I need a pH meter. Any suggestions?

[MrSterling]

I'm in the market for a pH meter. Used to have an old one but it's up and disappeared, as they are want to do. Anyway, it's been decades since I bought one. Do you guys have any suggestions for brands, what qualities I should be looking for, etc?

 

[Hammerhead]

Right now Bluelab is on top for accuracy and dependability. The just released a PH Pen. I have there combo meter im waiting on a new PH probe..Love it hands down the best unit I have owned..

 

[DJXXPLATINUM]

MAN I GOT ONE FOR $12 ON EBAY..A CHINESE CHEAPIE...BUT WORKS KILLER...I ALSO GOT A PPM AND EC FOR 12 EA..I KNOW THEY ARE CHEAP...BUT MY PLANTS NAVE NEVER LOOKED BETTER AND THE TRICHS ARE UNBELIEVABLE ....HOPE THIS HELPS..IF YOU WANT AN EXPENSIVE ONE I AM SURE SOMEONE ON HERE HAS THE FERRARI OF METERS...LOL DJ

 

[FlowerFarmer]

I 2nd the Bluelab pH Pen...and have never had ANY luck with cheaper pH meters as the above poster suggested. My very 1st meter was a hanna checker (red triangle thing) and it was junk.

Bad thing though about the Bluelab pH pen is that it doesnt have a removable pH electrode..

All pH electrodes eventually fail...but the meter isnt bad around $100 so if it kicks the bucket 3-4 yrs down the road its no sweat buying another.

But.. if ya drop it and shatter the electrode you are out of luck...ya need a new meter.


Aside from that the Hanna HI98128 aint bad...but I have had some quirky probes right out of the box. 1st electrode lasted 3 years before it wouldn't calibrate.. replacement wouldn't calibrate out of the box.. 3rd probe worked until I finally upgraded to the Hanna GroChek HI9813-6N. Its a solid meter if your looking for something a little nicer then a handheld meter. Its a combo.

But with all pH meters they are only as good as you treat them. pH probes need kept wet at all times as well as calibrate regularly.

 

[habeeb]

^ you do need to recycle it, you cannot throw it in the trash so you know.. or anyone who is going to buy one, if you buy it, then it's your responsibility..

that done, Yes Bluelab are good. I had the combo meter. my pH probe lasted 4-5 years. I bought there new meters and they seem to work well. I don't like how you have to hold the button to turn it off, but other then that it's good so far

 

[Hammerhead]

so true dont drop yuor probes they will break.. I just broke mine the other day replacments are not cheap 65$

 

[Hammerhead]

You get what ya pay for. I would only buy quality

 

[MrSterling]

Thanks for the advice. I forgot about needing an EC meter as well.

 

[Kcar]

 

[FlowerFarmer]

^ you do need to recycle it, you cannot throw it in the trash so you know.. or anyone who is going to buy one, if you buy it, then it's your responsibility..

I was unaware of this... thanks for posting.

Quick google search states that it depends on the probe...only probes containing mercury being the hazardous ones.

Does anyone know how to determine this? Are the little glass bulb probes we commonly find on our meters hazardous?

EDIT - did some more reading and it looks like the bluelab has a double-junction probe which is not hazardous. Its gel filled and doesnt appear to contain mercury. Correct me if I'm wrong though...


...

and MrSterling.. dont be confused with those mentioning replacement electrodes. If you go with the Bluelab pH Pen - which I do think is a great meter - it DOES NOT have a replaceable probe. If you break it or it doesnt calibrate outside of the 1yr warranty the entire meter will need replaced. Just wanted to make that clear..

If you need a combo I'd suggest either going with the GroChek HI9813-6n or possibly getting the bluelab pH pen for pH and their truncheon for EC/PPM. It never needs calibrated and is down right awesome.

 

[Hammerhead]

I dont know. You would need to get a spec sheet for the probes. I know the bluelabs have no visible Merc. If there's some at the junction ???

 

[Jeeyah]

Just got that Bluelab pen yesterday. Real nice.

 

[eyes]

does it hold the reading well? every ph pen always had unstable readings. are u guys using the sponge in the cap to keep the bulb wet as well? how often do they need calibration?

 

[dramamine]

I've been running the bluelab pen for six months or so...every time I try to calibrate it, it's still dead on. Big difference from the cheapies. Plus it's waterproof, which is nice. I won't be surprised if it lasts a long time. I'm happy with it.

 

[Hammerhead]

There is no sponge in the bluelabs.. I do keep my tip wet all the time I dont cal every time I use it but doing so is good practice to have. Any place the you would take PH readings from use SOP where cal is done before ea use..

Sometime I will leave the PH probe in my rez and monitor on a continuous basis. Readings are very stable..

 

[Jeeyah]

Dude at the store told me not to use the cap. I use a cup with bluelab solution. Which sucks because the cap is cool. lol It has a checkmark on the screen. When the checkmark goes away it needs to be calibrated. Way way cooler than my Oakton.

 

[tommy_greens]

I've used tri-meters. I do not recommend them. I have also used the bluelab monitors and I had to return that because it would not stay calibrated for more than a day. Then I used the black Hanna combo pen with EC/PH/TDS and I found it to be the most reliable and accurate. I have two of them.
HANNA PEN COMBO pH/EC/TDS TESTER HI98129

 

[Hammerhead]

Bummer dude you should have got another unit Bluelab is tits. There's always going to be some bad units. Those that got bad units wont have anything positive to say. I would recommend there tri meter without hesitation..These are not toys and should be treated as lab equipment.

 

[rives]

Another vote for Bluelab. I don't think that you can beat their gear. I have both a Truncheon and a pH meter, and want the new EC pen just for the hell of it. More tools!

 

[MrSterling]

Well, the consensus is fairly clear. The BlueLab pen is getting good reviews and isn't gonna break the bank.