Chlorine Test Strips for Pools & Spas

We have a larger Taylor testing box that I try to use a few days a week, and take the samples to the pool place in town every Saturday.The test strips will never replace either of those things, they just don't get accurate enough to help dose chemicals, but they are a good gut check to see how you are doing, and if it is time to test again. Simple to use, easy to read - not much else you can say about these.

I picked these up to use along with my standards Taylor liquid reagent kit. This allows me to make quick tests for pool chemical levels. It's fast and accurate. I compared it to my liquid tests and the results were very close. Obviously if you want more precise readings, you will want the liquid drop tests, but this is great for quick check without the need to get out all the testing supplies.

While some pool test strips can be hit or miss these Taylor strips are pretty spot on. I have a k2006 test kit to benchmark these against and things look very promising. The chlorine reading has been spot on even when at 1ppm the test strip is able to register a reading. PH has been fairly close but not as accurate as the k2006 it is more of a ballpark. Total alkalinity is a bit on the lower side with these strips. The most surprising test was the cya reading. The k2006 cloud test is a pain and uses lots of regent but these strips come pretty close in detecting the ballpark CYA levels. Though the scaling is pretty out of whack for CYA since anything past the 3rd color gradient is an issue. All in all this is a great low maintenance test kit for fast checkups and saving regent from the bigger kit.

I have always been hesitant to try sample strips as my drop kit is relatively easy to use and is reliable. When I saw that these strips were made by the same company as my drop kit I knew I could trust it, so I gave them a shot.They've proven to be a great addition to my routine where I can now use a strip or two midweek to keep an eye on my water, and if the results look off I can pull out the test kit for confirmation. Otherwise, I've just been using these regularly with a drop kit test on the weekends to make sure everything is in line. I find that the results are a little bit less accurate (i.e., strips are a little bit harder to read than counting the number of drops to turn water from one color to another), but they are accurate enough to know if you're in the acceptable range or way off.Definitely worth considering adding these to your routine.

I have all of the Taylor drip chemical tests, but sometimes I just want a fast test of the pool water and that’s where these come in. They seem to give you numbers in the ballpark, though some of the colors aren’t easy to match up. I have another brand of test strips that seem to reflect the chemical levels better.I’ve been using the using the Taylor drip tests forever, and not sure if these test strips are any better than other brand test strips.