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Thread: Test Kit Review - Elos Potassium (K) Kit vs Salifert Potassium

  1. #1
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    Test Kit Review - Elos Potassium (K) Kit vs Salifert Potassium

    Based on a recommendation, I bought an Elos Potassium test kit and decided to put it up to the Pepsi Challenge against the Salifert Potassium kit. I have ran the Salifert test on water sampled from 2 tanks on 3 separate occasions over the course of the last month. The results have been rather consistent. But I was told that the Elos kit was better, more accurate, and that other kits were good for showing trending from test to test, but less accurate perhaps on the actual reading.

    After running the Salifert kit on samples taken from 3 different tanks, then running the Elos kit on the same samples, I can honestly say that I severely disagree that the Elos kit is superior.

    First, I read this review

    http://blog.aquanerd.com/2011/02/elo...comment-page-1

    Which touted that the Elos kit was a lot easier to use than the KZ Potassium kit. I can't imagine how complex the KZ kit could be to make someone think that the Elos kit is A) easier and b) more accurate.

    Some of my findings mirror the Aquanerd review. Here is my take on the Elos kit:

    1) the syringes they give you are difficult to use, IMO, compared to others like Salifert. The 0.5 mL syringe was just weird. I dunno, maybe it's just that I'm used to Salifert's syringes and I find them superior. The syringes are odd in that there is no rubber part, just plastic against plastic, and they aren't fit together such that they slide in parallel, they can 'rock' back and forth a bit. That being said, they still work, but are rather odd. The seem to be made so that you are supposed to grip them with a closed fist and use your thumb to push the plunger, and the output speed is hard to control.

    2) then give you 100ml of "ultrapure deionized water", and you have to use 10 ml per test. So it's only good for 10 tests. Like you can't go buy distilled water and do this test? Or what about if you have a 7 stage RO/DI? Not good enough? Come on. To compound it, the syringe they give you to pull 10ml out of the 100ml bottle doesn't stick far enough into the bottle to suck water out after the 2nd test - you have to tip the bottle to get the water towards the mouth of it so that you can suck it out. A good engineer did not design this test kit / packaging.

    3) Once you dilute the sample, then you are to pour in a scoop of the powder. Now this I also have a beef with Salifert, in that they don't tell you "level spoon" "Heaping spoon" "packed spoon" with the latter being an exception for the Salifert Nitrate kit, in which they DO tell you what to do.

    4) mix for 3 minutes. Only problem? The stopper they give you will push out from air pressure in the vial, forcing you to hold it on rather tightly. I didn't notice this the first test, I don't think it will come out on it's own, but I also didn't want to take that chance.

    5) Play the "can I see the dot, or can't I" game. While I have heard of this technique being used to measure turbidity in river water, etc as a method of measuring the effectiveness of runoff contamination control methods around construction sites, this has got to be the most ridiculous application of that method I have ever seen. I'm not quite 40 years old, so my eyes are still pretty decent. You are supposed to transfer the liquid in the mixed up vial to an empty vial that is placed on a card (not a perfectly flat card, mind you) that has a black dot on it, and keep adding the liquid until you cannot see the dot anymore. The first time I ran the test, I thought I could not see the dot. I check the level in the vial, and it read 550. I tested this sample on Salifert and it was 340. So I guess at this point, I really could still see the dot. I moved my hand around so I wasn't blocking the light (light level makes the dot more visible, so I wonder what conditions you need to be in??) etc, etc. Anyways, after running the test 3 times (almost 1/3 of the total number of uses, if you only use the ultrapure water they give you) I think I finally got the hang of the "dot" step.

    6) The scale they give you is ridiculously stupid. Once you can't see the dot, you're supposed to use the lines on the card to look at the level of the water in the vial. This is familiar. You know how on API kits and the Hanna Checker vials, there is that line that shows what level you're supposed to fill the vial to? Only you don't know if you're supposed to fill the vial so that line matches the edge of the water, or the bottom of the "bubble" is? You know, because of capillary action, the water is higher up on the edges of the vial? Same problem here. Only you can't see through the sample to judge the difference. The instruction diagram shows a straight line level of water across the vial. Who do they think they are kidding? Not like that would matter though, because the difference in levels, per 100ppm reading, from 600 to 500 and 500 to 400 is about 2mm, then from 400 to 300 is about 3mm. The "bubble" is at least 1mm from top to bottom! Talk about a range of error!

    My best guess is that, based on my previous test results from the Salifert runs, was that the Elos kit has roughly the same level of accuracy while being 10x more difficult to perform and read.

    Salifert kit process:

    1) take 1mL sample water
    2) Add 0.5mL reagent #1
    3) mix 20 seconds
    4) 3 drops reagent #2
    5) drop by drop of reagent #3 until color change (with a little special instruction about preparing the dropper bottle so that you get accurate drops)
    6) read chart
    7) wash vials and fill with vinegar to clean

    Salifert wins this one hands down. It is easily as accurate in my book, much easier to use, and in my testing, was consistent and I consider the reading to be much more reliable and less prone to error.

    My verdict? I wasted $35 on my Elos test kit. More than that if I include shipping and an hour that I will never get back.

  2. #2
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    PS my apologies to anyone who followed my path and bought the Elos kit also.

  3. #3

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    Thanks, Floyd! I have been thinking hard about getting a K test kit. How abouts you get a seachem and a zeovit just to cover all the bases for me? :P

  4. #4
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    Thanks for doing this! I was curious how they compared. Good to know I am ok with my Salifert.

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