I have spent good money on some in the past that eventually got messed up (my fault) and broke. Since I have bought cheap $10-20 ones from ebay and had really good success. I would not say they were inferior in fact probably made in the same factory. lol. I think technology is to the point now where pen style pH testers can be made cheap and work fine. Maybe 10-15 years ago I would not have said that. But it's whatever is in your budget. Just saying you don't need to spend $70 on a tester. If you have the $$ to blow however get the 3 in 1 jobbies that have probes in your solution and test 24/7... only ~$150.
Was gonna recommend the Milwaukee ph55, cost me $50 + shipping The pH56 is more accurate, 0.01 instead of 0.1 (but it's unnecessary unless you want to spend an extra 10-15$)
Yeah...I was gonna suggest the 56, but it depends on whether you're hyro or soil... Accurate ph control is the lifeblood of hydro...in soil it doesn't matter as much... Dirtbud...see above...if it's for soil...then I'm with you...hydro...get yourself a proper one...
I only use the ph drops by General Hydroponics. Never needs calibrated, and the batteries don't go dead.lol
GH makes great products but the earlier post is right, PH testers shouldn't be 70-90 bucks. I bought mine off Ebay too and though it took like 2-3 weeks because it was coming from Japan it was a great savings and worth the wait. Nice case, calibrating salts with tweak screwdriver and batteries, 11.99 plus 4 shipping i think. Well worth the peace of mind too. Hope this helps!
I'm only hydro bro. Mine is as proper as they come, as I have tester solutions and mine are always on point when tested. Like I said I had a milwaukee. I can take it apart with the $12 one from ebay to show you the only difference between them is where one says milwaukee. Other than that they are identical. to each their own though! Side note, pH is just as important for soil because you can't change your dirt and start with new dirt. Less room for mistakes with soil. In fact with soil it's important to know not only the pH of the soil but also the feed. You need to off set the pH of the soil with the pH of the feed. There are charts to consult for these types of things. Source: I have read and own about every grow book out there and have had about 20 harvests now using every form of light known to grown. I only grow the bomb diggity shniggity, never mids or pretendica. Not trying to brag as I'm sure plenty of others on here are the same way.
Perhaps I stated that wrong...my apologies... I was referring to accuracy of pH measurement...with hydro you have to keep track of pH drift...something that is not such an issue with soil... I can only go by my own past experiences...I have had meters fail after being dropped in a bucket or dropped on the floor...my Milwaukees have always been reliable...haven't broken one yet... If you find something that works for you that's cheaper, then great...more power to you...I myself, haven't been that lucky...
It's all good. I am not a pioneer by no means. It wasn't until after I broke my milwaukee that my friend suggested the cheap ones. They use them too and their shit is always kill so I trusted them. To the OP: I was not being an ass when I said go with your budget. I was just saying the options range from $12-150 and all will work. And if I had the money I would most certainly go the $150 route. The $150 3 in ones test ppms and ec as well so you can subtract the money you would spend on that meter right off the price really.
That's good man, if a cheap one works for you then stick with it. For me, first I got a $29 Hanna 99104 which worked just alright. It was capable of 0.01 accuracy, but it never was accurate. It would take roughly 30sec to 1 min to get an "accurate" reading, but it was more of a ballpark. For example it would say 5.75, but if you agitate the probe in the water lightly, it will keep changing 5.78, then down or up etc. On top of that, it had some issues with the wiring contact because sometimes the display would dim (new batteries) and if you lightly twisted the body it would come back. Then just recently it started going crazy and fluctuating like crazy. I put the body of the pH meter in a bag with desiccant and it worked a little better. I never trusted it, even with 4.01/7.01/cleaning solutions. So the Milwaukee pH55 with a temp sensor is what I use now As for ppm meters, the $16 HM EZ TDS is amazing and there's probably no reason to get a better one unless you want one that's waterproof.
Sorry to take this off topic but what the heck is a "Blade"? The OP says something like "hello blades", is blade something younger stoners call each other? I must be getting old!
Members of GC are blades. A GC blast from the past...http://forum.grasscity.com/seasoned-tokers/1790-so-what-am-i-now.html...enjoy!