Milwaukee Instruments pH 600 pH Tester With 1 Point Manual Calibration

I have never owned a pH meter before, having been put off by the price and their reputation for being fragile and temperamental. At only $18, the Milwaukee PH600 seemed like a good way to test the water (so to speak). So far I haven't had a need to invest in anything more expensive. I have been using this meter to create hydroxide precipitates and found it to be very stable and reliable. I recalibrate it every day, but it is only ever off by 0.1 or 0.2. The calibration is single-point, but I find that if it shows 10.0 in a 10.0 reference solution, then it will read 6.9 or 7.0 in the 7.0 reference solution.Just don't put the meter in very hot (e.g. boiling) water, the probe will crack like mine did. It still gives correct readings but I'm ordering another of the same model just in case I do something stupid again.It's true, as per some of the other reviews, that calibrating this device by sticking the supplied screwdriver in a small hole in the back while watching the front is a bit inconvenient, but to be honest one gets the hang of it pretty quickly, and I can't really think of a better design. If the hole was in the front or on the side, then it would be more exposed to water drops, at least in my process which involves taking measurements while stirring. And the simple, manual, analogue interface of turning a potentiometer is hard to improve upon.The meter arrived dry, but I put some pH 7.0 reference solution in the cap as soon as I opened the package, and as I said it works fine now.Update:I dropped my second one in salt water and it died. Even after removing the batteries, washing it in distilled water, and drying it, it still wouldn't go back to work for me. So I bought an $80 waterproof Hanna meter (HI98127). The Hanna one is temperature-calibrated, which I found out is important for what I am doing. It also has 2-point calibration. This requires standard buffers (7.0, and either 10 or 4) and is not as flexible as the screwdriver method, but actually works pretty well. And the probe can be separately replaced. I guess Milwaukee still gets five stars for the price, but think about whether robustness to splashes and temperature variations is important to your application.

I really liked the ease of use with the Milwaukee pH tester. I used the pH Tester to test my canning recipe for home grown tomato salsa. I wanted to be cautious with the acidity level being at or lower than 4.6. The product is very easy to use. You will however need to calibrate the instrument. I went to a local salt water fish store where the clerk sold me the calibration fluid which was totally affordable in my opinion and verified the reading of the instrument was correct. I recommend this product 100%. The salsa turned out delicious and safe!

I would give it a lower grade/star, but 1 is as low as it goes! It started messing up a month after getting and using it. Sometimes it turns on and other times you have to turn it off and on several times before it stays on. It constantly fluctuates giving high then low numbers while testing the same water. It's pure trash and of course they won't accept me returning it! Do Not Buy this...a complete waste of time, money and the damage its caused to my plants due to major inaccuracy!

Well first off i was skeptical on even purchasing this ph meter simply because of the negative reviews but then i remembered. Half of these people are lazy (no offense, 85% of america is lazy) and dont take the time to perfect their purchase as someone like myself does. I bought this along with ph up and down, plus ph7 and 4 for calibration purposes. I use this on my tap water that will be feeding my garden (everything from black crimson tomatoes to the worlds hottest bhut jolokia) and every plants needs are different when it comes to ph levels. When i first put it to the test it said my tap was 8.8 WHOOOOOOAAAAA!!!! that was a little high even for tap. This was before calibration and ph'd water to get a clear example of how the product performs right out of the packaging. So then i calibrated and calibrated some more, left it sit all night in ph7 and did all my test's again, the next day.This is where all the negative reviews just dont make sense and/or they didnt take the time to purchase necessary supplements that are NEEDED to make ANY ph meter function properly.After 24 hrs of hibernating and making good with ph 7 it was finally time to test this "CHEAPO" ONE STAR product out. My tap went from 8.8 (factory calibration) to 6.9 (manual calibration) in ONE DAY!!! This is why i do not trust meters right out of the box and YOU MUST experiment for your own needs and wants from this product. After that i put it in ph7 and read 7 right away, same with ph4 and ph 10 that recently purchased just as a backup plan.So all in all. BUY THIS METER but you MUST purchase (about 15-20 total for everything) ph up and down or one or the other and ph 7 (this is what your meter will be marinating in when not in use) and ph4 or 10 for reference solutions.This is spot on accurate and with some very easy TLC it will last a very long time and make your plants suck all them well needed main nutrients and micro nutrients up all day all night with no worries. Good testing friends

Works as described. I bought this pen to test the PH of plant nutrient solutions. I removed it from the packaging and noticed white mineral build up at the base of the pen. I can only guess, but I'd say this build up is from the pen being tested before packaging. The pen was placed in plain tap water and left to sit for a few minutes. (I was told to let it sit for several hours in the tap water, which was unnecessary.) Tests within .1 PH which I verified with liquid PH test solution.From what I've been able to gather the pen tip must always remain moist and never be left to dry. This is almost impossible to achieve with the pen CAP on. I've decided to leave the instrument in plain tap water during storage.The pen feels cheaply made but works well thus far, worth the price and is a great alternative to a 75-100 dollar PH gauge.

2 start because.ine came broken. Luckily I bought the same brand in store and works fine