Luster Leaf 1601 Rapitest Soil Test Kit
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List Price: Our Price: $10.10 You Save: $6.89 (41%) Availability: Usually ships in 4-5 business days Buy Used: from $10.00 (click here) Category: Lawn & Patio See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Luster Leaf 1601 Rapitest Soil Test Kit
Customer Review: A solid kit for the amateur gardener
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased this kit to get a better understanding of why some of my shrubs were not blooming on schedule or at all and after doing some research I had a feeling that their N, P, K, and pH were out of balance.
This kit came highly recommended at Amazon, so I went ahead and purchased it.
Suspicions confirmed! I need more N and P.
This kit is well-designed and easy to use. The pre-measured capsules are brilliant, making sure that you only put in exactly the right amount of reagent each time. My son and I spent an afternoon following the simple directions and pulled 3 different soil samples for testing. The instructions were clear, and the color windows made it easy to see exactly where the samples stood.
The only reasons I did not rate this a 5 star product were (1) The capsules can be a little tough for big fingers. You need to pull the capsules open to pour the contents in a little tube (2) The mixing chamber is also a small target to shoot for, making it hard to get all of the capsule powder into the sample (3) The testers themselves are easily knocked over - they are shaped like oversized dominos, and have a similar propensity to fall over.
But all that notwithstanding, for the price, the ease of use, and the quick results, I still recommend this product for the job.
Customer Review: Capsules Break Down, One Time Use
Summary: 2 Stars
The biggest problem with the kit is that after some time the capsules break down. The chemicals inside eat their way out of the plastic and who knows if the test is accurate after that has happened. I used the kit in spring of 2010 and it worked nicely. About 3 months later I went to use it again for a fall planting and the capsules had corroded. I know that this is not a fluke as I found the same kits in a hardware store and all of them were corroded in the same fashion. I used the kit anyway and compared results to a brand new different test I bought. The results did not coincide. Consider the kit a one time use and it is fine. However, the newer kit I bought (not on amazon but can be found in the big blue hardware stores) has cylindrical tubes and tablets foil packed like some pharmacy drugs. It is faster (the kit I am reviewing makes you wait 30min to 24hrs at one point), easier, cheaper, clearer, uses less soil and I think the capsules will last longer. I highly recommend you skip the capsule kits and buy the foil packed one. Happy Gardening!Customer Review: Difficult to remove capsules
Summary: 3 Stars
There is a problem trying to remove the powder from the capsules, They 2 halves of the capsule stick together and if you pull too hard the powder goes all over the place. Also, the color differences are subtle sometimes.Customer Review: Doesn't store well
Summary: 3 Stars
As others said, it works fairly well, although the process is a bit involved. A warning, though: the capsules do not store at all well. I followed the storage directions, but over the course of two years they pulled a lot of moisture in from the air. Once they do that, they won't dissolve well any more, making them useless. So don't buy more than you need for one season, and then just throw out leftovers at the end of the year. I'd even be a little nervous about a set remaining active over a single season.
I also wish they sold replacement capsules at prices significantly less than the starter set. It offends my sense of ecology to have to buy a new set of the little containers each year. I'd actually prefer they raised the initial cost a bit and improved the method of getting the capsules into the right part of the container, perhaps by including a funnel.
Customer Review: Don't waste your money
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought this test kit hoping to find out how my garden soil is doing. I had our land professionally tested several years ago and followed the directions for amending the soil, and wanted to see how well it was doing. This time, I decided to "cheap out" and buy a test kit. Bad mistake. I sampled from seven different sites on my land according to the directions. In each case, I have excess K, and no appreciable N or P. This completely defies logic, as there's plenty already growing there and it would not be if there was insufficient nitrogen. Don't waste your money. Use your state or county extension agency and have them do the soil testing. For about the same price, you'll get accurate information as well as instructions for amending your soil.