AquaChek TruTest 100 Strip Bottle

The idea is simple enough but readings can vary wildly between two sticks (the two readings are taken close together to confirm a suspiciously high - or low - reading. Follow the instructions carefully - do not slide the stick into the slot - and read out of strong sunlight or use the light shield. Problems seem to be caused by a patchy colour density on the strips, the reading depending on the precise area the meter reads. When the readings have appeared inherently unlikely, I have gone back to the old methods which depend on the use of the human eye, and these have invariably proved the more believable.This is a pity. It is much faster than tablets and colour charts and potentially more accurate than test tapes using the eye and colour comparisons, which are as fast but less accurate than the tablets. I suspect the active reagents/indicator are not always distributed as evenly as they should be over the test area, which I would guess is a matter of quality control.Given the cost of the meter and bottles of strips, I would have expected better quality. You also have to watch the expiry date of the strips, which might be quite short if they have been at the retailers for some time.