Long discussion going on in Soil, Compost & Mulch about pH meter accuracy. But the real question is ... how accurate do you need it? For just about any home gardening application, pH test strips or test drops are adequate and much cheaper than a fully functional and decently calibrated electronic pH meter. They are probably good to better than +/-0.5 on the pH scale. You can get those strips all over the place. Pool supply stores stock several varieties. Look up "pH Hydrion".

Let me just add that the three in one meters are pretty much a waste of time. Using distilled water, the test strips are the most accurate for the money. Or you can splurge on more expensive, single purpose probes or meters but for vegetable gardening needs, the test strips will provide as much detail as you need.

Your local cooperative extension should do it for pretty cheap, if you want a trustworthy test. If you want to do it yourself in the future, its worth purchasing a kit from whichever university runs your cooperative extension. I'm in NY, so I ordered one directly from Cornell University.

The "wide range kit", which samples pH 3.8-8.6 is actually fairly pricey, and most gardeners will mainly want to know if their bed is at some extreme pH. The standard and low-range kits really don't sample alkalinity at all. The standard kit samples 5.0-7.2, which is sort of the "who cares?" range.

Yes, the wide range kit was $36, but worth it in my opinion. My cooperative extension will do the test for a few bucks. I wonder how long the solutions are accurate for.

Not all cooperative extension offices test soil and/or provide pH info from your samples. Two states I'm familiar with are Oregon & California.

Oh really? That's a bummer. Mine will only do ph tests. If I want a soil analysis, I have to send it to Cornell University directly. Those tests can range from about $60-$170, depending on how thorough you want it.

Chris, you are likely referring to the buffer solutions. Those are good for years if kept refrigerated and not contaminated. They can also be purchaced. For most of us in East a set of buffer solutions of pH 4.0 and 7.0 are sufficient. But meters, specifically electrodes, can read erratically and may need to be refurbished.

Yes, that was a surprise to me that not all states have extension services that offer low-cost soil tests. It would be interesting to understand the incentive for not doing that. Maybe the commercial soil testing labs have good lobbyists in those states? But paying money to have someone measure your pH is like paying someone to come and blow the dust off your garden tools. Unlike for a detailed nutrient analyses, pH is trivial to measure.

Dan, it's not that hard to understand. I had a meeting with an Assoc. Dean of major university college of Ag who thought that asking extension offices to carry soil test kits was too demanding. He eventually closed the forage testing branch of the lab but later reopened it as a plant tissue analysis program. One fanatical decision maker is all it takes.

That's interesting, Barrie. I wasn't talking about marketing kits, but rather just doing sample analysis. Our TAMU extension has a nice system, where for $10, you can get a pretty thorough analysis done. I have to assume these analyses aren't being done by certified lab technicians with salaries and benefits, but just by supervised students who are learning how to be soil techs. I guess it just depends what your educational priorities are.

Funding can be an issue too.

Well, if you set your price right, funding won't be an issue. That's how it's done commercially. Student help is pretty cheap.

True. It's actually done by the master gardener volunteers here, so it costs them nothing.

I appreciate all the comments but my question is still HOW ACCURATE is the 3 in 1 ph testers. Anyone know if they can be trusted in general for ph readings? I don't need precise readings, just need to know if my soil is too sweet. Anyone ever actually tested these things? gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9) says they are not worth the money. Is that because they are totally off always?

They are just not accurate, beginning with the issue that they are difficult to calibrate accurately before use. Issues with them and their inaccuracy are discussed in this thread - the 3-in-1 tested out at a pH of 5.5 when in fact the pH was really closer to 7.0. Which is a pretty significant difference!!

Thanks gardengal. Do you have a model that you would recommend I buy? Budget around $50?

I'd go with the Rapitest pH test strips. At under $7 for 10 tests, it is your best bet and least expensive option for decent accuracy and they are available at any big box store or retail nursery. I have gardened my entire lifetime and I am a professional consulting horticulturist and IMO, a fancy, expensive meter/prob (that actually works) is just not necessary for most home gardeners.

Thanks, I tan animal pelts, garden and test acidity of solutions so I'm looking for something quick and easy. I've concluded it's not possible unless I spend $300+. LOL