I’m looking for some advice on purchasing middle of the road pH/ppm meters. I’ve only used $10-$20 range gauges up until this point. I’m hoping that I can spend a little bit more money, get more accuracy, with a budget of less than $200 for quality instruments. Thanks in advance!
The old Bluelab Truncheon is made to last. I like the Bluelab ph pens also. The truncheon may outlast me. The pens should be replaced every 18 months. Proper care of pen will make it more accurate longer. Like avoid using it in distilled water and keep it stored with 3 drops of solution in cap.
I’ve heard The name bluelab before. Thanks for the heads up! How important is it to care with the solution? I haven’t practiced this up to this point, but I’ve heard the same advice before.
ha,ha...the #1 reason I like the Bluelab pen is because it has a hole to put a long wooden spoon through to hang from over a bucket. The storage solution is dropped into the foam in the lid. All ph pens have a sensor which should not dry out. If you pick based on color and feel, that is a good enough reason. In the $80 range they are all about the same. There are some informative Bluelab info utube videos that show proper care.
I suppose if I’m going to invest into a better than throw away tool, I should lead to care for it. Thanks for putting me on the right trajectory.
also Hannah had some care info and one of their reps was posting here. When I was growing in soil I didn't even know what ph was. Now I live or die by it. It is definately a love/hate relationship. I love it when it is 6.0.
Browsing Amazon quickly, I came up with a few different options… Would you suggest a meter that can control everything for a higher price tag, or two separate meters, and a pH kit/calibration kit for around the same price?
I like spearate. For instance, once you know your ppm, you may not have to check for a long time and only adjust ph. The ppm meter can last forever, the ph pen is not a lifetime purchase. After a while, like over a year, the ph pens start getting a little slower to respond, and can take up to 15 minutes of soaking to get an accurate reading. It's no big deal, but I sure notice how snappy a new pen responds. The old pens still work and are good for checking gunky stuff like runoff. There's got to be a better way. My Kingdom to the man that can get me ph free. The best idea I heard yet was "just add soil."
I’m on the “just add soil” kick, but now that I have a budget to grow with added nutrients, Im going to give it my best