Luster Leaf 1860 Rapitest Electronic Soil Tester, Black

Given the price, you can't expect lab accuracy. It's a good value.A couple of comments:1 - You need to scrub the probes before using. There is a scrubby sponge in the box.2 - Succulents are having their day in the sun, but this unit will not work for gritty succulent soil. Not enough soil contact, probably, and certainly you can't make mud of it for pH.3 - Light is measured in LUX, which is really not a measurement of anything plants need. You can get the same measurement on your cell phone. But a light meter that measures PPFD is quite expensive. LUX can be a good proxy measurement for outdoor sunlight, but for plants under grow lights like houseplants and seedlings, it's pretty useless.

I bought mine used like new for $10 less than brand new. One of the batteries didn’t sit right and it was dead. Not too big of a deal, I just replace that dead one and the cover held it in place, even though it still didn’t seat in like the other two.Pros: I love the included users manual. Great information in there. The pH and moisture seemed accurate. It wasn’t stuck on 7 like other reviewers.Cons: I bought this because of its added temperature setting ability to test my compost pile heat. It only reads temperature up to 99°. Double digits only. I was disappointed to find that out.Day 3, the units numerical light was dimming. I know it was somewhat used so I tested the batteries when I first got it and the other two batteries tested good at 1.5 volts.Even though I saved $10 getting an opened box unit, it was still $5 more than my simple basic analog probe, and I’ll just be keeping the basic analog probe and use a kitchen thermometer for compost piles. I will have to return this item as it didn’t meet my expectations, or maybe my needs.

I have been looking to update my moisture meter, and when I saw this meter, I thought it had everything I was looking for. A 4-way digital display, including a moisture meter, pH indicator, thermometer for in-ground temperatures, and an indicator to show me how much light is getting to my plants.The large digital screen provides a clear read out that I don’t have to struggle to view. The moisture meter works as expected and is what I will use the most. The light meter is helpful so I can make sure my plants get put in the correct location. The temperature tells me whether the ground is too hot or cold. Understanding pH requires some study, but the instructions provided has several detailed charts to help you get through.The packaging was good, which protected the meter well. It was also pretty easy to open, and made for a good place to store the meter between uses.

This is definitely what it should be it is cheap worthless piece of junk. It is not accurate and it broke the first time I used it. Iam very disappointed. Don’t waste your money!

I wanted to know soil ph and moisture, Not make a mud pit in my planter. Read. B4 buying.

We’re planting a new tree this week and I wanted to make sure the soil was in line with the nutrients and pH. I pulled multiple plugs at 4” depth, multiple plugs at 8” depth, then removed all organic matter, mixed each sample with distilled water and blended into a pudding consistency. After 3 60 second tests in each sample, the pH seems to be reading relatively consistent with what I need for a new tree to thrive.Sure, there may be a decimal or 2 of fluctuation, but short of sending a sample test to a lab, this little tool will get you pretty dang close. Average out the results and you’re there! Don’t be like me and overthink it- just get a tool that takes the guess work out of it!So far, so good. I’ll be using it for monitoring PH and Fertility throughout the growing season.Money well spent, as far as I’m concerned.

I have been using this for a couple of weeks now and it has become the most used tool in my home. I have over 200 houseplants, and I was struggling to find the right light for all of them. The light meter is fantastic, and it picks up both on natural light and grow lights. I bought it pretty much for the light meter feature, but I've been using the moisture one a lot. With over 200 plants, it can be a bit annoying sticking your finger in dirt all the time to see if they need watering. I also realized with this meter that sometimes the dirt will look completely dry, but it is not fully dry yet, so I should wait longer to water. It has also made my calatheas a lot happier; since they are drama queens, it can be hard to figure out the exact time to water them, in a way that they don't dry but also don't get root rot. Now I just wait until the marker is down to 2 and water them again. This is a must have tool for anyone venturing in the world of houseplants.Note that the moisture feature does not work well in chunky mixes, like aroid or orchid mixes. With that being said, those are super well draining so no one should have a problem figuring those out anyways....(I have never used the fertility or ph function).