Luster Leaf 1605 Rapitest Digital Soil testing Kit

So far, I've only used the pH test, but I'm very happy with the results. I never worried about pH levels until this past year, when my garden really didn't produce. Doing some research online, I found that pH levels play a critical role in a plant's ability to absorb nutrients. Shortly after that, just by chance, I ran across an old Ferry-Morse pH and Fertility meter at a garage sale. For a buck, what the heck. I tried it, but it stayed pretty much between 7.0 - 7.5. Was my soil that bad, or was this thing not working? I mixed some vinegar into the soil, and it did show movement to the acidic range, but I still wondered, was it working? Moving ahead 3 months, I ran across a TestWest pH meter on Amazon. It looked pretty cool, it seemed a lot easier to use (just poke it into the soil), and it could be used on indoor plants, which isn't specifically addressed with the Ferry-Morse. Once again, for under $15, what the heck. And also, to test everything further, I purchased this Luster Leaf Rapitest Digital Soil Test Kit . Like one of the other reviewers, I had used Luster Leaf's other soil test kit, but found it difficult to analyze the murky colors against the color charts, so I decided to go with this digital kit. Besides, it sounded pretty easy. Mix it up. Put the test tube into the meter, press a button to let the meter read the color and give you the results. What fun. For the test, I used the soil from one of my indoor plants, a 4-1/2 foot hibiscus. I followed Ferry-Morse's instructions, dug some soil out from about 3" down, watered it, let it set and then tested it. The Ferry-Morse read 5.8. The TestWest read 5.9. Pretty darn close. To validate the results, I used the same soil sample with the Luster Leaf Rapitest's pH test. Note: for the Luster Leaf's soil test, I followed Rapitest's instructions and set a bit of soil aside before watering it (they want to start with dry soil). After mixing the soil with the reagent and water, letting it set, placing it into the test chamber and pushing the TEST button, it lit up the 5.5 indicator--which means that the soil pH is between 5.5 and 5.9. I couldn't ask for a better validation (other than spending another $50+ and sending a soil sample to a full-fledged lab). All three tests instruments read within the same pH range. I already amended my garden soil this Fall (before I purchased this soil test kit) with a high sulfur fertilizer and an organic soil acidifier. I'll be testing my garden soil in the Spring with all four tests in this kit. I trust the results implicitly.

Directions were clear and easy to follow. Gave a us a good direction to go with starting our garden and what we need to make our soil healthier.

I do container gardening in Arizona and wanted to see what my soil quality was. This kit is hard to figure out and the instructions are in very small print. The markings on the test tube are almost invisible and become totally so when powdery soil is added. The reagents are in plastic capsules, which are very difficult to open without spilling reagent. A pipette is required but not supplied. I found an empty Scalpicin container and was able to use it as a dropper. All these things compromise accuracy. I would not recommend this kit.

Although this soil testing kit isn't instant, or even quick, or even easy, it's probably much more accurate than the test strips or any probe meter. I say probably because I don't really know but want it to be true. I used this kit to test soil from various parts of my yard before spring fertilizing. I've had real problem with pH in the past, but didn't really have a good handle on the other parameters. I followed the excellent directions, including allowing time for the soil sample suspensions to settle, and using distilled water, and indeed found variations in my yard that corresponded to problem areas. Hopefully, I was able to correct them using the included directions. My point is, this test kit gave me useful data - I think. I really like the light absorption method of measurement, which is much more of a professional lab technique than most testing kits. My only issue is that the base kit only gives you limited testing capacity (a relatively limited number of reagent capsules) so you can use up everything and need more in one testing spree, especially if you do yard and planting beds. Luster Leaf sells replacement capsules, but they aren't inexpensive and you really need to search to find them. You'd think the company would (a) give you more, (b) make it easier to get more. It's kind of like buying a printer where replacement toner cartridges exceed the printer price!!!

I was under the impression from lack of research on my own part- however this kit only helps determine the color change it does not read levels from the soil alone. You still need capsules to add to soil testing and then put them into the machine to read the color- which really you can do with the naked eye. It did help me diagnose my soil as nitrogen only depletion and now my garden is thriving since I was able to fertilize with a nitrogen only formulation to correct the imbalance. Great if you are novice or trying to figure out what is up with your soil- but the cheaper kits without the machine will also do the job just fine.

Ran two tests of pH and NPK, got 2 completely different results. Refill capsules are nearly impossible to find so now the whole kit is useless. Total waste of money.

Living in an area of red clay soil, building a garden spot can be challenging. I have added organics, compost, as well as fertilizer. But I was still at a loss as to whether I had accomplished my goals or not. the Luster Leaf 1605 Rapidtest was exactly what I was looking for. You don't have to mix a chemical with water and then look at a color chart and try to find the color closest to your tube. There is no guessing with this kit. It reads the color for you. It has easy to follow instructions and gives you fast results which take out the guess work. I even retested the same soil to see if I would get consistent results or if the meter would give me a different reading. It was dead on, and it made me feel I was getting a good test. After testing the soil it has instructions as to what you need to do to correct your soil with what to add and even how much. Very satisfied.

Although this is a multi-use kit, you are limited to only four tests and must follow the same process as the original. You still need to purchase separate capsules. The only digital component is a device that reads the color chart for you; this is only useful if you struggle to distinguish colors, making it redundant for most people. I find this marketing gimmick quite dishonest

Very good soil test. Please note: you must run the test in a dark place, otherwise the reader will show false results. This happens due to fact that the reader works with color recognition, which can be affected by strong light passing through the green cover.

It needs capsules. Product comes only with 3 sets of 5 capsules. U need one capsule for each type of test. 1 for potassium 1 for phosphorous, 1 for ph. Product detail must include this information.

Makes it way easier to get a proper reading. Follow the directions though and make sure you let your sample soil settle for at least 24 hours. Very happy with it so far.

el producto llegó antes del tiempo indicado que eran 20 días hábiles. además no mostró fallas. fácil de usar y sin complicaciones.

I bought this unit because it was in the top 3 of reccomended pH testers. But you cannot buy the capsules in the UK, I emailed the makers in America and they cannot give me a suppler in Europe even. So do not buy this white elephant.