Hanna Instruments 98129 / 98130 hand held, waterproof pH/EC/TDS/Temperature meter.
http://www.hannainst.com/product/?id=030&ProdCode=HI 98129
Cost
Bought it about two weeks ago from an authorized dealer who was selling on Ebay for $125 + S/H ($8.95). Not going to comment on the seller yet since choosing an authorized dealer was predicated on the idea that I'd have access to some sort of knowledgeable support if I had a problem. So far no problems.
I had seen this meter offered by a wide variety of on line vendors ranging in price from $125 to $250, so it pays to be diligent in your shopping.
Operation
Simplicity itself. Only two buttons on the face and although the LCD read out looks intimidating at first blush it functions very intuitively and is fairly easy to read, even for an old blind guy like me.
Instructions are brief but thorough and will have you up and testing in just a few minutes. The unit has a snap off cap that covers the sensors/electrodes and there's a small sponge in a recess within that you need to make sure you don't loose, but otherwise the unit is very user friendly.
If you've got a lot of tanks to care for and aren't on a central system this thing can be indispensable. Uncap the meter, stick it in the sample and gently swish it around a bit before holding it still. After a few seconds the stability indicator will blink out to let you know that you have what you need. There's also a display hold button so that you don't have to rely on your memory after youve removed the unit from the sample.
Performance
The unit is already calibrated from the factory and self compensates on readings for temperature so there's no heavy math lifting to interpret the results. Repeated testings of the same sample showed no perceptible variance. The eye opener was that when the meters results were compared to the same samples tested with my old API liquid method the API results were off by an average of .5 in the pH range over 50 samples. Might have something to do with the age of the reagent, since I've had this bottle for about a year, but the meter does add a sense of assurance to the results.
Since Murphy's Law promises that you will drop in the water at some point, it's good to know that it's waterproof and floats.
Pros
Rapid learning curve - good instructions
Ease of use - batteries are included - comes out of the box ready to use and factory calibrated
Waterproof & Floats (Yeah I drop it)
4 Test meters in 1 eliminates additional instrumentation & liquid test kit
Ergonomics & portability (one hand operation, has a pocket clip & goes to the sample rather than the next step which is a bench top model that requires you to take the sample to the meter)
Well built - appears rugged and plastic feels substantial
Logical easy read output
User serviceable electrode replacement
Accuracy - apparent major improvement over alternatives - fills the gap between lab type equipment & hobby kits
Affordability - relative to individual meters with the same capabilities it's a bargain
Cons
A larger back lit display with more contrast would be nice but would also doubtless effect affordability
Additional chemicals must be purchased to permit recalibration, proper cleaning and storage. I bought a bottle of each solution and in hindsight would have probably been fine with the smaller and considerably less expensive solution packets.
Vision challenged would probably appreciate a much larger font for the instructions. A waterproof cheat card would also be neat, but that is easily user made.
Even with the pocket clip a lanyard attachment point would be a nice feature for those of us that wear pocketless T-shirts rather than lab coats in our fish rooms
Rating
**** Four Stars - Would have been five stars were it not for the fact that I've only owned it for a few weeks.
Comments
I have only been using it for a short time but I am very happy with the overall fit and finish of the unit, as well as it's performance. The meter represents a tremendous value to me since it saves me time every day that I use it, and time in the fish room is one thing that there's never enough of. The more accurate picture that it provides of water parameters has allowed me to identify and correct problems that I might otherwise have missed. The ease of operation encourages its use and it has proven very handy for checking tank thermometers and heaters.
Thanks to a post in these forums I was compelled to investigate just what my TDS' were as well as my disolved oxygen. The results were surprising, but in the end my fish will all be happier for the effort.
While I initially felt that spending $180 (including S/H & chemical solutions) to test fish water was a bit crazy, it all seems worth it when I stop to consider the investment that I have in my fish. That and the value of my time saved, over what I expect will be the long life of the right tool for the job. I would buy it again in a minute.
http://www.hannainst.com/product/?id=030&ProdCode=HI 98129
Cost
Bought it about two weeks ago from an authorized dealer who was selling on Ebay for $125 + S/H ($8.95). Not going to comment on the seller yet since choosing an authorized dealer was predicated on the idea that I'd have access to some sort of knowledgeable support if I had a problem. So far no problems.
I had seen this meter offered by a wide variety of on line vendors ranging in price from $125 to $250, so it pays to be diligent in your shopping.
Operation
Simplicity itself. Only two buttons on the face and although the LCD read out looks intimidating at first blush it functions very intuitively and is fairly easy to read, even for an old blind guy like me.
Instructions are brief but thorough and will have you up and testing in just a few minutes. The unit has a snap off cap that covers the sensors/electrodes and there's a small sponge in a recess within that you need to make sure you don't loose, but otherwise the unit is very user friendly.
If you've got a lot of tanks to care for and aren't on a central system this thing can be indispensable. Uncap the meter, stick it in the sample and gently swish it around a bit before holding it still. After a few seconds the stability indicator will blink out to let you know that you have what you need. There's also a display hold button so that you don't have to rely on your memory after youve removed the unit from the sample.
Performance
The unit is already calibrated from the factory and self compensates on readings for temperature so there's no heavy math lifting to interpret the results. Repeated testings of the same sample showed no perceptible variance. The eye opener was that when the meters results were compared to the same samples tested with my old API liquid method the API results were off by an average of .5 in the pH range over 50 samples. Might have something to do with the age of the reagent, since I've had this bottle for about a year, but the meter does add a sense of assurance to the results.
Since Murphy's Law promises that you will drop in the water at some point, it's good to know that it's waterproof and floats.
Pros
Rapid learning curve - good instructions
Ease of use - batteries are included - comes out of the box ready to use and factory calibrated
Waterproof & Floats (Yeah I drop it)
4 Test meters in 1 eliminates additional instrumentation & liquid test kit
Ergonomics & portability (one hand operation, has a pocket clip & goes to the sample rather than the next step which is a bench top model that requires you to take the sample to the meter)
Well built - appears rugged and plastic feels substantial
Logical easy read output
User serviceable electrode replacement
Accuracy - apparent major improvement over alternatives - fills the gap between lab type equipment & hobby kits
Affordability - relative to individual meters with the same capabilities it's a bargain
Cons
A larger back lit display with more contrast would be nice but would also doubtless effect affordability
Additional chemicals must be purchased to permit recalibration, proper cleaning and storage. I bought a bottle of each solution and in hindsight would have probably been fine with the smaller and considerably less expensive solution packets.
Vision challenged would probably appreciate a much larger font for the instructions. A waterproof cheat card would also be neat, but that is easily user made.
Even with the pocket clip a lanyard attachment point would be a nice feature for those of us that wear pocketless T-shirts rather than lab coats in our fish rooms
Rating
**** Four Stars - Would have been five stars were it not for the fact that I've only owned it for a few weeks.
Comments
I have only been using it for a short time but I am very happy with the overall fit and finish of the unit, as well as it's performance. The meter represents a tremendous value to me since it saves me time every day that I use it, and time in the fish room is one thing that there's never enough of. The more accurate picture that it provides of water parameters has allowed me to identify and correct problems that I might otherwise have missed. The ease of operation encourages its use and it has proven very handy for checking tank thermometers and heaters.
Thanks to a post in these forums I was compelled to investigate just what my TDS' were as well as my disolved oxygen. The results were surprising, but in the end my fish will all be happier for the effort.
While I initially felt that spending $180 (including S/H & chemical solutions) to test fish water was a bit crazy, it all seems worth it when I stop to consider the investment that I have in my fish. That and the value of my time saved, over what I expect will be the long life of the right tool for the job. I would buy it again in a minute.
