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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 26 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 Calibrating the Meter Mar 22, 2011
By John H. Welch
This review is on both the meter and the calibration fluid designed to calibrate the meter.
I bought the TDS-3 from Amazon as a check on the efficacy of my Brita filters. Shortly after I bought it I misplaced it (don't ask, it's a lesson in applied stupidity) so I bought another. You guessed it; I found the first one immediately after the second one arrived.
Having the two meters did provide one benefit though, I could compare the two. I was quite disappointed to note that there was a significant difference between readings for the two meters.
However...
If you have this meter, be sure to go to the web site for the manufacturer (Google TDS-3). They have an excellent discussion on how to use the meter to take measurements, what the meter's limitations are, i.e., what it measures, and how to calibrate it.
Using their instructions, i.e., taking measurements correctly, the two meters were much closer in their measurements. There was from 2 to 3% difference in the numerical readings for tap water, Brita-filtered water and distilled water. Both read zero for distilled water. Not too bad for home use. It's really important to do it right, though.
Since there was a difference between the two meters, however small, I decided to calibrate them using TDS's own calibration fluid. This is a mixture of water and NaCl to a known concentration. They offer 1000 ppm and 342 ppm. The TDS-3 is supposed to be calibrated against the 342 ppm fluid.
Amazon offers TDS calibration fluid. The product is pictured with two bottles, one at 342 ppm and behind it in the picture, 1000 ppm. Since the 342 ppm was in front and much larger, I assumed that's what would be sent. Well...we all know about assumptions.
The fluid I received was the 1000 ppm. When I contacted the company the representative said 1000 ppm was all they offered. This disagrees with their web site but I didn't press it; it's not that expensive (shipping was almost as much as the fluid itself) and I made some 333 ppm fluid by diluting what I had 3-to-1 with distilled water. The meters read low with my jury-rigged calibration fluid, 304 rather than 333. Not tremendously scientific but good enough for my purposes. The company did offer to take the fluid back - with me paying for shipping.
So I have rated this meter 3 because of the misleading approach to selling calibration fluid, the claim that they only offer 1000 ppm, and the discrepancy between the two meters when their web site says "no need to calibrate out of the box".
The meter is OK for my purposes. I can measure filter efficiency relatively rather than absolutely. I don't need precision; it's good enough to note that the filter reduces TDS without actually knowing the precise value of the reduction. In short, if I lose both of these (not inconceivable) I'd buy another.
9 of 10 found the following review helpful:
 Just right. Apr 08, 2009
By Robert Lesher
The "sentry" on our cleeraqua system failed. Culligan service is hard to come by here. This TDS meter arrived as offered and works well. 271 entry water to 9 treated assured me that all was well and the meter readings met what I expected. Easy to use and convenient and reasonably priced.
9 of 11 found the following review helpful:
Great product, highly recommend you just buy it ASAP! Aug 20, 2010
By Rob R.
I got the product and instantly can tell that I have been:
- Drinking bad water
- Wasting money on filters that are not doing anything
Here are my results:
Tap Water: 86
GE Smartwater filter on my refrigerator: 75 ($30-$45 each, changed every 6 months!)
Instant hot water, being filtered first: 85
Poland Sprints bottled water: 25
Distilled water: 0 (ZERO!)
The only question is: WHAT DO I DO NOW THAT I KNOW THIS?
- Stop filtering my water?
- Only drink Poland Springs?
This is a great product and worth every little cent paid for it and I strongly recommend you get one ASAP. Especially if you have children! No wonder my dogs prefer Poland Springs! (although they also like filtered refrigerated water too)
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Perfect for Reverse Osmosis systems Jan 06, 2011
By Rick S
I was about to replace the filters in my reverse osmosis system, based on how long they have been in service. I bought this meter to verify the need for filter replacement.
We have extreemly hard water in our area, tap water reads 450ppm TDS, and Reverse Osmosis filtered water reads 15ppm. 450-15=435 435/450=.966 .966*100=96.6% So, my reverse osmosis is running at 96.6% TDS reduction. I just saved $100 in replacement filter cost.
I am very pleased with this purchase.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Works as designed Feb 09, 2011
By Mike V
The light started blinking on my RO system under the sink, and I thought I would spend a few bucks on a tester to see if I really needed to spend 90 or so bucks on a new membrane and pre-filter kit.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that, first of all, this tester works great, and second of all, my RO system didn't need new filters.
I tested out this tester by first testing the tap water. It was around 300ppm. I then tested my RO water and it showed 14!. I then decided to see what distilled water would show, and it was a big 00ppm. I think this would mean that the product works as directed, and anyone who has an RO system should definitely invest the 20 bucks, because the cost savings may pay for itself the day it gets shipped.
See all 26 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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