This is probably a better review by an actual user... man wish I would have watched these first
I have the new Hanna Nitrate checker. I've used it 8 times now trying to resolve a nitrate depletion issue with my tank. Here are some humble thoughts to this guy's review:
- First off, he said twice that his review wasn't a negative review but it indeed it is. Also, it was not a very objective review as well.
- The test gets easier and quicker the more you do the tests. Don't be intimidated by steps you've never done before, like the filtering step. It's actually pretty easy to filter the solution once you've done it a few times.
- The filter o-ring is not tiny. Tiny is the size of my pinky fingernail. This o-ring could fit on my ring finger. Just know the o-ring is there and remove it before cleaning the filter. Pretty simple.
- The 17 and half minutes it took him to do the test (likely the only time he performed it) also includes an 8 minute hold while the solution changes color. You can clean up the rest of the test equipment while the vile is in the tester during those 8 minutes. Also, the Nyos test has a 5 minute hold and the Red Sea test has a 9 minute hold with the same number of reagents. Stating that the test takes 17.5 minutes is not completely objective. All the nitrate test kits I've used have some sort of hold while the solution changes color.
- He showed one of the steps twice which makes it seem longer than it is.
I personally think that this test only takes a few minutes longer than the quickest test on the market and for some of the other testers out there it takes the same amount of time. I really dislike the feature of the Red Sea test that the color of my solution does not match their color wheel. The precision on the Red Sea test above 5 ppm is not great as well. The Nyos test kit has good color matching but it's precision in general is not very good at all. If you're trying to dial in nitrate dosing, the Nyos test kit is not the right one to use.
I like that I no longer have to guess at the colors. I personally and humbly think the Hanna checker is worth a few extra minutes (truly, nothing more than a few minutes) to take out the guessing game on the color matching and it also gives me a level of precision for my reading that most other test kits can't offer. The Hanna nitrate tester obviously won't be for everyone, but know that this guys review wasn't very fair based on my own experience. And no, I am not a Hanna tester fanatic. I don't use the Hanna tester for calcium. Stuck with the Red Sea test kit for calcium.
If you're willing to spend the money, it's definitely worth a try especially if you don't like the color guessing game and/or you desire a higher level of precision for your nitrate reading. For what it's worth, that's my $0.02.
