Digital PH Meter. Which one is the best?

hanna makes good decent ph pen's..if your using soil though...imho a expensive digital ph meter is a waste of money..for soil the gh hydroponic's ph kit for less than 20$ will work great...has the buffer's, a nute to ph ratio chart and everything..
hydro or soiless growing is a little different but i manage to still get by without some expensive meter...so do other folk's here ..

 

The Exstik EC100 is a great ph meter for soil. It has a flat surface electrode instead of a glass globe so you can jam it right down in your soil with out having to worry about breaking it. Costs about 80$ though if I remember right so custom is on the right track if you're on a tight budget.

 

Get the cheapest. I usta use a $1.98 ph test kit from the garden store. Once you have a soil/water/fert routine down pat, your ph won't change.

 

You need to clarify what you are testing. Do you want something to test the pH of your soil, or your nutrient/runoff solution?

I agree that Hanna makes a good line of meters. I also have BlueLab meters, but I like Hanna better. Do not get the cheapest test. Buy the best meter you can afford. Skimping on fundamentals like pH monitoring can lead to lots of problems in the garden, and a lot of work, and possibly money, to fix them. I hate having to upgrade to a better piece of equipment because I bought some cheap piece of shit.

I don't understand why people seem to have the idea that pH is unimportant if using some kind of soil, or soil mix. The proper pH is critical to maintaining a healthy ecosystem of microorganisms and mycelia.

 

we don't think it's not important, people like myself have been growing for 26 years, back in the day they had no meter's..lol thats the point..and when you learn how to mix your soil by hand, instead of buying a bag and learning nothing! you don't need one..ever..buying expensive ph meter's are a clear waste of money..especially for soil...
even with one you still have to fush right? so you basicly spend 80-100$ on a flush meter..lol
hell look at your leaves, learn what nute def's are, and the plant itself becomes a ph meter..
folk's all over have grown without them for many many years, were do you think all that good pot you grow came from??? olskoolers that use no 100$ ph meter..or ever had one!
ph is important, very important, but so is knowing what's in your soil or hydro system before hand..then you can almost calculate the ph very easy before and after you water with no meter, just simple math.
i swear kid's today...lol
and that general hydroponic's ph kit, is better than any pen imho..
no probes to worry about, nothing to calibrate at all, accurate to .2-.3 unless your color blind, and dirt cheap..also comes with something to adjust your ph, not like a meter..
not to mention that whole chart it comes with explaining ph vs nute uptake..
that little 15-20$ kit is more informative then any ph meter ever made..hand's down..

 

I agree with Mooner on all counts at least for soil grows. You will learn pretty quickly how much your ferts effect the PH and the amount of PH up/down you need to stay in line. Once you have a "recipe", the PH should stay within boundaries unless you change one of the ingredients. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, but I did many a grow and never checked the PH once.

In hydro you don't really have a buffer for mistakes so in that case I would be much more diligent.