Milwaukee Instruments (716798) PH55 Waterproof Ph Dual Level LCD Tester

I purchased this device in April 2015 to test my dog's urine pH on a regular basis due to his health condition. So far it seems to have been working fine the entire time and I have yet had to replace any batteries or other parts to the device. Because the instruction manual online contradicts the one that comes with the device, I was a little confused as to exactly how to store it. One says it MUST be stored with just a few drops of their solution in the protective cap and another source says you can just use regular, unfiltered tap water but to keep it standing upright in a glass or glass jar if possible. I never received an answer from the company to clarify this so I've written them again as I would really prefer to get this off my kitchen counter and store it in its protective cap with water in a cabinet. It would become quite expensive to constantly have to replace the storage solution.I must note that I've only re-calibrated my device 1 time since I had it as it was getting unusually high readings. However after purchasing more calibration solution and re-calibrating it was still giving me the same numbers so I assumed there must not have been a problem in the first place.The questions I wrote to the company were:"The instructions state to "store it with a few drops of storage (MA9015) or pH7 (M10007) solution in the protective cap." I did not purchase either of these solutions, but read a review that says it's OK to store it in regular tap water that's not distilled."1. Can I use just regular tap water to keep the end wet while being stored?2. If so, how much water must be put in the protective cap? Must the entire tip be covered?3. How often should the water be refreshed in the cap if I'm not using the device on a daily or even regular basis?PROS:1. I would say this is a reliable device2. I haven't had to replace any parts on it since it's purchase over 2 yrs ago, not even batteries, but I do not use it every day.3. It's very easy to use and easy to read the digital screen.CONS:1. It's a little pricey and has increased in price even more since I purchased it.2. The cost of having to always purchase calibration and storage solution can add up quickly (that's why I chose regular water)3. I'm unsure how you can tell when it needs to be calibrated. Even though I believe the co. recommends once a week that seems very excessive unless you're using it every day multiple times a day. Again, I have only re-calibrated it once since its purchase over 2yrs ago.4. It's unclear of exactly the best way of storing it (see my comments and questions above)5. The company is not very responsive and seems to push the sale of their solutions as the better alternative to water when it comes to storing

This pH monitor is saving my plants because now I understand the importance of accurate pH in plant soil. The tool took some time for me to understand how to work but after I watched a 'how to ' video on Youtube, I got it. It's a good tool, a must have for gardeners, I just wish it was a little simpler to use. I had to really learn how to calibrate and what the 'buffer' liquid was for. It is absolutely worth the time it takes to get it right. If your plants are dying and you can't figure out what to do, as I did, get a pH monitor. I used 'pH up' liquid and my plants are slowly but surly coming alive again.

I got this pH meter to test my home brew mash and strike water pH. It does in fact do this and it is temperature corrected which is nice given that brewing beer requires non-ambient temperatures. Unfortunately, this unit does not come with an electrode storage solution bottle. The cap you see in the picture is just to protect the electrode during shipping but does not keep the electrode wetted (which they clearly state that once you hydrate the electrode, you need to keep it hydrated!!). This is essential for a pH meter to work or at least to enjoy a long life of your sealed probe-type pH meter. Why they didn't ship one with this unit nor offer one on their website is beyond logic. I made my own electrode storage bottle by modifying a small HDPE bottle by drilling a hole in the lid to match the diameter of the meter shaft and by using a food grade o-ring to act as a compression fitting. This design is based on the pH meter electrode storage bottle I have at the lab I work in. I recommend buying or making electrode storage solution to maintain performance and increase probe life if you already own this unit. I can't recommend buying this unit if you have not purchased it yet due to the manufacture's failure to provide or offer a storage bottle. Good luck keeping it in DI water or calibration buffer as the manual states. You'll have growth within a week!

I am starting up a large pool using the copper ion Eco Smarte system. It requires pH be maintained in the 6.8 range, a bit lower than chlorine pools. The phenol red indicator used in most pool kits just won't give the information I need. The pH I need is below the range of the color system. When using color indicators, it is important that the range you want to achieve is surrounded on either side by readable colors or you will never be sure where you are.Because pH is so critical, I went with a meter. I spent several hours looking at the various offerings and settled on this one. I am very pleased. I ran a medical lab for 25 years and used very expensive pH meters to monitor a variety of solutions. This works very similar to those meters.Customer service at Milwaukee Instruments is excellent. They pick up the phone and you talk to the people that know the product.

I lost my first tester to a quick dunk. That left me in a jam but thanks to Amazon Prime, I was able to replace it in 2 days, without it coasting me a fortune in shipping. It was delivered as promised.I have had this one for a few days and I am very happy with it so far. It is large, easy to hold and see. The hold button and the water temp. are nice bonuses. If you need a good meter and don't have allot of money, this is a great choice.

I don't know how many hours were spent trying to decide on a PH meter... But this is the one we chose in the end and are very happy with it. This was an upgrade to the PH drops, which are a pain when having to do two, three tests in a row. For the price this meter is great! I wish it had a back-lit LED display since it's hard to read in low light conditions but it's totally bearable.

To my suprise, this pH tester works very well and maintains a rather accurate calibration. When it arrived, I had to calibrate it and after about a week or so, the pH was off by about 0.2 or so. Considering a good pH system will cost several hundred, if not a coupe thousand dollars, and even they do not maintain a perfect calibration, this is a good tester.

This is a replacement pen. It works fine and is holding the calibration very well.

the best handheld ph meter period.

Bought this as a Christmas present for my wife in December 2018, stopped working in May 2017. It was properly stored and we kept the probe hydrated, but it stopped standardizing.