Best test kit ?

[Vlado4x4]

I´ll be in the states next month and i wanted to buy (among other things) test kits.
Could someone tell me wich are the best test kits out there ? The most reliable ?
I hear API has good test kits and they are easy to read, is this so ?

I need everything, cause right now i have Red Sea test kit and it is impossible to read, very hard

Thanks

[neoalchemist74]

They are a little more expensive but salifert are some of the better test kits. It depends though. For ammonia , nitrite and nitrate I just use API thier cheap and relatively accurate. But for stuff like calcium and alkalinity Salifert tests are way more accurate and easy to use and read. for phosphate look up the Hanna Phoschecker

[Agu]

Salifert test kits are the best imho.

[fcmatt]

API works really well for PH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, calcium, KH, and perhaps copper if you
read the directions closely. Keep in mind that buying singles is more expensive then buying
their Kits. One is called "marine" and the other is "reef". Each one contains a certain
mix of tests. Phosphate being the worst in my mind.

A better buy which is less expensive then salifert is Sera. They have a very nice plastic
brief case type kit which contains almost everything you need. I use their phosphate test
kit and it is very nice. The LFS I goto uses all their other kits and I watched the process
for many of them. Pretty darn good for less then salifert and you can get your Made In
Germany fix going.

I just think you may have better luck asking people what they like for each specific test
and ordering online if you plan to stay in one spot in the US with a mailing address for a
couple weeks. You can save so much and cherry pick the best for each. No one brand
seems to work for everything in my mind. You could even over night it and probably stay
under the price of buying at a LFS you will never return to... (I tend to buy at my LFS
because I want them to stay in business, fyi).

I feel for less then 100 US dollars you should be able to walk away with almost every kit
you need except for more obscure ones like iodine or strontium if you become a savvy
shopper and save where you can. A PH test kit, pfft, API works fine. Phosphate? Spend
a bit more. Nitrite? You could probably safely skip that. Copper? Perhaps seachem if you
like cupramine. etc...

[Mavrk]

I like to use API for regular testing, and Salifert or Elos for my less frequent tests. The API gives me a general idea and is cheaper. For Nitrates, the API is useless for me because it doesn't read low enough or have the same accuracy range. The Salifert is great for this.

Ordering online is definitely cheaper as mentioned above. FWIW, I have yet to find a phosphate kit that is worth anything. The probes are much better (well at least some of them are), but too expensive for me.

[crvz]

I'm a salifert guy, I've been using them for years and have never had a problem.

[Kache]

API is what I use for a while now. Easy to use.

[fishome25]

I actually started a test kit review thread. check it out and contribute.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1891693