Description

The LaMotte Insta-TEST PRO 600 Plus reads seven results from a single strip: free chlorine, bromine, total chlorine, alkalinity, pH, total hardness and cyanuric acid. Each bottle holds 100 strips.

What sets it apart from a basic strip

Most inexpensive strips read three or four things and stop. This one adds cyanuric acid and total hardness, which are the two numbers that quietly cause the most trouble. Stabilizer that has climbed too high locks up chlorine, and hardness that has drifted decides whether a pool scales or goes aggressive. Reading them on the same strip as chlorine and pH means they actually get checked.

Reading the scales

The scales are stepped rather than continuous: chlorine reads 0, 0.50, 1.0, 3.0, 5.0 and 10 ppm, pH reads 6.2 through 9.0, alkalinity runs 0 to 240 ppm, and cyanuric acid runs 0 to 250 ppm. That is enough resolution to decide what a pool needs and to catch a number heading the wrong way.