So, my Elos Ca test kit ran out and my Mg was running low... Since most of you know I am now 2 part dosing, I couldn't run out of them. What better time to try out a new (to me) test kit.
I purchased 3 new test kits today. Salifert Mg, Ca and KH. You got to coordinate!
On all of these kits you don't have to count the drops. I love that. You just keep adding droplets from a syringe into the test vial until the desired color shows up. From there, you hold the syringe you were using to add the drops, with the plunger facing down, and read what's left (including the air). You take that number and look at the chart provided (although they do give you the calculation they use to come up with that number. Bam! You're done.
I like these test kits for a few reasons:
1) You only dirty up one test vial "once." No need to rinse and start on another "Fase" or Phase, as Elos puts it. This part sucked with the Elos kits. I always had to get up and rinse the vials so that I could start another phase of the test. Of course, I used other vials in other kits to make it easier, but I still had to clean them out (and dry them) before I started another test. Got annoying after awhile.
2) You don't have to cap the solution to mix up the concoction you just mixed. When you "cap" the viles to shake them up, there's always a little bit that gets out while shaking (API is notorious for this) or taking the cap off (they are all notorious for this). It runs down the vile, onto your fingers, and you have to wipe it off with a cloth or something... again... annoying! These kits require you to just swirl the stuff in the vile. Nice! I'm sure you could do this with the other kits, but that would be going against the instructions. I'm a "by the book" kind of guy... well, as far as you all are concerned.
3) Accuracy. These kits are just as accurate as the Elos... I might even say more accurate if it didn't get me verbally beaten by the test kit police.
4) They provide charts for us to use which always saves the time of whipping out the ole' cell phone and throwing it into calculator mode. I like charts. They rule.
5) Cheaper. Not by much, but it was still cheaper. Every, and I mean "every," penny counts in the glorious hobby!
6) No lines on the test vials. Some might think this is a bad thing. I say "GOOD!" I was tired of second guessing my measurements with the other test kits. I found that with the Elos kits, what I sucked up in the syringe wasn't matching up with the vial lines they put on there. Odd. The smaller the amount you suck up into the syringe, the more inaccurate it actually was.
7) Quicker to use... probably due to less steps/phases involved. I was done with all three tests in 15 mins and I was goofing around with the kids while doing them. That was very nice!
The test vile is plastic. Some may not like this but try dropping a glass one. It shatters into a kazillion pieces across your wooden/tile floor. One way or the other, you'll find all the shards too. I know I found a couple in my bare foot once. Oh, I would add this as another number on the list, but it's not that big of a deal to some. The test vile is wider than all of the kits I've used. It makes it much easier to stuff a paper towel in, to dry it, when you're all done. Very nice!
So, in short, I've used many test kits in my short time in the hobby. Given all of them my choice is Salifert until someone else tells me about something that's better.
