Need pH reader recommendations

Looking for a good, trusted water pH meter to order off amazon or anywhere really. I bought one and it was broken out of the box, didnt read anything.

Try this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08RD488NP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



I got one a week ago and I love it! I looked at all the options, was going to get a blue lab pen but the reviews were terrible. This pen is only $39 and does TDS, PH and temperature. Seems to be spot on when compared to testing the water with ph drops. Way more accurate than the cheap yellow pens.

Get storage solution and use it religiously if you want your meter's probe to last.

blue lab or hanna
or just throw your money down the toilet if u buy something else

twentyeight.threefive said:

Bluelab pH pen

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I used Bluelab pens years ago, they were great, and Bluelab has always had a great reputation. I was going to buy one until I read the recent reviews on Amazon, seems the quality has declined. That is why I bought the $39 pen, I can buy two for less than 1 Bluelab pen and the quality seems good enough to me for what we do.

Driver733 said:

I used Bluelab pens years ago, they were great, and Bluelab has always had a great reputation. I was going to buy one until I read the recent reviews on Amazon, seems the quality has declined. That is why I bought the $39 pen, I can buy two for less than 1 Bluelab pen and the quality seems good enough to me for what we do.

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It's probably more the carelessness of users. They blame the equipment instead of their negligence and blame the equipment. There seems to be an increased trend of this kind of behavior over the years, so I'd opt to blame the user not the manufacturer for lesser quality.

I'm just guessing. I have no idea of their previous quality but I'm very pleased with the current level of quality.

twentyeight.threefive said:

It's probably more the carelessness of users. They blame the equipment instead of their negligence and blame the equipment. There seems to be an increased trend of this kind of behavior over the years, so I'd opt to blame the user not the manufacturer for lesser quality.

I'm just guessing. I have no idea of their previous quality but I'm very pleased with the current level of quality.

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One thing I like about this $39 pen is they say I don't need storage solution. Time will tell. If this one dies, I'd be willing to try a Hanna brand pen, they seem to be pretty good in the same price range as Bluelab.

Driver733 said:

One thing I like about this $39 pen is they say I don't need storage solution. Time will tell. If this one dies, I'd be willing to try a Hanna brand pen, they seem to be pretty good in the same price range as Bluelab.

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That one has "agile glass electrode" and "evtemal reference"...thats utter gibberish , as well as not needing a storage solution.
I think someone didn't translate very well. Just get a decent one with cheap replaceable electrode, like the Hanna or Apera.
HM digital also makes a reliable cheap unit.

twentyeight.threefive said:

It's probably more the carelessness of users. They blame the equipment instead of their negligence and blame the equipment. There seems to be an increased trend of this kind of behavior over the years, so I'd opt to blame the user not the manufacturer for lesser quality.

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No one reads this, they just bitch and throw them away.

Driver733 said:

One thing I like about this $39 pen is they say I don't need storage solution. Time will tell. If this one dies, I'd be willing to try a Hanna brand pen, they seem to be pretty good in the same price range as Bluelab.

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39 dollar ph pen is junk
pls dont make decisions based on noob growers that put a review on amazon

Jjgrow420 said:

39 dollar ph pen is junk
pls dont make decisions based on noob growers that put a review on amazon

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I'll pick up a bluelab here soon. I'd rather spend the money on a meter that I know is accurate and will last a while. I tried to go as cheap as I could on parts without sacrificing quality, I learned my lesson with cheap pH meters.

ya im not pushing bluelab or anything. they are just ultra reliable and accurate. ask any experienced grower and most will say hanna or bluelab.

the only thing that could make sence with the bad amazon reviews is the seller is crooked and either got used returned pens or a deal like a truck crashed and had ph pens in it and then they bought the damaged merchandise off the insurance company. shit like that happens. i bought my newest one from amazon
no complaints.

Jjgrow420 said:

ya im not pushing bluelab or anything. they are just ultra reliable and accurate. ask any experienced grower and most will say hanna or bluelab.

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Im going to do my research on brands and meters. I found a cheaper Apera that has replaceable electrode and some HM digitals. The bluelabs are a little more than I want to spend on a pH meter, right now anyways.

I have a $40 apera that is super accurate, but I use kcl solution to store it. Any probe with the glass ball sensor will die a quick death without storage solution. If you can afford it, go bluelab, if you want something accurate but that you'll probably have to replace every year (more if you're lucky), go for Apera.

i hear ya. its a bit of a hit. but when you burn your plants and ruin your crop because of a cheap ph pen. how much would that cost you.?
you have to weigh the pos and neg
pos. quality, cx service, accuracy, peace of mind
cons. its exp

seems like the scales tipped in one direction to me

back in my early days i would use a litmus paper tester or the droppers. it got me close and i thought that was good enough. after using a proper pen its like night and day diff. dont forget you gotta buy the kci storage solution ph7 and ph4
look for deals on amazon sometimes they have them for 170 for the both of em.
they come with small sachets of each solution but you will need more.

Your going to spend a lot of money on a decent ph meter. I've done a lot of research on accuracy, and the market is absolutely flooded with FAKE ph meters. They are literally fake and give you no accuracy. The ones that work are really expensive, and you have to maintain them to keep that accuracy. Even then, the way you measure with it can still make it inaccurate, because you are dealing with more variables than you think.

For just water, I would look into your areas water report, which is usually posted in a pdf online somewhere. It will tell you the last measured PH, and it is a good average. If you are using fertilizer solution, you can email the company and ask them what it is based on the PH of the water you are using. They will have a good idea of what it will be.

If you are still not sure, just make sure to include nice PH buffers in your soil, and give yourself some room to move around that PH range cannabis likes. The buffers will do their job.

For soil or substrates, you should take a sample and talk to your local university or other sources to get it tested. Or again, just make sure you have buffers if its not worth the hassle.

ScienceGrow said:

Your going to spend a lot of money on a decent ph meter. I've done a lot of research on accuracy, and the market is absolutely flooded with FAKE ph meters. They are literally fake and give you no accuracy. The ones that work are really expensive, and you have to maintain them to keep that accuracy. Even then, the way you measure with it can still make it inaccurate, because you are dealing with more variables than you think.

For just water, I would look into your areas water report, which is usually posted in a pdf online somewhere. It will tell you the last measured PH, and it is a good average. If you are using fertilizer solution, you can email the company and ask them what it is based on the PH of the water you are using. They will have a good idea of what it will be.

If you are still not sure, just make sure to include nice PH buffers in your soil, and give yourself some room to move around that PH range cannabis likes. The buffers will do their job.

For soil or substrates, you should take a sample and talk to your local university or other sources to get it tested. Or again, just make sure you have buffers if its not worth the hassle.

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What if I'm not using soil?

ScienceGrow said:

Your going to spend a lot of money on a decent ph meter. I've done a lot of research on accuracy, and the market is absolutely flooded with FAKE ph meters. They are literally fake and give you no accuracy. The ones that work are really expensive, and you have to maintain them to keep that accuracy. Even then, the way you measure with it can still make it inaccurate, because you are dealing with more variables than you think.

For just water, I would look into your areas water report, which is usually posted in a pdf online somewhere. It will tell you the last measured PH, and it is a good average. If you are using fertilizer solution, you can email the company and ask them what it is based on the PH of the water you are using. They will have a good idea of what it will be.

If you are still not sure, just make sure to include nice PH buffers in your soil, and give yourself some room to move around that PH range cannabis likes. The buffers will do their job.

For soil or substrates, you should take a sample and talk to your local university or other sources to get it tested. Or again, just make sure you have buffers if its not worth the hassle.

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I did make a thread about my water report but it was some random site. Here is what I found unsure if it mentions pH.

dragula420 said:

I did make a thread about my water report but it was some random site. Here is what I found unsure if it mentions pH.

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Those dont, but you are on the right track. Is that all there was?