APERA INSTRUMENTS AI316 Premium Series PC60 5-in-1 Waterproof pH/EC (Conductivity) /TDS (ppm) /Salinity (ppt) /Temp. Multi-Parameter Pocket Tester Kit

I’ve been using the Apera PC60 for a few weeks now, and it has significantly improved my ability to manage my indoor hydroponic garden. I’m growing vegetables for my guinea pigs, and providing fresh, high-quality greens is a vital part of their diet. I chose this model because I wanted a reliable tester that could measure both EC and pH. While combining both functions into one device does create a single point of failure, I trusted Apera’s reputation for quality and accuracy. I previously used inexpensive $10–20 testers for pH and TDS, but they were inaccurate and lacked calibration support. I also prefer working with the raw EC values rather than calculated TDS, so the PC60’s direct EC readings were a big plus. Since switching to the PC60, I’ve been able to dial in both my nutrient concentration and pH with confidence. My plants are clearly doing great, and I’m optimistic about achieving higher yields. A few tips and lessons I’ve learned that might help others: • Calibration for RO Water Users: If you’re using reverse osmosis (RO) water, be sure to purchase 84 μS calibration fluid. The included 1,413 μS and 12,880 μS (12.88 mS) solutions don’t cover the low EC range of RO water. Without 84 μS fluid, my tester initially showed about 600 μS for pure RO water. After a proper three-point calibration, it correctly read near 0 μS. • pH Agitation Tip: When measuring pH, gently agitate the water by moving the tester in small circles. This helps the reading stabilize much faster—around 15 seconds compared to several minutes if left still. • Beakers Make Life Easier: Having a few small beakers makes sampling and rinsing more efficient, especially when pulling water from a larger reservoir. • Track Your Calibrations: I keep a notecard in the carrying case to record the date of my last calibration and how many times I’ve used each solution. Most calibration fluids can be reused up to five times before they should be discarded. • Proper Storage Tip: Unlike some pH meters, the PC60 probe shouldn’t be stored in 3M KCl unless it’s being stored for a long period or has dried out. For regular use, just add a few drops of clean water (distilled or tap) to the cap to keep the probe hydrated. Avoid soaking it in KCl long-term, as it may shorten the lifespan of the sensor. All in all, the Apera PC60 is a fantastic investment if you’re serious about hydroponics. It’s accurate, convenient, and far more reliable than cheaper alternatives. Highly recommended.

I recently ordered this Apera pc60 pen. I received it the next day, this came with a basic starter kit with solutions for 2 point calibration on both ph and conductivity (which is all I need personally, although this pen does allow for 3 point calibration) . It’s very easy to setup/calibrate once you receive it and before you use the first time. (Also this meter like many high end meters will come with a few drops in the cap, this is intentional. It doesn’t mean it was used prior, meters can’t/shouldn’t be shipped dry)the meter has some decent weight to it that’s one of the first things you’ll notice, it reads very quickly giving a smiley face when it’s complete, it functions very nicely through the different readings ph, tds, etc(after each calibration it will give a letter circled like (M), (L), (H)-it also gives temperature readings. This meter not only feels good in your hand you also looks great as well. I can’t speak about the battery life(i haven’t had long enough)or the product longevity but Apera has an excellent warranty on their products this meter comes with a 2yr warranty and 6mon warranty on the probe. Overall i think this was a good purchase on a high quality all in one meter. If anything issues problems come up, i will update. Ohh yeah never store your pens dry, be sure to follow the instructions about calibration just incase maybe you have been doing differently. It’s important that once you start the calibration (always starting with 7) that the pen is NOT shutoff before completing the entire calibration.

I'm giving this 5 stars even though I had to return and replace the first one I bought. It worked great for about a week and a half. Then the blue backlight no longer worked and despite calibrating it multiple times, the PH of the water kept getting different readings that were too far apart (using the same glass of water and rinsing the probe in distilled water + drying it before testing again). I contacted Apera, outside of Amazon, to see if I should return it or if I was doing something wrong and they emailed me back the next day. Their suggestion was to return it because it was defective. That was great customer service. I requested a replacement through Amazon and they said it would take 4 days to get the new one. It got here 2 days later. We were very impressed and surprised. So far the new one is doing everything it is supposed to. It is easy to read, easy to adjust and the backlight is a nice added touch. Backlight: Blue is when you are measuring your water. Just so you can read it in the dark if you have to. You can go into setup to adjust if you want the backlight always on, always off or on for 1 minute when you press the power button. Green backlight is when you are calibrating the probe itself and will not come on any other time. The kit came with 4 and 7 calibration solution along with 2 other conductivity calibration solutions, a probe cap that can be used to store the probe in the storage solution (also included in the kit, but it's really tiny and goes fast), plus a lanyard. Be sure NOT to get the 2 black probes wet with the storage solution. Only the clear ball should be in the storage solution. We don't really use the lanyard...it just seems to get in the way for us. In the kit comes the instruction/owner's manual along with a laminated card that is a step by step guide to calibrating the probe. It's large and perfect when you are working around liquid. The Apera website has videos for you to watch if the instructions seem a bit confusing. If you are doing any type of hydroponic gardening, this is a great investment to have. It provides PH, Conductivity, TDS (ppm reading) and Salinity measurements. UPDATE: I accidentally ruined the probe by allowing the 3M KCI soaking dilution to touch the 2 black bars. BE SURE TO NEVER LET THE BLACK PROBES TOUCH THE KCI SOLUTION WHEN NOT IN ISE AND SOAKING. ONLY THE CLEAR GLOBE SHOULD BE IN THE SOLUTION. It took a while for it to fail, but it was not the fault of the product. I ordered a replacement probe from Amazon and it’s working like new. I put a piece of painters tape on the probe cap so I know how high the KCI solution can be withoufht touching the black bars. Easy to change out as well.

The Apera Instruments Premium Series PC60 5-in-1 Tester is an outstanding all-in-one meter for anyone serious about hydroponics, aquariums, gardening, or water quality. Right out of the box, the kit feels premium and comes with everything needed to get started, including calibration solutions, storage solution, sample vials, and a detailed user manual. Setup and calibration are straightforward, and the meter provides fast, stable, and accurate readings for pH, EC (conductivity), TDS, salinity, and temperature. The display is bright and easy to read, and the waterproof design gives extra confidence when working around water.

I was skeptical about ordering this item. I studied ph, tds, ec, salinity, ppm, USA vs NIST, atc, resolution, multiparameter meters,single performance meters, pen style, bench style, reviews, forums, meter cost/cost for replacement parts ,country of origin , brands/manufacturers, accessories etc for a freakin MONTH until i was frustrated and sick of getting nowhere. I Decided to try this one first and go on a try and return frenzy. I am pleasantly relieved that after becoming acclimated with it, I feel the $120 I spent was worth it. Got here fast, came in a nice case, every essential accessory, seems well made, clear instructions, but most importantly it worked...well. Was easy to calibrate, doesn't take forever to get to a stable reading, no screwing around with fluctuations and recalibration nightmares. I like it. Glad to have it. Would have gave it a 5star but I literally just got it so I don't know how long it will last and also the tds factor setting that no one talks about. It is a very confusing setting that has no answer. That is not Aperas fault for such a ridiculous industry "standard". One would have the same issue with most higher end meters. It would be so much easier if all meters only did ec, rather than tds/ppm that are based on variable tds conversion factors that are not given by the makers of things to be tested.

I was intimidated about calibrating my PC60, but I watched a video and did it alone side and it was super easy. Very glad I chose this tester to work with. It does require you to store your tester with a drop or 2 of 3M KCL Solution I would recommend picking up extra when you order the kit. It only comes with a small amount. After first use I totally love this for pH meter for testing skincare.

I own 3 of these meters. One from 2019 and 2 from 2024-2025. Oldest meter is the only one that will hold an accurate Calibration. Other two will read accurate for maybe 1 week then there TDS is roughly 200-300 ppms off. I took them apart and cleaned just in case a film developed. Didn't solve issue so on two separate occasions I reached out to Apera product support/warranty. One representative blamed putting a few dropped of Aperas storage solution in cap was to blame and I needed to purchase a new replacement probe. Out of frustration I contacted support again 48 hours later since instructions tell you to clean probe then place a few drops of storage solution in cap. After some email correspondence with another representative. She instructed me that a probes only last roughly 3-6 months anyhow so I should just buy a few replacement probes and start replacing them after 90 days. My 6 year old meter has had probe replaced 1 time and works great. I was brushed off and tried to upsell some bs. I will never buy another Apera product again, they seemed to downgrade help and quality but increased the price. It's too bad, used to make a dang good product that they stood behind....covid must've snatched all of those people

Beautiful piece of equipment. fed my garden this morning and I didn't have distilled water so I was able to use the factory calibration right out of the box. and dipped it in filtered cold water. Tomorrow I will get what I need to manually calibrate it. It tests for everything too so it's definitely a value. 10 out of 5 stars.

ACTUALIZACIÓN: Después de 2 años de uso, sigue funcionando perfectamente. Lo único que no me gusta es que Amazon no tenga disponibles las puntas necesarias para el reemplazo. Buscando por otros sitios, incluída la web del fabricante, los gastos de envío son desorbitados. Al final, cuando la sonda deje de funcionar bien, tocará comprar todo el aparato de nuevo. No sólo es un gasto mayor, sino que tampoco le hace ningún favor al medioambiente. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Si bien aquí en Amazon España se lleva casi 5 estrellas este medidor (en concreto en mi caso es el PC60 Premium de Apera) en otros países parece que hay ciertas quejas. Supongo que porque sólo escriben los que han tenido mala suerte con algún medidor, o lo que creo más probable, es gente que ni siquiera se lee las instrucciones para saber cómo usarlo y sobre todo como conservarlo correctamente. Lo he comprado fundamentalmente para poder controlar los parámetros de un acuario y por lo pronto no defrauda, todo lo contrario. Sobre todo el hecho de poder cambiar el sensor ("la punta") por más o menos la mitad de lo que sale el producto entero cuando sea necesario en un futuro resulta una gran ventaja. Es cierto que hay juegos de medidores de pH y TDS por unos 30€, que viene a ser la cuarta parte de lo que cuesta este, pero a diferencia de este ni compensan temperatura, ni son waterproof, ni se puede cambiar la sonda y un largo etc.

Einfache Handhabung. Und ein Gerät was alles messen kann, was die optimale Einstellung der Gehalte im Wasser erleichtert.

Ne ho provati tanti, ma questo è l'unico strumento che restituisce valori precisi e soprattutto ripetitivi, cosa che non è assolutamente scontata. Apera pc60 è davvero un ottimo strumento, fornito con tutti i liquidi neccessari per la sua taratura e mantenimento dell'elettrodo quando non si usa. Lo strumento permette la taratura su 3 punti, ph 4, ph 7 e ph 10, questo assicura una precisione assoluta. Misura tutto e lo fa bene! È caro senza nessun dubbio, ma il prodotto è davvero ottimo. Consiglio l'acquisto

Buen producto y muy buena precisión. Lo recomiendo.

Read that lots of people were saying the conductivity probe would stop working after weeks to months of use. This did make me hesitate buying the product however I thought if it fails, I will just return it. 2 weeks in, I start getting the 0.00 readings like i've read so much about but the PH worked fine.. Im not going to lie I thought it was time to send it back but I thought to myself. I wonder if it's running out of battery. The batteries this instrument is supplied with are of extreme poor quality. The buy a pack of 100 for a pound type.. SWAP THE BLOODY BATTERYS! The testers are fine, keep the probes moist and follow the guidelines. For god sake people, if something that runs of batteries starts to act faulty, don't start kicking off at the manufacturer before making this simple check. To me this is common sense.