just bought 3 more blue labs... would never buy anything ever again... wouldnt even use it if it was given to me for free....
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are there any good pH meters out there?
- Thread starter Lammy
- Start date
Vernal Equinox
Member
You can drive an Acura, or you can drive a Kia; they each get you where you need to go, but the cheaper one breaks down much more often. Go with cheap now if you have to, then budget in some great BlueLabs kit in the near future.
Very fucking bad! I guess it depends on your expectation level. I'm a retired electrician, and have an expectation that my instruments work well. My life used to depend on it. But, I used a Hanna pH pen for a couple of years. It had piss-poor repeatability, took forever to settle on the final reading, and needed calibration continually. It was just too damned much work. I bought a BlueLab pH meter (not the pen, they weren't available yet) and found it to be everything that the Hanna was not - it settles on a reading quickly, is very repeatable, and has never been more than .1 off when I bother to calibrate it.
When I bought an EC meter, I went straight to the BlueLab Truncheon. I like it pretty well, but it's resolution is a little coarser than I would prefer - I run blumats, and the continual feed accentuates small differences in the nutrient strength. I picked up an EC pen (BlueLab) a few months ago, and really like it. I understand that EC meters aren't as prone to having trouble as pH meters are, but have no direct experience with anything besides the BlueLab versions.
If you've got plenty of time and patience for waiting for readings to settle, don't mind taking a reading several times to see if you can get some kind of agreement as to what the reading is, calibrating whenever you want to check something (good practice, anyhow), and keep drops around for a back up, then you might be happy with a cheap pen or get lucky and get a good one. Not for me, though.
If you can afford to splurge, or want to invest in a pH meter for years to come, take a look at an ISFET pH meter. No probe to constantly replace as it uses a silicon microchip instead. The meter can be stored dry and needs to be calibrated a couple times a year. The US Geological Service uses these meters in the field fwiw.
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Saran
Active member
Buy Some thing with a replaceable probe Blue lab is in the trash can if you let it dry out or when the probe fails which it will, even Blu lab tells you that.. $80 New Blu Lab or $49 for a new probe for my Oakton . Hana well I guess that's hit or miss,, but still that red Checker I have was one of my favorite meters it needs a new probe now too .
With the combo meter you can simply replace the probe... It simply unscrews from the main box you dont have to junk the whole unit. You just get a replacement probe. I havent needed on in two years and counting knock on wood.
I used to have a hanna combo unit w the ph & ec all done on the same probe. Whem that probe went out, everything was out. Hanna has a good replacement policy or something whenever i came into a shop w a busted probe (ph pen or the combo probe) it was slways sawpped out on the spot. Purchased there or not...
I probably had to swap the probe 3x in 2yrs w the Hanna fwiw
I used to have a hanna combo unit w the ph & ec all done on the same probe. Whem that probe went out, everything was out. Hanna has a good replacement policy or something whenever i came into a shop w a busted probe (ph pen or the combo probe) it was slways sawpped out on the spot. Purchased there or not...
I probably had to swap the probe 3x in 2yrs w the Hanna fwiw
Lammy
Member
Greyskull
I hope that they replace my Hanna meter that easily. although I bought mine online so I doubt that will happen anytime soon. even when I return stuff to the local hydro store they fill out the paperwork and then I NEVER hear back about it.
rives & Vernal Equinox,
I appreciate having tools that are of good quality and work reliably. I guess I should have asked everybody about a brand of meter a long time ago. by far the most money I ever spent on a meter was for the Tri meters and by far they were the shittiest meters I've ever seen. so that makes me feel like that with pH meters you do not get what you pay for.
my buddy gives me a hard time everytime he hears that I have to buy a new, expensive meter and I've had 5 of them go out on me now. so every time I'm reaching in my wallet to pull out another 100 + dollars for yet another expense meter he reminds me that he paid 20 dollars for his original pH meter and had used it for the last 2 years without a single problem. at this point I just feel like an idiot trying to defend my actions.
bluelab's ppm pen sells for $70, just a little bit less than their pH meter. maybe I don't know enough about the meters but it seems to me that there's almost nothing to a EC meter. that kind of price seems to only reflect the brand name, so I hope its worth it.
since everyone has recommended the blue labs so highly I think that I'll give them a try. but know that I'm literally going to have to get a part time job to pay for them because I did not budget $300 + per week for meters.
well everyone talks about quality and brand names and getting what you pay for and such. I can't help but think about a gallon of milk. if I go to Walmart they want almost $5. so I go to Aldi instead and pay $1.69. I will say that the milk is just as good as the Walmart milk, but less than 1/3 of the price.
thank you to everyone who took the time to give me their advice.
so I think I'll give bluelab a try. I sure hope they can last at least 6 months.
I hope that they replace my Hanna meter that easily. although I bought mine online so I doubt that will happen anytime soon. even when I return stuff to the local hydro store they fill out the paperwork and then I NEVER hear back about it.
rives & Vernal Equinox,
I appreciate having tools that are of good quality and work reliably. I guess I should have asked everybody about a brand of meter a long time ago. by far the most money I ever spent on a meter was for the Tri meters and by far they were the shittiest meters I've ever seen. so that makes me feel like that with pH meters you do not get what you pay for.
my buddy gives me a hard time everytime he hears that I have to buy a new, expensive meter and I've had 5 of them go out on me now. so every time I'm reaching in my wallet to pull out another 100 + dollars for yet another expense meter he reminds me that he paid 20 dollars for his original pH meter and had used it for the last 2 years without a single problem. at this point I just feel like an idiot trying to defend my actions.
bluelab's ppm pen sells for $70, just a little bit less than their pH meter. maybe I don't know enough about the meters but it seems to me that there's almost nothing to a EC meter. that kind of price seems to only reflect the brand name, so I hope its worth it.
since everyone has recommended the blue labs so highly I think that I'll give them a try. but know that I'm literally going to have to get a part time job to pay for them because I did not budget $300 + per week for meters.
well everyone talks about quality and brand names and getting what you pay for and such. I can't help but think about a gallon of milk. if I go to Walmart they want almost $5. so I go to Aldi instead and pay $1.69. I will say that the milk is just as good as the Walmart milk, but less than 1/3 of the price.
thank you to everyone who took the time to give me their advice.
so I think I'll give bluelab a try. I sure hope they can last at least 6 months.
Lammy
Member
saran
thanks for the advice those Oakton's do look really reasonably priced at about $50. I could afford those it's reassuring to hear that you had a positive experience with them.
after this Hannah stopped working on me yesterday I must have tried 100 times to turn it on. but it just kept powering right back off.
well I tried the Hanna this morning and it seems to work now. which I guess is good news. I'll just have to assume it'll keep working faithfully for years to come.
thanks for the advice those Oakton's do look really reasonably priced at about $50. I could afford those it's reassuring to hear that you had a positive experience with them.
after this Hannah stopped working on me yesterday I must have tried 100 times to turn it on. but it just kept powering right back off.
well I tried the Hanna this morning and it seems to work now. which I guess is good news. I'll just have to assume it'll keep working faithfully for years to come.
i use the bluelab ph pen, with bluelab ppm meter separately..
just make sure you leave your ph pen in tap water, other wise your just gonna need a new pen in no time at all..
its really all about a quality pen, then maintain it right! clean probes regularly, calibrate regularly , u will be good to go!
good luck
just make sure you leave your ph pen in tap water, other wise your just gonna need a new pen in no time at all..
its really all about a quality pen, then maintain it right! clean probes regularly, calibrate regularly , u will be good to go!
good luck
this stuff is your best friend
http://www.amazon.com/Hanna-Instruments-Storage-Solution-Electrodes/dp/B002NX0W2I
http://www.amazon.com/Hanna-Instruments-Storage-Solution-Electrodes/dp/B002NX0W2I
P
Puscifer
I can promise you that the Blelab ph pen is of MUCH better quality than Hanna.
Also, not sure what you consider "expensive" but the Bluelab can be had for $80, give or take a few $$$. Mine is going on 1 year of flawless readings.
Like been said, keep the probe wet at all times and you're golden.
Even the Bluelab instructions says "if it dries it dies".
i have the bluelab pen. Its expensive for a pen costing around 80-100 bucks depending on where and how you buy it. I am very happy with it and its even back lit. It has an auto shutoff which keeps the batteries from running out. Its very accurate.
Only beef is the battery connections seem a little loose as the unit does seem to reset it self from time to time. I have not had it drift or need recalibration since i bought it over 6 months ago.
Ive had the hanna units in the past and they just cost too much for what it is. One hannah was 200 and the other was 300. Both are broken. One a friend spilled a bottle of PH down on it and it ate away the screen the other died after a few years of daly use.
Bluelab all the way these days. As far as PPM goes id recomend bluelab truncheon. Great warranty on that @ 5 years and its only 100 bucks.
Only beef is the battery connections seem a little loose as the unit does seem to reset it self from time to time. I have not had it drift or need recalibration since i bought it over 6 months ago.
Ive had the hanna units in the past and they just cost too much for what it is. One hannah was 200 and the other was 300. Both are broken. One a friend spilled a bottle of PH down on it and it ate away the screen the other died after a few years of daly use.
Bluelab all the way these days. As far as PPM goes id recomend bluelab truncheon. Great warranty on that @ 5 years and its only 100 bucks.
unspoken
Member
Hey Lammy, your milk example in economics is very close (although not exactly) to a perfectly competitive market. Milk is a commodity. Milk is milk is milk, and there is a lot of competition between different manufacturers. In milk, different dairies often even band together and advertise under one brand name. Most brands of milk are actually from a number of different producers. They don't really get to set a price and there isn't really a difference in quality from one milk to the next. Some things that contribute to this are
1. A large number of buyers and sellers
2. Perfect mobility of factors (buyers can switch between sellers freely)
3. the products are homogenous
Ph pens obviously do not follow any of these "rules" where a higher price wouldn't = a better quality product.
I'm sure this was more than you'd care to know, but I hope it explains why sometimes you indeed "get what you pay for."
Also keep your ph probe wet and the bluelab should last you years, not weeks or months.
never get a ph meter, or any meter for that matter, that uses a screwdriver for calibration
those are all pieces of s***
those are all pieces of s***
Just got my MW-802 Milwaukee combo meter on clearance from eseasongear.com for $119.99 shipped.
Extremely fast shipping, easy checkout, prompt emails. The item came in perfect condition...and was brand new. Comes with TDS/EC and PH calibration packets. Nicely built...and much nicer than their pens that only cost $20 on eGay.
For someone looking to upgrade from their run off the mill ebay special...but doesnt want to shell out $200 for a bluelab...this thing looks like it is a nice solution. Warrantied for 2 years as opposed to the 5 year bluelab warranty is the only drawback.
TpM
Extremely fast shipping, easy checkout, prompt emails. The item came in perfect condition...and was brand new. Comes with TDS/EC and PH calibration packets. Nicely built...and much nicer than their pens that only cost $20 on eGay.
For someone looking to upgrade from their run off the mill ebay special...but doesnt want to shell out $200 for a bluelab...this thing looks like it is a nice solution. Warrantied for 2 years as opposed to the 5 year bluelab warranty is the only drawback.
TpM
well, spent $800 now did ya
now spend another $800 on a HACH, and do it right this time. ok it's more then $800 for a pH / EC meter, there $840-$900 where you look
can find some older models on ebay, and then would just have to buy the electrode.. but they have a new one that has pH / EC in one electrode!
check it out
now spend another $800 on a HACH, and do it right this time. ok it's more then $800 for a pH / EC meter, there $840-$900 where you look
can find some older models on ebay, and then would just have to buy the electrode.. but they have a new one that has pH / EC in one electrode!
check it out
