Best pH comparator to use?

[bibeaud]

I have trouble reading the pH to be anything other than 7.5 on the TF-100 included Taylor 1000 kit comparator. Can I purchase the high-chlorine comparator from the Taylor 2000 series kits, get easier to read (better) results, and still use the same red Taylor chemical from the Taylor 1000 series kit? Is there another, better comparator out there?

I do have a Trutest meter that I use to monitor daily changes (moving FCC or pH up or down from previous day reading). I have been told that this instrument is NOT accurate.

 

[JasonLion]

The comparator in the TF-100 is quite good. Taylor makes another one with larger reference color patches and a larger tube (which requires a different PH reagent). That makes everything larger, which is nice, but otherwise doesn't help much, and it has a slightly narrower PH range.

The meters can be alright if you calibrate them frequently to at least two different reference solutions. For the average user that is impractical. The most reliable digital tester is the ColorQ, but it is fairly expensive if all you want is PH testing, and it has it's quirks (for example it won't work at all when FC is above 10, and gets unpredictable results when CH is very high).

The Taylor/TF-100 PH test gets easier with practice and works noticeably better if you use very bright back illumination compared to trying to use it indoors.

 

[JohnT]

Try adding an extra drop of reagent.

 

[dschlic1]

I add seven drops of reagent and the colors seem to match better. At five drops, while the chroma (color) is correct the color density is not.