Scooby Snax
Oct 19 2009, 05:02 PM
i got one of these about 2 months back now because the shite PH pen i had took literally 5 minutes to settle itself down!
and even then i didn't know it was finally done or accurate
this little beauty is the same size as an EC truncheon & factory calibrated
it flashes its lights when measuring, then holds the lights solid after about 10secs when its happy with the measurement, so you
KNOW its done
it has two sets of flashing lights, one set for the whole units and one set for the 1/10's
it is brilliant!
for £30.00 i can't recommend it enough
anyone else use one? and what do you think of it?
Click to view attachment(ps - mods - if i've put this in the wrong place please move, thank you

)
NMW
Oct 19 2009, 05:08 PM
personally i think they shit
you can not calibrate em

gone through half a dozen of em over the years never again
Owderb
Oct 19 2009, 05:31 PM
IME and plenty of other fellow growers they are utter shite
Owd
Scooby Snax
Oct 19 2009, 05:32 PM
i have only had it two months i suppose...
i still luv it at the moment and will make the most of it while it works then!!!!!
this can be a product review instead! i'll be back
VanDal
Oct 19 2009, 05:33 PM
QUOTE (Owderb @ Oct 19 2009, 06:31 PM)

IME and plenty of other fellow growers they are utter shite
Owd
So what do you use?
I'm researching what to buy - and now am confuddled!
Scribb|e
Oct 19 2009, 05:34 PM
QUOTE (Devil @ Oct 19 2009, 06:30 PM)

Dude where do you buy bluelab truncheons for £30 i,d love one they are usually around £70
It's not a Bluelab, it's a Chin-Wa knockoff, and you can usually get them cheaper than £30 as well.
CockRoach
Oct 19 2009, 05:34 PM
If thats a bluelab trunchon ...my one cost me £69.99
Scooby Snax
Oct 19 2009, 05:38 PM
QUOTE (Devil @ Oct 19 2009, 06:30 PM)

Dude where do you buy bluelab truncheons for £30 i,d love one they are usually around £70
many thanks

picture
was of different one to the one i have
changed it now - this one is £30-00, didn't know the bluelab was £70.00
soz
Scribb|e
Oct 19 2009, 05:40 PM
It's *not* a BlueLab - it's a Chin-Wah Chinese knock-off of one - they've been all over FleaBay for a couple of years now, and you can get them for less than £30 if you look around. Personally, from what I've gathered from other people who've used them, I'd not get one and put the money towards getting a decent one that'll last and give reliable results - something like a BlueLab preferably.
Scooby Snax
Oct 19 2009, 05:44 PM
well, its doin the do for me at the moment is all i can say
better than any pen i've ever had
wappagrower
Oct 19 2009, 05:48 PM
Do you still check it with buffer solution? My grow shop was wingeing about the fact you cant callibrate them, and had to return all theres.
NMW
Oct 19 2009, 06:08 PM
even bluelab are

they all lose calibration in time
meters i like are Eutech instruments i think they are the business
Scooby Snax
Oct 19 2009, 06:09 PM
QUOTE (wappagrower @ Oct 19 2009, 06:48 PM)

Do you still check it with buffer solution? My grow shop was wingeing about the fact you cant callibrate them, and had to return all theres.
i'll check it on a monthly basis with buffer like i would any ph pen
but to be honest, soon as it goes wrong i'll go get another at that price
all ph measurement devices are supposed to have the glass probe changed after a certain amount of time, i think its about a year, and an expensive ph measurer's probe will cost more than this whole truncheon, so i still think its cost effective
seems like it could be a piece of crap looking at peoples reactions to this thread, but i've had no problems with it as i've said to date, 2 months use - we will have to wait and see
GreenNinja
Oct 19 2009, 06:29 PM
They're shit. I've owned two and both were amazing for about a day, then broke. Typical chinese shite ime.
In principle yes, I agree, they rule - but even Bluelab themselves can't get a v2 of their pH truncheon right just yet (i.e. reliable). There's a reason why they're not on the market from reputable manufacturers, because the technology isn't quite sorted as yet (afaics). Nearly there - in fact I think v2 is due out soon because I mailed them a while ago and they were working on it.
I'm using a Trident Multi right now, and it's v. sexy...but ime nothing beats the Horticare pH and EC pens for reliability and sustained accuracy.
GN
edited to fix typo
NMW
Oct 19 2009, 06:34 PM
QUOTE (GreenNinja @ Oct 19 2009, 07:29 PM)

but ime nothing beats the Horticare pH and EC pens for reliability and sustained accuracy.
GN
yup agreed they not bad meters much better than truncheon's
but if ya tried eutech i doubt you would use out else
lazi
Oct 20 2009, 12:59 AM
With passive hydro and ro water, you only need to get the pH correct once. From then on, mix the res the same way and the ec/pH will always be the same.
takeiteazy
Oct 20 2009, 06:07 PM
I have one of those and not tested it on a buffer solution, pretty sure you can calibrate it as well. It comes supplied with a magnet which you place on calibration point, not read the instructions though.
Scooby Snax
Oct 20 2009, 06:17 PM
QUOTE (takeiteazy @ Oct 20 2009, 07:07 PM)

I have one of those and not tested it on a buffer solution, pretty sure you can calibrate it as well. It comes supplied with a magnet which you place on calibration point, not read the instructions though.
yeah, you can calibrate it
havn't needed to yet tho
GreenNinja
Oct 20 2009, 06:35 PM
Dometick - is it still working??! I'm impressed! Make sure you've got a spare old one to hand because it's only a matter of time before it lets you down.
I agree with the other poster...once you've got your mix down you don't need to keep checking the EC (in a handwater to waste mix), but you should do once in a while just to double check (e.g. my tap water tends to fluctuate 0.2EC every few months).
GN
916
Oct 20 2009, 06:49 PM
I have had various truncheons and pens dont waste your money I use a blulab combi meter great piece of kit you can get them £120 now with a five year guarantee

916
Scooby Snax
Oct 20 2009, 06:57 PM
QUOTE (GreenNinja @ Oct 20 2009, 07:35 PM)

Dometick - is it still working??! I'm impressed! Make sure you've got a spare old one to hand because it's only a matter of time before it lets you down.
I agree with the other poster...once you've got your mix down you don't need to keep checking the EC (in a handwater to waste mix), but you should do once in a while just to double check (e.g. my tap water tends to fluctuate 0.2EC every few months).
GN

, after all this i am ready and prepared to replace it pronto!
but in answer to your question
Click to view attachment5.9
i will notify on this thread when it fails!
lazi
Oct 20 2009, 08:39 PM
my tap water tends to fluctuate 0.2EC every few months
That's why I have an ro unit, not enough variation to make a difference. For growing purposes it can be considered pure water.
Does it get easier than this? For drain to waste using perlite, perlite/vermiculite mix or Fytocell (but not coco) 21 to 22 litres of ro water, 40ml GH micro, 80ml of GH bloom and 15ml of Liquid Silicon as pH up. Feed it to seed plants from the day they sprout until the day before harvest and for young clones, the same volume of ro water but 25ml micro, 50ml bloom and 8ml Liquid Silicon. No meters needed.
Scooby Snax
Nov 27 2009, 11:24 AM
QUOTE (916 @ Oct 20 2009, 06:49 PM)

I have had various truncheons and pens dont waste your money I use a blulab combi meter great piece of kit you can get them £120 now with a five year guarantee

916
well, quick update, the shite ph truncheon is still working absolutely fine
916, wouldn't you have to change the ph probe before that though?
i thought they need changing once a year
cain1
Nov 27 2009, 12:01 PM
Hi all,
Cant really compare it with anything, but I have been using a HI 98129 combo tester w/steel temp probe and so far its been wery wery good (only joking its not from China). It has kept its calibration well for the last 7 weeks and is still blob on. I still however check it regularly and have done a cal just to remember how to. Would defo recommend them.
Regards cain1.
Can get them in this country for 100 quid plus postage or I got mine from the USA on fleebay (New) for 80 Quid or so inc postage.
Scooby Snax
Dec 31 2009, 09:04 PM
another month gone and its still going well
paid for itself as well now compared to the other more expensive options, 4 months of trouble free use
i still really like the way the lights lock on when its happy with the level
stupicks
Jan 2 2010, 06:17 PM
All products should be judged on performance, not their origin of manufacture. Almost all goods purchased in the Western World are either manufactured in Asia or those that say they are manufactured by themselves have parts that are manufactured in Asia. All major (Western) companies now have manufacturing plants in China, Vietnam, Korea etc as their quality levels are / almost at the same level.
I will be looking at the 'Eurotech' instruments as they are recommended on this thread, even though it is a Singapore based company.
(there are poor products out there produced in various countries).
Is there a thread on the forum advising members on tried & trusted instruments?
Regards
stu
69pople69
Jan 13 2010, 06:51 PM
i have one of those too and i think its ok but after having it for about 3 months it wouldnt turn itself off so i have resulted to unscrewing the batteries after every time i use it!
BadKittySmiles
Jan 13 2010, 06:58 PM
QUOTE (69pople69 @ Jan 13 2010, 07:51 PM)

i have one of those too and i think its ok but after having it for about 3 months it wouldnt turn itself off so i have resulted to unscrewing the batteries after every time i use it!
You need to rinse it in the clean/purest water you have after each use, that brings the EC down to 0 and both shuts it off, and, keeps your device clean and accurate.
Logik
Jan 14 2010, 07:06 AM
I have a bluelabs but I didnt get it off ebay, ex grower equip, I does work well, never figured out how to calibrate it though, apparently it its self calibrated.
5 year warranty
THE TREE OF LIFE
Feb 26 2010, 11:34 PM
Had one of these aswel poor shit got loads of ph probs using it ,then got a hanna put the 2 of them in ph buffer and the hanna was perfect the cheap truncheon was way off.
Scooby Snax
Mar 1 2010, 04:49 PM
this truncheons still working fine, but its drifted off and i can't work out how to calibrate it!
its reading 6.7 in a 7.0 calibration solution
not really a problem, i'm still using it, just adjusting accordingly

ss
bizzaro73
Mar 1 2010, 04:57 PM
4 month aint bad i guess,...Healthystealthy's usin a neat tri-meter right now,...80 brick.
iv seen the eurotech's version of the tri-meter n its fuckin wank...very cheaply made by the looks n feel of it...very plasticy n fragile.
good luck wi it scoobyS.
Brae
Mar 1 2010, 05:00 PM
QUOTE (Scooby Snax @ Mar 1 2010, 04:49 PM)

this truncheons still working fine, but its drifted off and i can't work out how to calibrate it!
its reading 6.7 in a 7.0 calibration solution
not really a problem, i'm still using it, just adjusting accordingly

ss

You can't just adjust your calculations by adding 0.3. The Ph scale is logarhythmic and therefore increases or decrease are exponential.
Brae
Scooby Snax
Mar 1 2010, 05:08 PM
QUOTE (Brae @ Mar 1 2010, 05:00 PM)

You can't just adjust your calculations by adding 0.3. The Ph scale is logarhythmic and therefore increases or decrease are exponential.
Brae
i didn't know that brae, its close enough for me mate

approximate is fine far as i'm concerned
its not harley street round here
i'm getting one of the fleabay trimeters too bizz, i like the idea of a constant display, and its that snazzy purple display
think they're about 65quid
papaduc
Mar 1 2010, 06:53 PM
I've had my Eutech for 2 years. Still going strong. I'd definitely recommend them.
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