716578 Accurate pH 8 Soil Meter

This meter is impressive! I read about it in a gardening forum where people were talking about good soil pH meters and how hard they are to find (which they are!). Someone suggested this one as an inexpensive, but reliable alternative to the Hanna's and Horiba's, which are well over $300+ so I decided to give it a try. This is after trying the RapidTest kits and meters, which are all garbage, save your money. The RapidTest kit with the capsules is useful but not for repeat use. This Control Wizard pH/moisture Meter worked beautifully and gives me pH in about 2-3 minutes in any area of my garden. It also is a very accurate indicator for moisture at various depths of your soil bed or pots. I found this meter to be a life saver in my garden and would recommend it to anyone who wants a reliable way to determine soil health. Make sure you follow the instructions for it and keep it clean using the brush provided, and don't touch or wipe off the rod with your hands, the oils from them interfere with pH readings. You should also not leave it in the soil for too long or try to test liquids with it. Do this and it will keep your meter healthy for a very long time. An excellent investment for under $75!

this item works good but is not delivered as pictured. it is NOT the meter with an extension to make it longer. it is one piece with the extention being part of the meter so it does NOT fit in the storage container that i purchased for it acording to thr specififcations

This is the 2nd control wizard ph meter . My first one lasted 5 years. It worked great and gave me very accurate readings . I made the mistake of letting someone from church borrow it, because they too are avid gardeners. Unfortunately they tried to take a reading of an area that was very hard clay and they tried forcing the meter in and the meter stem broke.Lesson Learned !!Don’t loan out your meter !!This meter is not your ordinary Home Depot special.It is an expensive meter .I have 28 raised beds and grow all sorts of roses , blueberries, raspberries and blackberries as well all sorts of vegetables. I need to make sure the ph of the soil in each individual raised bed is where I need it to be in order to get the desired results.Can’t go wrong with this meter .

I broke this within the first week by pushing it into some fairly dry soil -- a medium loam, not heavy clay -- that was too hard for it. At the bottom of the stem part you push into the soil, the metal tip is separated by from the rest by a narrow plastic section about 1/8 inch wide. A little too much lateral push from an underground obstacle, and that plastic piece breaks. The degree of fragility surprised me: that stem is a 3/8" diameter metal rod that sure looks like it ought be robust ... except that one joint isn't. The instructions do warn about forcing things, but I didn't think I was doing anything extraordinary, certainly no more than what the task at hand required. It seems to me the whole point of a soil moisture meter for outdoor use like this (as opposed to the ones designed for potted plants) is to be able to find out whether soil that is dry on top is still moist below. If you can't get down through a few dry inches, it can't do that.

Seems to work fine. Easy to use, fast results that's easy to read. Also, getting the pH from as deep as 12" (I think its 12") is an eye opener! I wish I had bought this thing, or something like it, 40 years ago.

I can't really see anyone breaking this if you are using it to test potted plants and maybe your yard after a good rain. If you try to put it in the ground where I am (Phoenix AZ) this thing doesn't stand a chance!! I use it for my potted plants and it works great for me. The moisture readings are good and the PH readings are good enough for me. I'm not sure how accurate the PH is but so far my plants are all healthy and don't show any signs of a PH problem. Great buy and worth the dough.

The rod is aluminum. It's very easy to get bend. You have to insert completely (about 18 inches) to get a good reading which is impossible to get that far under my lawn. I broke mine the first day I used it because I applied too much of force. The aluminum rod broke in half right underneath the readout device. It is not well made for the price I paid for.

It does the job I need for it to do which is it measures my soil's pH and water content. Seems to be of good quality material for the price but only comes with the long meter and not the other items it shows in the photo...