I can’t find the previous thread that talked about some of this, so…
What do folks recommend/what are folks using for pH testers? So many various reviews, it’s hard to have confidence in getting one. …the good ones (or that “seem” good) aren’t exactly cheap.
Thanks!
I have a milwaukee ph58. It’s pretty reliable and seems to stay calibrated pretty well. It seems slow sometimes and I kind of wish I had one of the meters with a probe I could drop in and walk away but other than that I’m pretty happy with it. Definitely a big improvement over the pH strips for me.
I highly recommend the MW102. The purchase price is a little higher than the pH5X series, but in my experience it’s much more reliable and more convenient. It is easier to store, because it comes with a screw on cap, which prevents evaporation of the storage solution and it also requires a tiny amount of solution. It is a cheaper unit when you consider that the probe does not need to be replaced as often. I’ve found that it holds calibration better. Calibration is “manual,” which merely means that you have to press a button when the unit tells you to.
I went through two pH56’s and 5 or 6 probes in a couple years. One of the meters was replaced by the manufacturer, because it suddenly would not calibrate properly. Started having the same problem with the new unit after just a few uses.
[quote=“kcbeersnob”]I highly recommend the MW102. The purchase price is a little higher than the pH5X series, but in my experience it’s much more reliable and more convenient. It is easier to store, because it comes with a screw on cap, which prevents evaporation of the storage solution and it also requires a tiny amount of solution. It is a cheaper unit when you consider that the probe does not need to be replaced as often. I’ve found that it holds calibration better. Calibration is “manual,” which merely means that you have to press a button when the unit tells you to.
I went through two pH56’s and 5 or 6 probes in a couple years. One of the meters was replaced by the manufacturer, because it suddenly would not calibrate properly. Started having the same problem with the new unit after just a few uses.[/quote]
sorry to hear that KC…i’ve only had mine a year and still have the original probe…guess i better keep an eye on it.
I have a Hanna meter. Works great.
I have a Ph56 as well that’s almost 4 years old and still on its original probe. It went unused for almost 2 years (I regularly refreshed the storage solution though and never let it get dry) and when I popped it in the calibration solutions it was still fairly close. (My solutions are a bit old though so it may be off a little more than it appeared. I have new solutions on the way.)
I also did the probe test the manufacturer recommends and it responded very quickly from the soda to the Windex with ammonia.
Anyway I think it’s a decent meter for the money, as it can be found for around $65.
Unfortunately, I don’t think there is such a thing as a good pH meter. They loose calibration quickly and are overall unreliable. The more you spend, the more reliable it will be. Only thing going for a meter is that if you absolutely need to know the pH of a solution, it can give you better results than the paper strips.
Good point. That’s why I calibrate mine every time I use it.
