Poolmaster 22260 5-Way Swimming Pool or Spa Water Chemistry Test Kit with Case, Essential Collection

I was using the test strips when I first got my pool and all the chemicals were off so I remembered my husband would get the test kit with the drops so I ordered them and since I’ve been using that I have had no more chemical issues. I test 3 times a week and I’m still using the first test drops but I ordered a back up just to have it. Great product, it comes with step by step instructions and gives an Accuret reading.

This product is more accurate than the test strips. Easy to use. Well made. Makes me feel like a chemist. I use it once a week. My water is much more balanced since using this product. Half of the test strips have a ton of useless things on it. This is very straightforward and fun to use. The bottles are small but that’s perfect. A little bit will go a long way. The reference cards are plastic so they won’t get ruined if they get wet. I love the hard case that stores the items. Super happy with the product. Would buy again but won’t need to because it will last forever. Of course at some point I will have to buy the little bottles to replace them when they run out. That’s a given.

I purchased a home with a 15,000 gallon swimming pool. After spending the first week, learning my pool equipment, filtration, and how to program my VSP, I moved onto the chemicals. This test kit is awesome, much better than the test strips I saw in the pool store. It has a little instructional card that is very easy to use. My first water test, everything was perfect, except for my alkalinity being way too high, 300 ppm. This is my fault as I added, those Armand Hammer pool baking soda tablets several days before. I added three, that was overkill, although that was the recommended number for the size of my pool in the instructions. Going forward, one will suffice. The little plastic card tells you how much muriatic acid to add to bring it down, and how to adjust your levels based on the size of your swimming pool in gallons. Comes with a nice little carrying case. And a booklet that contains all the information you need. Very easy to use. Highly recommended. I am now very confident at pool maintenance.

This is a great basic test kit. The tests for ph, alkalinity, etc are relatively easy and completely effective. The quick instruction card is clear and concise (although it would be nice if they put all target values on the card--some are only in the larger booklet which is a pain if you forget). It would be nice if there was a white background behind the vials and color standards, but it's not hard to hold up a piece of paper. I also wish the instruction card was laminated. That's not a big deal, though. The only major problem is the lack of a FAS-DPD chlorine test (never included in basic tests like this). If you keep free chlorine no higher than 3ppm, you can get by the the OTO test that this kit includes, however, there is no accurate way to measure higher chlorine levels. Even with a target level of 2-3ppm, you will need to raise the FC level much higher and keep it higher to effectively shock the pool (sure, you can just dump a bunch of chlorine in and wait until it comes back down, but if you have a serious problem with algea, you will need to raise the chlorine and the maintain it at shock level until it stops dropping overnight, and to do this, you need to be able to read the free chlorine at shock levels). Even when your not shocking, if your stabilizer gets high (and it will if you use tablets) you will need to maintain higher free chlorine levels than this test can read. This kit doesn't claim to include the FAS-DPD test, so I can't take off too many stars, but if you are serious about maintaining your pool, that test is absolutely critical. This kit plus a stand-alone FAS-DPD test and a CYA (stabilizer) test kit should be sufficient for most people. You may want a hardness test kit, too, particularly with plaster pools (not as important with vinyl liners). No matter what kit you choose, as long as you learn how to use it correctly, it's a much better option than taking water to the pool store for testing. Sure, that's free, but it's rarely accurate. I figured that since they test water all day long they should be pretty good at it, but I was amazed at the inaccuracy when I asked them to test two identical samples (I said they were from different pools, but they were taken from the same pool at the same time/place). One sample they said the hardness was too low (100) and the other was too high (400). On one, the pH was 7.4 and the other was 7.8. They said free chlorine was 4ppm for both samples, when in fact, it was around 25ppm (very misleading, but not completely their fault--they use an OTO test like this kit has, not the FAS-DPD test, so they had no way to know what the chlorine really was).

Just got a free hot tub but they had the nerve to not include the test kit! Can you believe that? :-) I picked this up to make sure I get the chems right so my skin doesn't fall off. Works great, durable box and an ample supply of chemicals which should last a long time. There has been no leakage of the bottles. I compared tests to test strips and a digital PH meter I have and the results are accurate. Would order again when I need to. The size of the kit is good because it has a generous supply of testing reagents. Seemed like a decent price although more expensive than my hot tub. CHEERS!

Best price on the market for pool chemicals!

Perfect product for my needs. Easy to use, immediate result; accurately measures each of the items listed by using the color guides adjacent to each water sample. This is very similar to another product that I can no longer find in stock. I like this one in particular as it lets me know how much chemicals I should add to balance the pool water without having to use a specific brand of chemicals. Size and quality are just right.

Kept my hot tub perfect with letting me know exactly what the water needed.

Worked perfect. I wish the expiration date was not so close but great price for a refill kit

I bought this kit to keep track of water quality in our in ground pool. The price was quite reasonable. After using the kit, I took a sample to our local pool store where they have a sophisticated computer system that analyses your sample and gives a print out of your water sample analysis. I was pleasantly surprised to find their printout agreed exactly with the readings I got from the kit. I was originally concerned that there wouldn't be enough of the reagents to last the entire season, but there should be no problem doing analysis once or twice a week for the whole summer season. The reagents should be replaced each season anyway and they have a reasonably priced pack of replacement reagents. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. Knowing your chlorine, pH, and total alkalinity will keep you on top of water quality issues. Having this kit has saved me constant trips to the pool store, and when I do go I know exactly what I need.

I've been using Test strips for two seasons and always wonder how accurate they are once you've broken the seal... i.e. the more exposed to the atmosphere do they depreciate... Hence, I went for this kit. Initially, I compared the results between the Aqua Check Test strips and this kit; pH: kit read one step higher (6.8 & 7.2), Chlorine read the same, Free Chlorine the same, Alkalinity the same, Citric Acid the same. Bromine not available on Aqua Check strips I had. Since the solution bottles are only open a short time and virtually no air can enter the solution I believe the solution should maintain accuracy better than test strips. I intend to still compare the kit with the strips periodically however, I will be testing with the kit everyday - that's always what I prefer to do anyway - hence, I think having a kit will be a much cheaper option. I highly recommend purchasing this kit as I am very pleased with the results and confident it is a good solution. My only hope is that I can get the replacement solutions easily - instead of buying the whole kit again.

Pretty comprehensive test kit. Works as described.

This is the third summer I’ve been using this kit - I know it says to replace yearly, but my readings are still accurate. It’s finally time to look for refills. The price has almost tripled since I bought the first kit - but still worth the investment. Only takes a few minutes every day until you have your water balanced. And then test once every 2-4 days after. My water sparkles! I can feel the difference when it’s perfectly balanced and it’s something people notice. (Although they don’t seem to be sure what they’re noticing, they just really like how clean the water is.) I use this kit religiously. I make sure I always have adequate chemicals on hand to tweak it if necessary - usually after we’ve had 2-3 days of nonstop rain. I get my numbers bang on at opening and then just drop a puck in the basket every few days. Dip strips never gave me this much control.