Which EC metre should I buy?

[Frazz]

I want to get everything right the first time

 

 

well dont buy any of those meters ............ get a Blulab Truncheon, 5 yr guarantee not 60days, made in NZ not China and cost about $100......that way it will be right 1st time

 

 

edit

http://www.getbluelab.com/go/to/product?id=78341

[pipeman]

dude the led one (truncheon) is plenty accurate. It measures to the the nearest 0.1ec That is more accuracy than you will ever need because you will never need to make adjustments less than 0.1ec anyway.

 

The reason tI recommend the 2nd one (truncheon) is because its waterproof, reliable, you can use it as a mixing stick and IT DOESN"T NEED CALIBRATION and they go for years without needing a battery change. Anyone who has gotton a truncheon has not regretted it. Do a search for truncheon on these forums you will find plenty of threads singing their praises.

[pipeman]

sorry I didn't realise that was the imitation truncheon. Frazzle is right get the real deal

[Luke Skywalker]

Indeed. You'll never have a problem with a true Bluelab Truncheon. They just don't fail. The 5 year warranty is great, but they last well past that time.

 

Don't buy any of those units, spend the $ on a real truncheon and you won't be sorry, whereas you could have a bit of hairpulling if you have problems with the others.

 

True truncheons, (the others are in the end just imitators) don't need calibration, don't require anything but the easiest of maintenance, and have the backing of Bluelab service behind them.

 

And btw, there is no such thing as a true ppm or tds meter. They're all just different forms of an electro-coductivity,(e.c.) meter, with the ppm and tds versions using approximations of the conversion rate for individual ions in solution. It's far easier, more accurate and less likely to cause confusion when asking questions, to use a meter which reads in e.c. units.

 

I can't emphasise enough how tough and reliable true Bluelab Truncheons are. They do cost more, because they're made better.

 

There are something like 140,000 truncheons and counting out there, which should tell you something.

[stonedstump]

Hello

 

I know I said I wanted to get everyone right but I should of mentioned my budget too..

 

I am pushing my budget to the extreme already by purchasing the SIXTY dollar one. I could never afford one for $100

 

pipeman you said the $45 truncheon is an imitation

where can I get a non-imitation LED model truncheon?

 

what about the $60 digital one, will that one work do you think Luke?

 

Now i'm back at square one.

[pipeman]

dude if your budget is tight don't get one at all. Ya don't need an ec meter to grow well in hydro. Its just an arbitrary measurement. Instead of making your adjustments based on ec readings you can just make them by adjusting the strength of your nute mixes. Believe it or not people have grown mj without an ec meter.

 

If you do want to get one all I can do is tell you the same thing others have said, get the truncheon.

 

To be honest I don't know if the imitation ones are any good or not. Never spoken to someone who bought one...

 

But, its a one off purchase mate, better off spending a few extra bux and getting the real deal IMO.

 

I know the feeling mate its your first grow and you want to do everything the best way possible, but really the gadgets are not nearly as important compared to just getting the basics right and gaining a little experience.

 

hell some people grow in hydro without even a ph meter. If it works it works...

[stonedstump]

hey pipeman, yep I know what you are saying about the equipment isn't everything, but have you heard the saying

 

"a worker is only as good as his tools" -- I think that applies to hydro too. You can still build a house without all the right tools but the house will probably be sinking into the ground or falling down in 10 years.

 

I have taken everyones advice on here very seriously and I think I've found a proper NZ brand blue truncheon on ebay for $95 and $7 postage. so $102.

 

That's the cheapest I can find on the net, I think i'll just go all out and buy it. I might end up making a last minute decision to get the $60 digital one but I think i'll just break the bank and get the good one so I know i've got the best and won't worry about it being inaccurate etc.

 

Thank you again everyone

[pipeman]

Nice one mate that is a good price to from memory I paid about $130 for mine a few years ago...

[Luke Skywalker]

Indeed. You can probably get a hydro shop to do it on layby too...

[stonedstump]

Yeah I have decided to just purchase it outright for the $102 and save myself $30-45.

 

After seeing the prices of them in hydro shops, I feel as though I'm getting it really cheap now, it doesn't seem like $100 anymore,

 

I hope I have enough money left to buy the rest of my supplies.

 

Cyas :-)