Hi folks, my local grow shop has completely ditched Hanna after they were informed Hanna’s warranty has been even further reduced to mere months for their pH pen products, and have brought in a new line that is rather expensive; a European brand called AquaMaster
It looks to be a high priced item which I would probably splurge for if the feedback on it was good. I am absolutely sick and tired of having to fall back to my pH drops because my existing Hanna pen has become so awful and unreliable.
Any first hand feedback on this brand would be great… I don’t want to go BlueLab which is the other brand they carry as I hear their support is absolutely atrocious and their warranty is horrible as well
I would go with Bluelab or Apera meters. I’ve never heard of Aqua Master. The meter may be fine, but Bluelab and Apera are well-known companies here in the community and their pricing is similar.
I’ve had Apera (3) and Bluelab (1) which I’m still currently using. It’s gone 3 years with the same probe, has never drifted and has a long battery life. It’s also a combo meter so I can measure TDS as well as PH. That would be my choice.
Don’t forget to have calibration and storage solution handy, and use it.
There are SO many horror stories on reddit that I’m scared to buy bluelab… I own their truncheon for PPM/EC readings and it is good but there’s a shocking amount of people out there that are so mad at Bluelab they say they are completely done with the brand
Usually I’m dismissive or suspicious of a couple negative posts but they have really pissed at least a few people off… I’m guessing it’s usually due to them being unwilling to replace under warranty claims
Bluelab has a pretty good reputation. I’m not sure that I would trust anything that anyone says on Reddit or on forums like rollitup. We’ve seen a lot of horrible advice come from these sites.
I couldn’t agree more with your impression of reddit, it’s generally speaking an awful place all around but when you come across several people saying it, I guess it gives you some second thoughts
Apera seems widely liked, maybe I’ll see what they’ve got new in 2024
The trend I observe from many who write bad reviews is that they often don’t even understand how the product is to be used and are torqued off about something that others never even look for from the product. It’s usually a matter of unrealistic expectations or simply not understanding how to use the product. If you expect a pH meter to cook your dinner, then you are going to be pretty disappointed. It’s an exaggeration, but I’m sure folks understand the point.
PH meters require maintenance. This is something that I was unaware of and ruined a good meter. If properly stored in the correct storage solution and not abused, it will give you good service.
Has anyone used the Apera grow star series? Specifically the GS4? If so and beyond how you like it do you know if the soil pH probe can be attached to it similar to the soil pH probe in the series?
