are actually taking a vacation out to my trash can.

I DO want to get a second tds/ec meter and was thinking of the truncheon.....does the truncheon read ppm AND ec? And do you know what the conversion is on them? I asked my hydro guy about liquid tds testers and he said they don't make them so a second tester would be the way to go. I'm sick and tired of getting caught short here. :wtf:

[dejayou30]

I use a Hanna Champ pH tester and a Sun Leaves TDS pen meter.

I agree that the Hanna is junk, but I have dropped mine off my hydro table (2 ft) onto cement a handful of times and it stays working. However, I am on my second meter because the first would no longer calibrate. I had to calibrate it every 2 days, and after about 5 weeks, it got to the point where I had turned the calibration screw down too many times and could not be turned down anymore. Luckily, I exchanged it for a new one at my local store. My new one stays calibrated for about a week and goes up a lot slower. Might have just been a bad meter, but I would say if you can afford to, stay away. It IS the cheapest pH meter available, so you get what you pay for.

My SunLeaves TDS meter is awesome. It was also very cheap and hasn't failed me yet. It also hardly ever needs calibration. I've had mine for a couple months now and I have only calibrated it like twice. The first time it read a 1K solution at 980 and the second was 1040. Its also very durable and has been dropped off the table more times than the pH meter.

[Weedhound]

It DOES seem as though the hannas are made to be dropped....the one with the long stick is JUST long enough to hit the floor hard if you hold the probe part. And they are SLOWER than goddamn molasses in January and all the stupid little quirks to keep it calibrated.....never again. :wtf:

[fosomker]

I like the continous a monitoring meter being a newbie. I use a tri meter that is really easy its just pricy. It has been helpful on several occassions, I have noticed when my water level gets too low because my PH meter and/or ppm/temp comes out of the water.