Hanna Phosphate Checker is good! By Diana in OK on 5/6/13

Diana in OK would recommend this product to a friend

Could use easier written instructions but if you watch the YouTube videos it's easy enough to do. Happy with my purchase of the phosphate checker by Hanna.
Be sure to order more reagents as the kit only comes with six packets.

Hanna Cheacker By Michael on 4/29/13

Michael would recommend this product to a friend

Come little agent. Easy to use. Would recommend.

Accurate and Simple to use By Ad on 4/23/13

Ad would recommend this product to a friend

Accurate test - simple and easy to use, clear instructions.

Good test but wish it came with more reagent By Mike on 4/22/13

Mike would recommend this product to a friend

Good test but only comes with a little reagent and you soon will be ordering more.

Simplifies the process By David on 4/14/13

David would recommend this product to a friend

Great product makes checking phosphates easy after you get the hang of how to use the meter.

Instant results By Coldjoker on 4/11/13

Coldjoker would recommend this product to a friend

No more "is that purple, wait in this light brown" takes the guess work out, great for typical reef with SPS, use to check your GFO depletion, check tank reading vs outlet of reactor when they become the same change it out, will pay for its self I promise ;)

AWESOME PRODUCT By Chris on 4/8/13

Chris would recommend this product to a friend

First be sure that you buy more reagents when you buy the kit, there are only 8 in the kit. This is a minor annoyance that you can rectify up front if you know!

Otherwise no complaints its a dream to use and the BEST for testing PO4. So easy to do, easy to read, so accurate, repeatable. helps me know when its time to change the GFO and keep Algae at bay!

You will not be disappointed with this product!

very nice and easy to use By Andy C on 4/8/13

Andy C would recommend this product to a friend

This is a very nice tool for checking phosphate. The only tweak I had ot make was to prepare the reagent vial before putting the water sample into the checker. Otherwise it'll time out while the reagent dissolves. Otherwise, this is great.

great product By Dustin on 3/31/13

Dustin would recommend this product to a friend

easy to use,accurate,what more do u want?no more colors

Nice and easy By Bosley on 3/15/13

Bosley would recommend this product to a friend

Great product simple and fast results. I have the calcium checker as well I hope Hanna comes out with a nitrate checker soon. Highly recommend.

WAY Easier to then other kits, but a few quirks By tommyd193 on 2/21/13

tommyd193 would recommend this product to a friend

This kit is far better and way easier to know what your level is, I just wish I knew there were only 6 tests that came with the kit or I would have ordered more. As mentioned in other reviews getting the powder out of the packet is tricky and if you take too long then your unit shuts off on you, but once you master it and develop your own knack then it's well worth the purchase!

It gives a number. No guessing By Kevin on 2/19/13

Kevin would recommend this product to a friend

Tester is very good. I like it because it gives me a number instead of the color chart that the other tests uses. Only problem with the tester is the green cap can be broken away from the base part. I'm not a very hard handed person but my cap broke off on the first use of opening it. Not sure, the cap could have already been broken. But i have still used my tester i just snap the cap back on.

Just plain awesome By Nicholas on 2/19/13

Nicholas would recommend this product to a friend

This is the single best test equipment investment I've made thus far. My other phosphate kit was worthless compared to this.

The only thing I don't really like about this is the packets are a pain to empty into the test vial. why not just sell the reagent in a little container with a little spoon like others do?

Easy to use By Miles on 2/13/13

Miles would recommend this product to a friend

This test is incredibly easy to use, but has a down side. Getting all of the reagent out of the pouch and into the vial can sometimes prove tricky. check out the video on the Hanna Checker website to learn how to do it right. The process is very simple, just not super intuitive. Other wise this product is great, I use this in conjunction with GFO to keep my system free of phosphate.

Awesome product By Jeremy on 2/11/13

Jeremy would recommend this product to a friend

Much easier to use then trying to match colors on liquid tests, I deducted 1 star for the poor reagent package design, can be tricky to add if you rip the package open to much.

awesome By Gary on 2/3/13

Gary would recommend this product to a friend

Best phosphate kit available, hands down.

There is a learning curve By SCUBAFreaky on 1/30/13

SCUBAFreaky would recommend this product to a friend

This is by far the best test kit for measuring Phosphate, but there is a learning curve. As other posters have said there is an art to getting all of the powder in the curvette, but once you get the hang of it, it's no longer an issue. Also this thing will time out after 2 minutes during the phase when you are dissolving the powder. Once it times out, you pretty much have to start over due to the baseline scan. Also be aware that it only comes with 6 reagent packets...and you'll blow through those very quickly due to the learning curve. Unlike other posters, I'm having trouble getting consistent measurements, but all that said, the Hanna Checker is best phosphate checker I've used so far.

Works Great and Easy to use if you open the package on two sides By Charles on 1/24/13

Charles would recommend this product to a friend

Just cut two sides off of the regents package and them trim the corner off at the tip, open and pours in with ease.
Do this before you put the water in the machine andit won't time out.

GREAT By Samuel on 1/3/13

Samuel would recommend this product to a friend

I was using Salifert test kit and I could never get a accurate reading. Now with this Checker I have a way better idea as to what my phosphate levels are.

I gave it 4 stars because it is a little hard to get the powder in the vial the first time but after some practice its no biggie.

PHOS-tastic!! By shaungee on 12/28/12

shaungee would recommend this product to a friend

Picked this up on a black Friday doorbuster deal, and couldn't be happier. There was a little learning to be done on how to use the device, but once that was done, I can quickly and confidently test my levels in my tank and make necessary adjustment. Also BRS came through on shipping with a 2 day turnaround, Amazing!

Consistent and accurate!! By Ryan on 12/22/12

Ryan would recommend this product to a friend

Consistent and accurate!! If you are keeping corals you should get this. The test kit that I have been using always tests way lower than the hanna checker so I've always thought my phosphates were more in check than they were. Now that I know where my phosphates actually are. I have been able to get them more under control and have noticed an increase in coral growth already.

Thank goodness By Joseph on 12/22/12

Joseph would recommend this product to a friend

Phosphates fianlly easy to check. I love all 4 that I use. Just waiting for the nitrae checker to come out or even better an all in one.

Awesome By Chad on 12/15/12

Chad would recommend this product to a friend

Hanna Checkers are downright awesome. Accurate, digital, takes less than five minutes. They are the best meters I have every used.

Ok but be careful By Grant on 12/5/12

Grant would recommend this product to a friend

In the instructions it says after adding the reagent to shake for 2 minutes. But the colorimeter turns off after 2 minutes. So I have wasted 2 of the reagent packets out of the few that come with it and have yet to accurately test my water.

Obviously a user error but just a tip.

definately worth the purchase By DANIEL on 12/1/12

DANIEL would recommend this product to a friend

Love the precision of the digital readout. No more guessing color shades. 5 stars. Minor item(s) - only 6 tests provided with kit. Also, small amount of effort to learn how to pop off plastic lid cleanly.

Check it, mate By Old Salt on 11/30/12

Old Salt would recommend this product to a friend

Well worth the investment and once you get the hang of dumping in the powder--can be dicey at first--it's very easy to use. You do have to keep buying the reagent, but I use my checker sparingly, mainly to check up on an API kit that I use 2-3 times a week. The combination allows me to keep a close eye on phosphates.

Great Product By william on 11/28/12

william would recommend this product to a friend

I currently have the Calcium, ALK, and Phosphate checkers, and they make testing the water amazingly easy. I was using ELOS kits before hand and these take 1/2 the time the others do. I still test with elos bi-monthly to ensure the Hanna's are still reading correctly. Wish they had more regents with the initial purchase.

OK but hard to use properly By Andy on 11/28/12

Andy would recommend this product to a friend

I only recommend this because the alternatives are horrible or a lot more money. It is very hard to get all of the powder reagent out of the package, and opening the package properly and actually getting the powder in the vial is an art unto itself. This part will take you a few minutes alone. Then the joy begins when you try to get the powder to actually dissolve, and then stop bubbles on the cuvette. If you don't get it dissolved or free from bubbles, the results will be wildly off. I tested the same water with bubbles on the glass and without. With bubbles it was saying the phosphate was 5ppm! Without bubbles, 0.01ppm.

Great Product By Charles on 11/27/12

Charles would recommend this product to a friend

Great product that is easy to use. Reliable phosphate tester and you wont have to guess have you phosphate really is.

Not Bad By Justin on 11/17/12

Justin would recommend this product to a friend

I found it difficult to use when I first started. Once you get the hang of it, it will give you an accurate reading.

No more guesswork By Subodh on 11/13/12

Subodh would recommend this product to a friend

ok, I'm assuming everyone did their homework and the numbers shown by this thing are perfect and tested.
Just kidding, I cross-checked with the Red Sea kit. Hanna showed me 0.13 and red Sea Phosphate check came up between 0 and .25 Close enough for me.

I did take the one star off because - how the heck is one supposed to get all the darn powder from that pouch into the vial with that tiny a hole? I'll tell you how but not before I had to rack my brains. Get a clean sheet of A4 size paper, tear open the sachet, drop everything onto the paper, now lift it up and make a cone shape, drop the powder into the vial.

I almost took off another point for packing just 6 sachets. But well, it works well, instructions are clear and concise and no more asking the wife to read the damn colors. I guess I'll try the other Hannah checkers as well.

might work might not By brad on 11/6/12

brad wouldn't recommend this product to a friend

hell i just got my hanna hi 713 today all excited to test phosphate.
so i open it and go step by step testing my water waiting on this high reading to show up because i have algae growing every where. well is shows 0.00 on test one I think well that cant be right so i test it again same deal 0.00 ok so i text my tap water 0.03
so there is 3 of my 6 test wasted imo, I know the tank has po4 i got this with a gof reactor to test weekly to me it dont seem to work

Easy enough By Edward on 9/29/12

Edward would recommend this product to a friend

There are two reasons I gave 4 stars instead of 5. First is that the syringe that is used to get the reagent does not always attach firmly to the tip supplied. As such, it can drip out and you have to push the tip on again. The second reason is that at the levels of phosphate I run (reef), I wish BFS carried the ULR phosphorous Hanna Checker. Even though it is not phosphate, you can calculate that by multiplying by about 3. That unit has more accuracy and can read a little lower. But I suppose the phosphate one cannot be faulted as it does what it is supposed to and is easy to use other than the tip on the syringe.

Simply easy to use By Ray on 9/27/12

Ray would recommend this product to a friend

i love this product. it is very accurate and if you are running GFO it is a must. Make sure you add a few extra reagent packets to your order!

Simply the best By Rich on 9/24/12

Rich would recommend this product to a friend

The Hanna Checker is simply the fastest and easiest way to check my reefs phosphate. I’ve been in the hobby for over 15 years. As a reefer who is also legally blind reading test kits and colors has always been hard… This actually made my reef keeping life simple again!

no more guessing By r. wilmeth on 9/22/12

r. wilmeth would recommend this product to a friend

it is nice to be able to know for sure what your tanks levels are. for me there was a little bit of a learning curve and i used a lot of the reagent. you should buy extra reagent when you make your purchase. you do need to use caution opening the cap or you could break it.over all i am very pleased and glad i bought it.

Accurate, but... By james on 9/22/12

james wouldn't recommend this product to a friend

I absolutely loathe the reagent packets.

I wish it was a liquid reagent like the Hanna Alk, but unfortunately it is not. Instead (as another poster mentioned) you have to dump the contents of a small packet of powder into the hole of one of the test vials. It makes it a bit of a pain to work with.

Phosphate test, without a useless color to decipher By Keith on 9/7/12

Keith would recommend this product to a friend

I finally know what my phosphate is at, thanks to not having decipher a shade of blue, that looks diffrent to everyone that looks at it. Wish it came with more reagents but the refill kit is pretty cheap.

hassle to use due to manual dexterity By Join the Revolution on 9/6/12

Join the Revolution wouldn't recommend this product to a friend

Do not buy it. Go Salifert, or other means. This test would be a great if it was designed to work with ease. This test tries to be innovative ,but titration is much easier and guessing is eliminated. Who wants to pour a small pack of powder into a small hole the diameter of a dime???! The lid is difficult to open and the instructions are so 3rd world. Next..

Seems to work but cheaply made By Steven on 9/4/12

Steven would recommend this product to a friend

The meter seems to work fine, but be made of cheap plastic. The second or third time I snapped the lid open, it came off. It looks like there are only two small ultrasonic welds that hold the top part on. The meter still seems to work fine, but I have to keep pushing it back together every time I open the lid.

great By Chris on 9/1/12

Chris would recommend this product to a friend

I just got this the other night along with the calcium test kit from hanna. The alk is a lot easier to test for and the reading was up to par with my other test kits. Only time will tell

Accurate and FAST! By Damian on 8/31/12

Damian would recommend this product to a friend

I cannot tell the shades of blue apart on the regular phosphate test kits, so the checker was an easy choice when it was time to get a new test kit. You won't be disappointed if you like to track phosphate.

Love it! By BRIAN on 8/30/12

BRIAN would recommend this product to a friend

I absolutely love my Hanna PO4 checker. Being colorblind I no longer have to bother the wife to compare colors for me. It's very easy to use and has always provided me consistent results. I'll never go back to the old way of testing PO4 again.

Must Have By Waterart on 8/29/12

Waterart would recommend this product to a friend

This is an essential tool for any reef keeper. Very fast and easy to perform tests.

Essential By Robert on 8/23/12

Robert would recommend this product to a friend

I have the low-range phosphate colorimeter.

Upon receiving, I opened the top of the unit and the entire top white part separated from rest of the body (the small plastic pins holding it sheared away)--a rather inauspicious start. It is still usable and I don't want to screw around with returning it--despite BRS and their excellent return policies.

I just have to hold the white part against the rest of the body and it works OK.

WATCH OUT for the regent. Use a scissors and OPEN CAREFULLY! This stuff has a very low PH and will irritate skin noticeably. In addition, the reagent is a little tricky to pour out of the envelope which can increase risk for accidental spillage. Again, use care with this reagent.

Other than questionable quality or quality control of the physical unit and the nasty reagent, I cannot possibly imagine living without this essential instrument.

Good tester, need more reagents By Mark on 8/17/12

Mark would recommend this product to a friend

This is so much better than trying to figure out what shade of blue it is on a color chart.
My only complaint is that it only comes with 6 reagent packets.

Slight Learning Curve but good overall By Andre on 8/14/12

Andre would recommend this product to a friend

I like this much better then looking at color charts, Just remember to buy some extra packets when ordering

What an awesome product! LOVE this tester. By Chuck on 8/13/12

Chuck would recommend this product to a friend

For anyone's who's used the 'other' phosphate testing kits, we all know how crazy-difficult it is to read which super-duper light shade of blue the result is to get a phosphate reading -- basically inaccurate/impossible and something I stopped doing often because it was a waste of time. NO MORE! After getting the Hanna phosphate checker, it completely takes the guess work (and eye-straining) out of phosphate testing. I almost feel spoiled having the digital read-out of the phos level after struggling with other test kits for years. This is one of the best and easiest tools, along with a nice refractometer, that I have for my 240g mixed reef. And with this low of a price tag, it's a no-brainer that every aquarium owner should have one.