Poolmaster 22260 5-Way Swimming Pool or Spa Water Chemistry Test Kit with Case, Essential Collection

Very accurate and fairly easy to use once you get the hang of it.

Works well for testing pool much better than strips

Okay, I've had this kit for about 7 months now, including through a summer season. Last spring I decided to fire the pool guy and start maintaining my inground pool myself. So ordered this kit (and various other needed pool maintenance accessories) from Amazon. Soon thereafter I discovered the "Trouble Free Pool" (TFP) method of pool care & maintenance. Anyone doing their own pool cleaning/maintenance should check out TFP. Anyways, back to the Poolmaster 5-way kit...... GREAT!! Easy to follow instructions. More than enough chemicals to last a busy pool season. Accurate.....how do I know this you ask? Well when I started following TFP I ended up also purchasing a highly recommended, more complete pool testing kit (TF-100). It includes several additional chem tests, including a more accurate test for chlorine (including levels above 5 ppm---the max on the Poolmaster kit). I checked my Poolmaster results against the TF-100 results and they were always virtually identical. Plus I took them to a local Leslie's Pool Supply to have them checked a few times and again........Poolmaster results matched the pool shops. I believe the 3 most important chemicals to monitor for your average pool owner are: (1) chlorine, (2) pH, and (3) Total Alkalinity. Keep those three in their proper ranges and you will likely have a safe and chemically stable pool. Now other pool owners are going to scream about other chem's you should be monitoring, such as calcium and cyanuric acid (CYA). Those should also be checked occasionally (in my opinion). But most pool supply stores will check your chemicals free of charge. So you can have those chems checked by them occasionally. Average pool owners should focus on regularly checking (and adjusting as needed) chlorine, pH and TA. This Poolmaster kit does well in all of those. Plus, it has an acid demand test for determining how much pool acid (MA) to add if your pH is low. All you need to know is approximately how many gallons your pool is. For less than $20 you can't go wrong with this Poolmaster kit. The amount of chemicals should last a full season, unless you are checking constantly. Some chems you use more and will likely run out of before others. I suppose you can re-order those, or just order a new kit every year. Plus that ensures your chem's are "fresh". They do have a shelf-life you know.......

This is a great basic test kit. The tests for ph, alkalinity, etc are relatively easy and completely effective. The quick instruction card is clear and concise (although it would be nice if they put all target values on the card--some are only in the larger booklet which is a pain if you forget). It would be nice if there was a white background behind the vials and color standards, but it's not hard to hold up a piece of paper. I also wish the instruction card was laminated. That's not a big deal, though. The only major problem is the lack of a FAS-DPD chlorine test (never included in basic tests like this). If you keep free chlorine no higher than 3ppm, you can get by the the OTO test that this kit includes, however, there is no accurate way to measure higher chlorine levels. Even with a target level of 2-3ppm, you will need to raise the FC level much higher and keep it higher to effectively shock the pool (sure, you can just dump a bunch of chlorine in and wait until it comes back down, but if you have a serious problem with algea, you will need to raise the chlorine and the maintain it at shock level until it stops dropping overnight, and to do this, you need to be able to read the free chlorine at shock levels). Even when your not shocking, if your stabilizer gets high (and it will if you use tablets) you will need to maintain higher free chlorine levels than this test can read. This kit doesn't claim to include the FAS-DPD test, so I can't take off too many stars, but if you are serious about maintaining your pool, that test is absolutely critical. This kit plus a stand-alone FAS-DPD test and a CYA (stabilizer) test kit should be sufficient for most people. You may want a hardness test kit, too, particularly with plaster pools (not as important with vinyl liners). No matter what kit you choose, as long as you learn how to use it correctly, it's a much better option than taking water to the pool store for testing. Sure, that's free, but it's rarely accurate. I figured that since they test water all day long they should be pretty good at it, but I was amazed at the inaccuracy when I asked them to test two identical samples (I said they were from different pools, but they were taken from the same pool at the same time/place). One sample they said the hardness was too low (100) and the other was too high (400). On one, the pH was 7.4 and the other was 7.8. They said free chlorine was 4ppm for both samples, when in fact, it was around 25ppm (very misleading, but not completely their fault--they use an OTO test like this kit has, not the FAS-DPD test, so they had no way to know what the chlorine really was).

As first-time pool owners, we wanted something a little more accurate and easier to read before results start changing than basic test strips. I still use test strips for quick checks, but when I need to know individual readings or check something specific, this pool test kit feels much more useful and accurate. What I like: • More detailed than basic test strips • Easier to use than I expected as a new pool owner • Comes in a handy case that keeps everything together • Includes a booklet with directions • Also includes a laminated cheat sheet card with the basic test information • Replacement bottles can be purchased separately, which is convenient • My readings appeared to match pretty closely with the pool store test • I did not have to look anything up to figure out how to use it • Practical for both new and experienced pool owners Things to be aware of: • Some tests are simple enough to do from the cheat sheet • For a few tests, I used the detailed booklet the first time to make sure I was doing them correctly • It takes a little more effort than test strips • I would still keep test strips around for fast basic checks • This is better when you want more specific readings, not just a quick general idea Overall: This has been a very helpful test kit as a new pool owner. It is user-friendly, organized, and more confidence-building than relying only on strips, especially when trying to understand specific pool readings.

I'm fairly new to the pool chemistry scene and I started out using the HTH pool test strips. I will tell you that the test strips are absolute junk and a complete disaster for someone starting out. The colors are impossible to decipher and most of the time just leaves you feeling frustrated. I decided to try the Poolmaster set and when I used it for the first time I was completely blown away by how easy and accurate the tests were. The set is nicely organized, clearly labeled, and comes with great instructions and a cheat sheet. Most importantly, it's very easy to read the test results. I usually just hold up the fluid partly to sunlight and the colors (even the Chlorine variations of yellow) are very obvious to read. My pH was reading in the 7.2 range and I added some pH UP to get it to the ideal range of 7.6. After a few hours of circulating, I tested again and the Poolmaster kit reacted as I expected it to by moving into a higher pH range and the color changed accordingly. Overall, it's a great set and well worth the money. You can buy the necessary fluids separately so you don't need to purchase the entire set again. Do NOT waste your time with test strips, they are junk and a waste of money. You will be so much happier testing your pool water with this set.

Just got a free hot tub but they had the nerve to not include the test kit! Can you believe that? :-) I picked this up to make sure I get the chems right so my skin doesn't fall off. Works great, durable box and an ample supply of chemicals which should last a long time. There has been no leakage of the bottles. I compared tests to test strips and a digital PH meter I have and the results are accurate. Would order again when I need to. The size of the kit is good because it has a generous supply of testing reagents. Seemed like a decent price although more expensive than my hot tub. CHEERS!

This kit is supposed to support a five way test, yet the small (yellow cap) test vial is not calibrated for the bromine test as I believe it should be. Did I miss something here? I’ll be reaching out to Poolmaster.

I bought this kit to keep track of water quality in our in ground pool. The price was quite reasonable. After using the kit, I took a sample to our local pool store where they have a sophisticated computer system that analyses your sample and gives a print out of your water sample analysis. I was pleasantly surprised to find their printout agreed exactly with the readings I got from the kit. I was originally concerned that there wouldn't be enough of the reagents to last the entire season, but there should be no problem doing analysis once or twice a week for the whole summer season. The reagents should be replaced each season anyway and they have a reasonably priced pack of replacement reagents. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. Knowing your chlorine, pH, and total alkalinity will keep you on top of water quality issues. Having this kit has saved me constant trips to the pool store, and when I do go I know exactly what I need.

Tel que décrit

I did several tests to verify accuracy by cross-referencing test by the pool dealer tests. Findings were that CL and PH were very close but alkalinity was way off. 50% off. Professionally tested to be 66ppm to the kits 110-120 ppm. I am still happy with the kit though. I will just fudge my way through and professionally test weekly to verify.

This is the third summer I’ve been using this kit - I know it says to replace yearly, but my readings are still accurate. It’s finally time to look for refills. The price has almost tripled since I bought the first kit - but still worth the investment. Only takes a few minutes every day until you have your water balanced. And then test once every 2-4 days after. My water sparkles! I can feel the difference when it’s perfectly balanced and it’s something people notice. (Although they don’t seem to be sure what they’re noticing, they just really like how clean the water is.) I use this kit religiously. I make sure I always have adequate chemicals on hand to tweak it if necessary - usually after we’ve had 2-3 days of nonstop rain. I get my numbers bang on at opening and then just drop a puck in the basket every few days. Dip strips never gave me this much control.

I've been using Test strips for two seasons and always wonder how accurate they are once you've broken the seal... i.e. the more exposed to the atmosphere do they depreciate... Hence, I went for this kit. Initially, I compared the results between the Aqua Check Test strips and this kit; pH: kit read one step higher (6.8 & 7.2), Chlorine read the same, Free Chlorine the same, Alkalinity the same, Citric Acid the same. Bromine not available on Aqua Check strips I had. Since the solution bottles are only open a short time and virtually no air can enter the solution I believe the solution should maintain accuracy better than test strips. I intend to still compare the kit with the strips periodically however, I will be testing with the kit everyday - that's always what I prefer to do anyway - hence, I think having a kit will be a much cheaper option. I highly recommend purchasing this kit as I am very pleased with the results and confident it is a good solution. My only hope is that I can get the replacement solutions easily - instead of buying the whole kit again.