pH pen

[monotreme_man]

i see recommendations to use a pH pen,
such as an HM PH-200 or Hanna 98127.
i'd like any comments pro or con specific models.
i'd prefer to stay under $100, such as
http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B000WJ...3802526-0315960

(what comments i've been able to find seem
dated or virulent.)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The link doesn't work.

Look for two (or more) point calibration and the ability to read to 0.01 pH unit.

This has more:

Measuring pH with a Meter
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2004/chem.htm

 

[tmz]

I prefer the American Marine pinpoint monitor ,in the nieghborhood of your price range.

 

[monotreme_man]

thanks, randy.
your advice meshes well with the market; as the price varies
from $40-60 to $80-90, you get better resolution and accuracy
(the link i gave is http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WJ2YOE/
has 0.02 accuracy)

are there specific brand recommendations you can make?
i see you use oakton as an example of a pen; does that bear
on the brand or model itself? other than the above PH-200, my other
frontrunner is http://www.novatech-usa.com/Products/pH-ORP-Testers/WD-35634-20

in many other fields and equipment, there is often a
stratification of models into roughly hobbyist, prosumer
and professional. typically, i find the professional stuff
unjustifiably expensive, and teh hobbyist stuff too
compromised in terms of reliability and accuracy.
so i normally get the middle prosumer grade.
if you are unwilling to make specific recommendations,
can you say something about what devices or brands are in
these grades?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

One thing to decide is whether you want a pen that you stick into the water for a one-time reading, or a meter that sits by the tank and can read out pH 24/7. I prefer the latter, but if you have a lot of different tanks, you might prefer the former.

As long as you get 2 or more point calibration, and perhaps a double junction electrode, Oakton, Milwaukee and Pinpoint are all fine brands, as are some others. Any pH meter is better than a kit as you can check it in pH standards, unlike a kit.