I recently got one of the battery operated magnetic stirrers that one of our members, CaOCl2 (Paul), is selling on his website
http://piscines-apollo.com/english_stirrer.htm

I have to give the unit two thumbs up minimum!

It works flawlessly and really speeds up water testing, particularly calcium hardness titrations and salt titrations. With the calcium hardness test I got no 'floating endpoint' (purple off color) and the color change from pink to blue was very distinct. The test went very fast. I was able to add the drops of titrant as fast as I could and still count them. The entire test took seconds instead of minutes! Normally, you need to swirl the vial for 20-30 seconds after each drop of titrant to do this test correctly so the reagent mixes and has time to fully react before you add the next drop. For the Taylor salt test it also speeded up the test tremendously and the endpoint was very distinct. It did also speed up TA and FAS-DPD tests but not as dramatically as the prevoius two but it is still an assest to doing these tests. It can also be used to mix the CYA reagent and your sample instead of having to shake the dispenser vial for 30 seconds. This unit is worth every penny as an addition to your water testing equipment. Once you try it you will NOT want to be without it. Pool stores that use the Taylor waterlab for testing use magnetic stirrers because they do speed up the testing and make the endpoint much easier to determine. I have never seen a portable magnetic stirrer anywhere near this excellent price, $65.95 + shipping, and it includes a 25mm x 13 mm stirbar and a pyrex beaker for the testing (most are close to $200 or much more and don't include stirbars or beakers), nor one as compact as this. The unit is well made and the speed control allows you to get exactly the mixing speed you want with very smooth adjustment.

As an added plus I discovered that the vials that come in the TF Testkit (and the Taylor Salt test kit) can be used with the stirrer and the stirbar included (1"x 5/16" or 25mm x 8mm). It's a tight fit and you have to get the vial placed just right but it works wonderfully. I purchased a few stirbars of different sizes on Ebay (and also a magentic stirbar retriever to get the stirbars out of the vial) and discovered that a 1/2"x 1/8" (13 mm x 3 mm) stirbar is PERFECT for the vials in the TF Testkit and the vial in the Taylor Salt test kit. The stir bar was only a few bucks so it was not an expensive addition and well worth the extra investment.

I would have to say that the combination of this magentic stirrer and a TF Testkit is probably the BEST pool water testing setup I have ever used (including the $1000 LaMotte Waterlink Express colorimeter we use at work!) I heartily recommend this product.

So what are you waiting for? Order one! You won't regret it!

I have had one of Paul's older units (slightly larger that the one that is being sold now) for several months now and totally agree that this is one helpful little machine. Sure makes the CH test a breeze.

I was just reading the posts concerning the magnetic stirrer. Is there anything special about the stir bar? Is it just a piece of coated steel or is it a magnet?
Thanks

I hope this doesn't sound like an advertisement ... The stir bar is magnetic, teflon coated, so it couples very well with the stirrer. It has a pivot ring so the beaker doesn't drag while stirring, and to allow for a good spin if the bottom of the stirring vessel is uneven.

Just bought one, hope this takes care of my pia CH test. Ill post a review once it arrives and i give it a whirl.

lol!

Ok so today it came and i "gave it a whirl" lol

Build quality is very nice and it has a nice weight to it. First test i wanted to do was my ch since that is the main reason i bought it. Put in my water, added the drops to turn it red and started adding the drops to get it to turn blue. At 29 it started to turn and at 30 it was finished. It wasn't a deep blue that i thought it was be, it had a slight purple hit to it but it was a distinct color change. Unlike when i was trying to do by hand.

All in all i give the stirrer an A+.

Mike

Very cool! Can I borrow it?

J/K, It's been on my wish list. I've been wanting one just for the CH test

I've had one of these for a while.
Not exactly cheap, but well worth it to me. Makes it very easy to do all the tests, you always see a distinct color change, no guessing.

At some point, I bought some more magnetic stirrers from Ebay, so I have a bunch of them now.

Randy

How large is the magnet that comes with the Apollo stirrer? I'm wondering if it will fit in my test vial that comes with the Taylor K-2006 kit. If it does fit, would a 10 ml sample be deep enough for the stirrer to effectively work? When I look at the pictures of the stirrer, it looks like the included beaker is too large in diameter for a 10 ml or 25 ml sample to be deep enough for it to work, but I'm not quite sure. I've only been hand-swirling test samples for a couple of years, but I'm really ready for one of these!

Greg

It's a 50 mL beaker, a 10 mL sample, say for salt or bleach, works fine, as does a 38 mL (if I remember) water + melamine (CYA test to 20 ppm). 25 mL is excellent, you get very good "depth" to gauge the endpoints. 10 mL is about the minimum. The included stirbar is an 8x25 mm, it may be a bit tight for a 9198, I do have smaller ones in stock.

Here's a 10 mL salt sample being stirred:


Feel free to PM me for more info.

I just received my Apollo stirrer yesterday and used it last night for my FAS-DPD chlorine testing. After just the first use I am very pleased. I used the comparator tube from my K-2006 test kit, and everything worked great. The included beaker is fine, but with the small 10 ml sample volume I liked using the comparator tube for some extra water depth. As much as I enjoyed having it for last night's test, it's really going to be nice having this thing when performing tests which require more drops and swirling. But I'll definitly now use this for my daily FC tests as well.

Greg

I just ordered my Stirrer from Apollo. Let's se how quick Paul can get it to South Alabama.

I noticed it says that now it comes with a 13mm x 3mm (1/2" x 1/8") stir bar. I figure that'll be just about perfect.

I'll report back as soon as it arrives and I "take it for a spin".

HAAAAA, too funny! I just ordered one as well! Great minds think alike...

Mine is coming to North Texas. Let's see whose arrives first!

Well mine came the other day but due to my DW being in the hospital I was unable to use it till last night. All I can say is WOW!!!!! It's amazing the difference it makes in testing. All the tests are easier to perform. The color change is definite. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone doing testing.

Awesome product Paul. I give it two thumbs up!

I'm posting this reply to benefit others that I missed out on.

FYI: According to the manufacturer's website, the portable magnetic stirrer from Apollo Pools is no longer being manufactured. I came across this thread which gave me the idea that I wanted one no matter what after purchasing a TFTestkits TF-100 XL test kit which I am happy with. Unfortunately, I did NOT notice that TFTestkits had the Speedstir Magnetic Stirrer available when I placed my order. After looking around, I settled for a Portable Magnetic Stirrer from Utah Biodiesel Supply for $45 which I am happy with, but I could have saved a few dollars with the one from TFTestkits. A magnetic stirrer makes things so much quicker and easier!

For those of you that happen upon this thread, keep in mind that TFTestkits.net has a magnetic stirrer too!

-Dennis

Thanks for the info Dennis. This is good to know if my Apollo ever goes on the bum A magnetic stirrer makes testing a breeze