Apera Instruments SX823-B Portable Multi-Parameter Meter Kit (pH/Conductivity/TDS/Temp.), Accuracy: ±0.01 pH; ±1% F.S

The Apera SX823-B pH/Conductivity meter was purchased from the Apera web site, where it sells for $495.00. It is listed under a different name on the Amazon web site, where it sells for much less ($303.04), but it is the identical meter. I will now purchase all my Apera products on the Amazon web site for obvious reasons.Apera has long been known for making high quality pH meters, and we have used their pH meters in our research for many years. Solution conductivity is a critical component of measuring our generation of molecular electronic devices, and this meter has the advantage of measuring both pH and conductivity using the same meter (but different probes). But both probes can be attached simultaneously, and a single mode button can be pressed to switch between measurements. I have reviewed Apera pH instruments on Amazon a number of times, and this one is as good as the dedicated pH meters in terms of accuracy (±0.04 pH from 4-10 pH in our hands). Calibration is simple and what I really like is one can do 1, 2 or 3 point calibration easily. The manual is quite good.Conductivity measurements are actually easier than pH measurements and usually can be done without calibration. The meter comes factory calibrated, but as a test, I put the probe into the calibration solution prior to doing a calibration. The first picture shows the result, which was 1382 'S/cm using a 1413 'S/cm standard. This value is within 2% of the correct value which is normally more than adequate for routine measurements. After calibration and use for an hour, the 1413 'S/cm standard was measured to be 1411 'S/cm. The system is very stable.A key requirement for conductivity measurements is to make sure there are no air bubbles trapped in the probe. Mixing the solution with the probe and letting the system sit for a minute or so is essential. After taking that precaution I had no problems.It is also important to have a squeeze bottle of de-ionized water handy to wash the probe before immersing into a target solution. Cleaning the probe between measurements is critical if measuring low conductivity solutions. Indeed, I accidentally contaminated the distilled water solution in the storage cap by not washing the probe before putting it back (see picture 1).Finally, I show in picture 3 a measurement of my tap water, which to my surprise was quite conductive despite being perfectly clear and having a near-zero turbidity. The conductivity of sea-water is typically 5 S/m, drinking water is typically in the range of 5-50 'S/cm, while highly purified water can be as low as 0.055 µS/cm. The fact that my water is at 497 'S/cm indicates a much higher than normal ion concentration typical of rather hard water.In summary, this is a very well made meter that measures both conductivity and pH. I have not reviewed the pH capability here because I have reviewed other Apera pH meters on Amazon. This one is no different, and works beautifully. Conductivity measurements are even easier than pH, and in general, are less sensitive to error. A key advantage of this conductivity meter is that the probe tips are coated with platinum which minimizes polarization error and limits contamination due to ions that might stay on the surface. The probe can be cleaned with ethanol followed by distilled water. Please note that the aluminum stand shown in the pictures does not come with the meter, nor is it needed for measurements. It was used to help take the pictures.Minor Issues:1. Although the pH and temperature probes are simple to attach, the conductivity probe is rather hard if you want to screw the knob in to hold the connector fully in place. Someone with small fingers might have no problems, but I could not get my fingers in and had to use a small need nose pliers to fully screw the connector down. I discovered I did not need to screw it down to get consistent readings, so my recommendation is simply to skip that step. Alternatively, if you are working in a laboratory setting where you can leave the probes attached all the time, it is not an issue.2. The Amazon web site as of Nov 12 2016 lists three bottles of pH calibration solutions (4.00, 7.00 and 10.01pH), and three bottles of conductivity calibration solutions ( 146.6'S/cm, 1413'S /cm and 12.88mS/cm). Unfortunately, only the following calibration solutions are included: (4.00 and 7.00 pH) and (1413'S/cm and 12.88mS/cm). You can purchase both pH and conductivity standards on the Apera web site and on Amazon. The reader may wonder why I did not take off a star for this, but most meters that you buy come with no standard solutions at all. Given the price of this system, it would be a good deal without any standards included. I contacted Apera and they plan to update the web site to correct this problem.

Summary: I like the meter and even though it's expensive, it's fast and accurate and I'm glad I bought it.Detail: I already had the pen ph meter by apera but needed a meter with more reach that I could easily see the measurements. I really like this meter and even though it's quite expensive I do think it saves me a lot of time checking my ph and ec with the same meter and not having to struggle with harder to reach places.I was a little thrown off when I calibrated it because it claims a .01 accuracy but isn't within .01 in the calibration solution immediately after calibration. I called and spoke to customer service about this and he explained that it doesn't mean it is not accurate within .01. I don't claim to understand but I am satisfied that it is accurate enough for my needs and both of my apera devices give the same readings. I really like the added decimal of precision.Customer service, BTW, is very good and Mike is knowledgeable, professional and friendly. It's quick and easy to talk to a real person who really knows these devices.It's very customizable and even though I haven't tried it you can customize the speed of determining a stable result based on the accuracy you require.The probes have screw on caps, the PH meter cap contains storage solution and the TDS cap has a tiny sponge with distilled water. They stay on tight and don't leak at all but I think it's a bit of a pain dealing with these caps compared to my pen style devices. You have to be careful to loosen the cap for the PH meter before pulling it off to avoid damage from pressure. It's not a big deal but more tedious for quick use.The meter is much larger than I expected. It's quite bulky but I have no point of comparison for similar style devices.I wish I could see readings from multiple probes at the same time but I have to cycle through the options. It would be nice to be able to set your preferred measurement for the TDS meter or just show them all on the same screen. Instead you have to cycle from pH to ppm to ec, etc each time. The device starts calculating each measurement after clicking to the appropriate screen rather than when the probes go into the water but it's pretty quick to stabilize.There's a card inside to get a free set of full sized calibration and storage solution by sending a link to a review so I'm looking forward to talking them up on that!

The tester exceed my expectations about the equipment. Fully recommend.

This meter is fantastic. It holds a calibration well and does everything you could ask of it. The carrying case is super convenient for storage. Self calibration is very easy as well.

Great carrier case with all of the standards readily available for quick calibration. Display screen is clear and vivid, the case is waterproof and has a nice rear stand for a tilted view. Both individual probes have protective containers to store and protect the units. They provide a card within the product case to view tutorial videos, but this unit does not have one developed as of April 2017. The laminated quick reference sheet is nice to have.

The manufacturer indicated that the compatible ORP probe (ORP probe, 301Pt-C) would be available in mid-February. It is now late March and no sign of the probe's availability. Not impressed with this company's say/do ratio...

First impression when it arrived was that it was of better build quality than other “blue” hobby meters, and the like. Nice case for portability and protection. Nice assortment of electrodes available for many applications. All in all this meter is as simple as you want it to be or has the ability to go above and beyond your general plant monitor. All that said, what’s important is it’s durability/reliability and all I can attest to is my initial impressions when comparing to the slew of monitors from basically every major “hobby” brand.

This meter has met all my expectations and is nice that I can test EC at higher levels. Nice case to keep everything together. Easy to use and calibrate - just follow the directions in the manual.

So far, this multi-parameter meter has managed to exceed my expectations. I've only had it for about a month. I'm pretty happy with it, and I wish I had two of them. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants or needs a more capable, “professional” qulity meter. It has more features and functions than I can list; way more than I even knew about beforehand. But I've included some of my favorite highlights below for the various “parts” of this kit.Also, the customer service from Apera Instruments so far has been good.Meter:This meter has the functions and features that I wanted (as an upgrade to my other/previous meter) and many more abilities and features that I didn't know about and will learn more about.-Kick stand, to angle the display up for easier reading.-An actual on/off button, that allows the user to turn the meter off when they want. It also has auto-off, with 10, 20 or 30 minute auto off.-pH precision to two decimal points.-Three-point calibration ability for ph. Choice of USA or NIST buffer standards.-Calibration for ec probe; up to four-point calibration.-Comes with a molded, padded case that holds everything neatly and securely.-Can be used with an optional ORP probe to measure ORP.-Many options for how readings are read and displayed.-Rubber/Silicone over-molding on the meter body provides grip, anti-slip, and *possibly some protection from *minor bumps.-Rubber/Silicone caps that can cover the probe connection points if not connected (and they're fixed to the meter so they won't be lost).-Large display with all the indicators for parameters, settings, and functions.-Battery compartment has a gasket, and the four screws are captive so they won't fall out of the cover and be lost.-IP57 rating.-Too much to list. So many settings within the meter itself.Probes:The supplied probes are capable, and robust. They're suitable for any uses I'll have for them (other than what a purpose specific probe, like a "spear tip" probe for example, might offer). The ec probe is capable of measuring a wider range than my previous meter.-Probe cables are robust, and a good length; not too long or too short. I'm used to cables about twice as long.-Temp. sensor on both ec and ph probe. displays temp. and does auto-temp compensation for either probe while measuring (eg: if using only one probe in solution).-Ph probe has a full "cage" which protects the glass bulb from the bottom as well as the sides.-A probe holding "clip" that has spots to hold up to three separate probe together.-Nice probe storage caps for both probes.Manual/Instructions:The manual is thorough and very detailed, while being fairly easy to follow. I'm a novice so I'm actually learning quite a bit while going through the various sections of the manual. It covers everything from how to first setup the meter and probes (they come connected in this kit though), function options, what the various functions do, navigating the menu(s), calibration of probes, care/maintenance, some trouble shooting, what the factory defaults are, and a terms glossary.-There's a lamenated quick start/quick calibration guide.-Included is a dated certificate of calibration with the meter's serial number.Calibration Solutions (included):-includes three buffer/calibration solutions for both ph and ec.-well sealed.-little pull tabs on the seals.Some things I'd kind of like:-I'd like the storage cap for the pH probe to have a little more KCL storage solution in it from the factory.-I sincerely hope Apera can get more of their products to amazon.ca and amazon.com. That would be greatly appreciated. I'm a little bit concerned about availability of some things.If I can think of anything else, or have any thoughts or issues worth updating, I will.