A
AndyBotwin
Guest
I recently picked up a new pH meter and thought I'd share some impressions of it. Looking to save a buck, I was initially relying on pH test drops & a soil meter for my first grow. Long story short, my soil meter was reading way too high and I was driving my actual pH lower and lower with each watering trying to adjust it. My soil ended up down in the 4s with complete lockout, and as a result I lost many leaves as my malnourished young plants began to cannibalize themselves. :cry: It was at that point I decided to get serious about testing pH, so I needed a reliable meter.
After reading some reviews, I decided to go with a more expensive meter that I could replace the bulb on when it became unreliable. I also was interested in an auto-calibrating model since I grow in a basement area that's not well lit and isn't ideal for precision work like fiddling around with little screws. So I bit the bullet and dropped the $80 on Amazon.com for the PH-200, and so far I couldn't be happier.
The unit features a large, easy to read LCD display that shows pH and temperature. A backlight option would be nice, but there is plenty of contrast so it's easy to read even in low light conditions. There is an easy one button switch between °C/°F, and another button that will hold the reading after you remove it from the solution. It will shut off after a couple of minutes to preserve the battery.
Where this meter really stands out is calibration. Just drop it into 4.01, 7, or 10 solution and hold down the calibration button for 5 seconds, and it does the rest. In about 10 seconds it automatically detects the solution and sets the calibration. I've found that to get the most accurate readings, I should calibrate it in the 4.01 solution. When I calibrate to 7 and check it with the 4.01 solution, the reading is sometimes off by .1 or so. But when I calibrate in 4.01, the reading is dead on when testing at 7. The calibration can also be fine tuned in .01 increments if you have a need to do so. I test my calibration about once a week, and the PH-200 has never strayed more than .05 accuracy during that time.
Testing with this meter is pretty quick. In the first 5-10 seconds of testing you'll generally see results within .1 of the final reading. If you let it sit for 30 seconds it will level out to the final .01 position, and I've not seen any reason to let it sit longer than that. I keep a spray bottle of distilled water on hand and use it to rinse the sensor area between tests. Just a quick spritz and gentle shake to remove the excess water, and I can be confident that my next reading will be dead on.
The meter came packaged with batteries, a lanyard, instructions, a pack of 7.0 calibration solution, and a pack of KCl electrode storage solution. This meter has a cap that holds storage solution to keep the sensor wet, but unfortunately the solution had dried when I received it (apparently a common problem). This can lessen the lifespan of the sensor, but mine has been very accurate so I'm willing to take the risk. Plus I'm in the middle of a grow and I don't want to be without a meter during the exchange process.
All in all, I'm happy with this purchase even though it's a bit more than I wanted to spend. Sure, I could have bought 3 or 4 'disposable' meters for what I paid, but after the pH troubles I encountered, I figured this was one area where I wasn't going to cheap out. I believe the replacement sensors are around $30, so hopefully this is a device that will continue to serve me well for many years to come. Thanks for reading and feel free to contact me with any questions.
Detailed specs can be found here: http://www.tdsmeter.com/products/ph200.html
After reading some reviews, I decided to go with a more expensive meter that I could replace the bulb on when it became unreliable. I also was interested in an auto-calibrating model since I grow in a basement area that's not well lit and isn't ideal for precision work like fiddling around with little screws. So I bit the bullet and dropped the $80 on Amazon.com for the PH-200, and so far I couldn't be happier.
The unit features a large, easy to read LCD display that shows pH and temperature. A backlight option would be nice, but there is plenty of contrast so it's easy to read even in low light conditions. There is an easy one button switch between °C/°F, and another button that will hold the reading after you remove it from the solution. It will shut off after a couple of minutes to preserve the battery.
Where this meter really stands out is calibration. Just drop it into 4.01, 7, or 10 solution and hold down the calibration button for 5 seconds, and it does the rest. In about 10 seconds it automatically detects the solution and sets the calibration. I've found that to get the most accurate readings, I should calibrate it in the 4.01 solution. When I calibrate to 7 and check it with the 4.01 solution, the reading is sometimes off by .1 or so. But when I calibrate in 4.01, the reading is dead on when testing at 7. The calibration can also be fine tuned in .01 increments if you have a need to do so. I test my calibration about once a week, and the PH-200 has never strayed more than .05 accuracy during that time.
Testing with this meter is pretty quick. In the first 5-10 seconds of testing you'll generally see results within .1 of the final reading. If you let it sit for 30 seconds it will level out to the final .01 position, and I've not seen any reason to let it sit longer than that. I keep a spray bottle of distilled water on hand and use it to rinse the sensor area between tests. Just a quick spritz and gentle shake to remove the excess water, and I can be confident that my next reading will be dead on.
The meter came packaged with batteries, a lanyard, instructions, a pack of 7.0 calibration solution, and a pack of KCl electrode storage solution. This meter has a cap that holds storage solution to keep the sensor wet, but unfortunately the solution had dried when I received it (apparently a common problem). This can lessen the lifespan of the sensor, but mine has been very accurate so I'm willing to take the risk. Plus I'm in the middle of a grow and I don't want to be without a meter during the exchange process.
All in all, I'm happy with this purchase even though it's a bit more than I wanted to spend. Sure, I could have bought 3 or 4 'disposable' meters for what I paid, but after the pH troubles I encountered, I figured this was one area where I wasn't going to cheap out. I believe the replacement sensors are around $30, so hopefully this is a device that will continue to serve me well for many years to come. Thanks for reading and feel free to contact me with any questions.
Detailed specs can be found here: http://www.tdsmeter.com/products/ph200.html
thats great!
