Well, I can't find my missing post anywhere, so I'm not sure what happened to it?!? I went into a fair bit of detail, and probably can't recall everything (or have the time now to re-write it now. In a nutshell...
The link to the previous thread about test kits in Aus is here:
test-kits-available-in-australia-t27883-20.html?hilit=test%20kits%20in%20australia
Read the whole thread and you'll see it's really hard to get purchase decent kit from an Australian supplier for reasons I'm yet to determine (I do know why the pool shops wouldn't want to stock them though!). You'll read in that thread that I second SerbianPoolGuy's recommendation on where to get a Taylor K-2006 kit. That company also has a website you can check out (kits/reagents and such), and I highly recommend them for service and support getting these kits into Aus. For some reason, very few US companies are willing to ship these to Australia (FAS-DPD tests seem to be the main ones hard to come by here)? I've even asked at pool shops that use Taylor reagents, and they can't order it - nor had they even heard of it. For those reasons I was worried they'd get stopped at customs, but 2 shipments have got through fine so far.
I've found the K-2006 to be adequate for my needs don't really regret my decision not to get the bigger K-2006C version. I was really fanatical about testing my new pool for the for 3-4months and tested every day (sometimes twice a day!), so I went through a fair bit of reagent at first. Now that I know my pool better and don't have "new pool fever", I find that a little bit goes a long way. It's the chlorine test reagents you'll probably go through more than anything, so consider getting an extra bottle of DPD Powder R-0870 and DPD-FAS R-0871-A Titrating Reagent and you should find you go through it quicker than the time it takes to go bad. I suppose an extra pH Solution #4 would go astray, especially if you have a salt water pool because you'll probably need to check pH regularly. You don't get many CYA tests per bottle, but luckily I found the place I mentioned in my last post could supply me with a huge bottle for $8 so I just use it to refill the little Taylor bottles and it works just fine. The other test (TA and Calcium) really don't need to be done as regularly as chlorine and pH, so you should get a season out of the initial kit stock.
I know how you feel wondering about what to get up front to save shipping costs, but the truth is it really depends on your own situation and I'm sure you'll figure out what you go through soon enough. The US company that ships the Taylor kits, does US$13 for a smaller shipment of replacement reagents, so that helps keep costs down. You should definitely also consider adding a Taylor SpeedStir to the kit. It seems a bit geeky at first, but honestly it makes life sooooooo much easier when doing the drop tests I reckon it's well worth it. Many on this forum will agree.
If you have your heart set on a TF-100 kit, the only option I can find is the post by Strannik right at the very end of the link above (on page 2). TD Chlorinators has stocked the TF-100 kits (and refills) on and off, and it looks like they've had some in stock recently. They were out of stock when I was in the market, but emails were answered promptly so it's worth asking the question about their intentions to hold stock.
Hope this helps...
Steve.
