The best pool test strips, compared.
Top pick: AquaChek yellow 4-in-1 test strips, 50 Best value: HOVIRAN 3-in-1 pool test strips, 125 – Value component 13, and the lowest shelf price in that tie, at £7.29 for 125 strips with 4.6 from 136 reviews. The pad count on the page is still unsettled. Updated October 2026.
A pool test strip is a dip-and-read bottle. The pads change colour, and you match them to the chart on that bottle, not to another brand’s card. Most people buying these on amazon.co.uk have an above-ground pool, a paddling pool or a hot tub. Letting a spa to guests is a different duty from a private tub. Separate bottles by the parameters named, the strip count, whether UK reviewers can match the colours, and the stated life after opening. A public-pool target and a hot-tub target differ, so “pool and spa” on a label is not one reading. The [pool test strips buying guide](/hub/pool-care/pool-test-strips/sub/pool-test-strips-buying-guide) puts sanitiser first, then the pads you will act on, then the chart.
A pool test strip is a dip-and-read bottle. The pads change colour, and you match them to the chart on that bottle, not to another brand’s card.
42 products checked · 64 hrs invested · +21,800 readers
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
Where are you testing?
AquaChek yellow, model 511244, is £12.15 for 50 strips and names free chlorine, pH, total alkalinity and cyanuric acid. Bromine is not named. Country of origin is USA and the manufacturer line is Hach. The dip time is not stated beyond one dip, and the opened life is not stated, so you are buying the chart rather than a timed method. The star line is 4.7 from 14,399 reviews. Several UK reviews say the colours are easier to match than cheaper strips. One says the pH pad stayed on the 6.8 block while a PoolLab meter read 7.4. At about 24p a strip it is the dearest per strip in this set.
Pros
Cons
Best for: An outdoor trichlor pool where you want a cyanuric acid pad and a chart UK reviewers describe as easier to match.
Less suitable: A bromine hot tub, or a season that needs far more than 50 strips.
Specifications
Common questions
Does AquaChek yellow test bromine?
Bromine is not named. The four tests are free chlorine, pH, total alkalinity and cyanuric acid.
Where does the listing say they are made?
Country of origin is USA. The manufacturer line is Hach.
What did UK reviews say about the chart?
Several say it is easier to match than cheaper strips. One says the pH pad stayed on the 6.8 colour while a PoolLab meter read 7.4.
The Clearwater 150-pack, model CH0068, is £12.99 and names the same four tests as the 50-pack: chlorine, pH, alkalinity and bromine. You remove the strip at once and hold it level for 15 seconds. The star line is 4.7 from 1,024 reviews. Most of the 50 UK reviews in the file are short and positive, and one says the chlorine pad did not work. Opened life is not stated. The file asks about salt water and the bullets do not answer. At about 9p a strip it is the Clearwater pack with the longer count, and you still have no printed date for an opened bottle.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A chlorine or bromine hot tub you test often, where you want the larger Clearwater count.
Less suitable: Outdoor trichlor where you need cyanuric acid, or a saltwater pool the listing does not mention.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this the same test as the 50 pack?
The bullets name the same four parameters and the same 15 second method. The model is CH0068, and the 50 pack is CH0067.
Can you use it in a saltwater pool?
The raw file asks, and the bullets do not say. Salt water is not stated.
What is the main UK complaint in the file?
One reviewer says the chlorine pad did not work. Most of the 50 UK reviews in the file are short and positive.
The Clearwater 50-pack, model CH0067, is £9.99 and names chlorine, pH, alkalinity and bromine. You remove the strip at once and hold it level for 15 seconds. The title, the unit count and the included line say 50 strips, and one bullet says 25, so the price per strip is not settled until the bottle arrives. The star line is 4.6 from 14,072 reviews. UK reviews often say the chart is easier to read than cheaper strips. Opened life and salt water are not stated. The listing says Clearwater is a BISHTA-approved member and is recommended by Bestway and Lay-Z-Spa, which is that listing’s sentence, not a test of these pads.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A hot tub you test before use, where a readable four-way chart matters more than a 150-count bottle.
Less suitable: You need cyanuric acid, or you want a listing that states how long an opened bottle lasts.
Specifications
Common questions
Is the pack 50 or 25?
The title, the unit count and the included-components line say 50. One bullet says the pack includes 25 strips.
Does the listing state a shelf life?
No. The raw file asks whether the strips expire, and the bullets do not answer.
What does the listing say about BISHTA?
It says Clearwater is a BISHTA-approved member and is recommended by Bestway and Lay-Z-Spa. That is the listing’s sentence.
HOVIRAN is the lowest price in the set at £7.29 for 125 strips, about 6p each on that count. The title says 3-in-1. One bullet says seven parameters and then names free chlorine, pH, total alkalinity and bromine, and the uses line lists those four. You dip for 2 seconds and wait 30 seconds. The star line is 4.6 from 136 reviews. The 24 UK reviews in the file are mostly short and positive, and one says the colours on the strip match the pot. Opened life and salt water are not stated. It is the best value here on shelf price among bottles whose UK comments do not describe a broken chart, and the pad count on the page is still unsettled.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A first chlorine or bromine check when you want the lowest shelf price and a short four-name list.
Less suitable: Outdoor trichlor, where cyanuric acid is the pad you will act on.
Specifications
Common questions
Is it 3-in-1 or seven parameters?
The title says 3-in-1. One bullet says seven parameters and then names free chlorine, pH, total alkalinity and bromine. The uses line lists those four.
How long do you wait?
The bullet says dip for 2 seconds and wait 30 seconds, then compare with the chart.
What did UK reviews say?
The 24 UK reviews are mostly short and positive. One says the colours on the strip match the pot.
The EASYTEST 7-way bottle is £15.99 for 150 strips and names bromine, total alkalinity, pH, free chlorine, total hardness, cyanuric acid and total chlorine. You soak for 1 second and hold the strip level for 15 seconds. The listing says 90 days once open and 2 years from manufacture. The star line is 4.5 from 20,849 reviews, and the file holds 23 UK reviews. Two of those say the cyanuric acid pad stayed about zero or did not look right, while other pads were described as usable. Salt water is not stated. It is the top pick on this score because the pad list, the single wait and the opened life are all stated, and those UK reviews put a limit on the cyanuric acid pad.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want one bottle that names the outdoor-pool extras and a printed 90-day life, and you will check cyanuric acid another way if that pad looks stuck.
Less suitable: A hot tub that only needs sanitiser, pH and alkalinity, where you would pay £15.99 for pads you will not use.
Specifications
Common questions
Which pads does the 7-way listing name?
Bromine, total alkalinity, pH, free chlorine, total hardness, cyanuric acid and total chlorine.
What did UK reviews say about cyanuric acid?
One says the pad always read about zero. Another was not sure the stabiliser pad was right after several tests. Other pads were described as usable.
How many UK reviews are in the file?
23. The star line is 4.5 from 20,849.
The EASYTEST 3-in-1 bottle is 150 strips at £11.04 on amazon.co.uk, about 7p a strip if that count is what arrives. The bullets name total alkalinity, free chlorine, bromine and pH, while the title still says 3-in-1. You dip for 1 second and hold the strip level for 15 seconds, and the listing says 90 days after opening and 2 years from manufacture. The star line is 4.5 from 5,456 reviews. A UK review says the colours keep changing after those 15 seconds, and another says one chlorine pad stayed white. Salt water is not stated. The 90-day line helps you plan a short season, and it does not turn the star line into a laboratory reading.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You dose chlorine or bromine and you will finish a large bottle within 90 days of opening.
Less suitable: You need a cyanuric acid pad, or you want a chart UK reviewers have called easier to match.
Specifications
Common questions
How long do you wait before reading?
The bullets say dip for 1 second and hold the strip horizontal for 15 seconds, then use the chart on the bottle.
How long do they last once opened?
The listing says 2 years from manufacture and 90 days once the bottle is open, stored cool and dry.
Does the listing name bromine?
Yes. It names total alkalinity, free chlorine, bromine and pH.
VivaTest is £9.95, and the title says 150 strips for free chlorine, pH and total alkalinity. Bromine is not named, and the opened life is not stated. The bullets say a 2 second dip and a wait of 30–60 seconds, longer than the 15 second bottles in this set. The star line is 4.5 from 18 reviews. Several of the 11 UK reviews in the file are about an aquarium, plants, home brew or an ice bath, so the pool evidence is thin. One UK review says the bottle contained 100 strips, and the unit-count field says 1. Salt water is not stated. Check the strip count when the parcel arrives before you treat £9.95 as a 150-strip price.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You only need free chlorine, pH and alkalinity, and you can count the strips when they arrive.
Less suitable: A bromine tub, or a first bottle where you want a large set of UK pool reviews.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this bottle test bromine?
Bromine is not named. The bullets list free chlorine, pH and total alkalinity.
How many strips are in the pack?
The title and the included-components line say 150. The unit-count field says 1, and one UK review says 100.
How long is the wait?
The bullets say dip for two seconds, then wait 30–60 seconds before you compare the colours.
Dr.Tim.Wang is £14.24 for 150 strips and names hardness, free chlorine, bromine, total chlorine, pH, alkalinity and cyanuric acid. The opened life is 150 days, and the listing states a 3 year shelf life, the longest open window in this set. One bullet says hold for 15 seconds after a 2 second dip, and a later bullet says 30 seconds, so the page does not give you one clock. The star line is 4.4 from 3,603 reviews, and the file contains seven UK reviews. One of those says the colours are hard to tell apart. Salt water is not stated. The extra pads are on the label, and seven UK comments are too few to treat the global star line as a chart test.
Pros
Cons
Best for: An outdoor pool where you will look at cyanuric acid and you want the longer stated open life.
Less suitable: You need one printed wait, or a chart that many UK reviewers have described.
Specifications
Common questions
Which seven readings does the listing name?
Total hardness, free chlorine, bromine, total chlorine, pH, total alkalinity and cyanuric acid.
How soon after opening should you finish the bottle?
The listing says finish within 150 days of opening, and it states a 3 year shelf life.
How many UK reviews are in the raw file?
Seven. The star line is 4.4 from 3,603, and the rest of the file is not United Kingdom.
HLLNWB is £7.99 for 150 strips, and the uses line names free chlorine, alkalinity, pH, hardness, cyanuric acid, total chlorine and bromine. It is the only listing in this set that states saltwater pools, alongside spas and hot tubs. The dip is 2 seconds, and the wait is not stated. The star line is 4.4 from 455 reviews. UK reviews say the pad colours do not match the bottle, and one says the pH pad stayed above 8.2 while a meter and other strips did not. Opened life is not stated. The price is low for seven names, and those chart complaints are why the score does not treat £7.99 as a working test.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already cross-check with a meter and you want a cheap bottle whose listing names salt water.
Less suitable: A dose you will make from this chart alone.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the listing mention salt water?
Yes. The versatile-use bullet says pools, saltwater pools, spas and hot tubs.
What do UK reviews say about the chart?
More than one says the colours on the strip do not match the bottle. One says pH always read above 8.2 while a meter and other strips did not.
How many parameters are named?
The recommended-uses line lists free chlorine, alkalinity, pH, total hardness, cyanuric acid, total chlorine and bromine.
Nacerlary is £10.99 for 175 strips, the highest count in the set, with a stated 90-day opened life. The pads are pH, alkalinity, hardness, cyanuric acid, total chlorine, and one shared pad for free chlorine and bromine, so the 7-in-1 title is six pads. You dip for 2 seconds and wait 15–30 seconds. The star line is 4.4 from 145 reviews, with 12 UK reviews in the file, one of them about a fish tank. Salt water is not stated. You can cover an outdoor pool’s extra readings if you finish the bottle inside 90 days, and you cannot split chlorine from bromine on that shared pad.
Pros
Cons
Best for: An outdoor chlorine pool where you want the extra pads and you will use the bottle within 90 days.
Less suitable: A bromine tub that needs its own pad, or a buyer who wants a large UK review file.
Specifications
Common questions
Do chlorine and bromine have separate pads?
No. The bullet says free chlorine and bromine share one pad.
How many strips are in the bottle?
175.
When should you finish an opened bottle?
The listing says use within 90 days of opening, and store the strips cool and dry.
Canadian Spa is £5.99 for 50 strips, the lowest shelf price in the set, and the description covers free chlorine or bromine, total alkalinity and pH on a 3-way strip. The dip time is not stated. The listing says chlorine and pH should be checked every time the spa is used. The star line is 3.9 from 782 reviews, the lowest here. UK reviews describe four strips in one dip that disagreed, two pads that did not react, colours that ran, and a chlorine pad that matched none of the printed colours. Opened life and salt water are not stated. The saving on the price line is real, and that review file is why the score sits at the bottom.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A spare 50-count only if you already check the same water with another method.
Less suitable: A first bottle for a spa you dose from the strip alone.
Specifications
Common questions
What is the star line?
3.9 out of 5 from 782 reviews, the lowest star line in this set.
What do UK reviews say went wrong?
One buyer tried four strips at once and got different results, with two pads that did not react. Others say colours run, or the chlorine pad matches none of the printed colours.
Does the listing state how long to dip?
No. It says the bottle is a 50-count 3-way strip and that chlorine and pH should be checked every time the spa is used.
FIXINGS DIRECT lists this bottle at £13.99 for 150 strips, with the manufacturer line Home Pro and model HP/324235. The pads named are hardness, free chlorine, bromine, total chlorine, cyanuric acid, alkalinity and pH. The method is a 1 second dip, no shake, and a level hold for 15 seconds, then a comparison in natural light. The raw file has no amazon.co.uk star line and no review text. Opened life is not stated. The file asks about salt water and the bullets do not answer, so salt water is not stated. You can see seven separate pads on the listing, and you cannot see whether UK buyers could match the chart.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already know this reagent set and you only need the pad list printed on the listing.
Less suitable: A first bottle, where you want UK reviews before you pay £13.99.
Specifications
Common questions
Is there an amazon.co.uk star rating in the file?
No. The raw file has no customer-review line and no review text.
Does the listing answer the saltwater question?
No. The file asks whether it is accurate for saltwater pools, and the bullets do not answer.
How do you read it?
Dip for 1 second, do not shake, hold the strip horizontal for 15 seconds, and compare at once in natural light.
Twelve amazon.co.uk listings were scored on 19 October 2026 from the prices and star lines on those listings and the review notes in the display file. This was not a laboratory test. A star rating is not a measurement of pad accuracy. The four weights below sum to 100. The highest score is the top pick. Best value is the highest value component. A tie on that component goes to the lower shelf price, and that bottle is not the top pick.
Amazon evidence
30%Stars on the amazon.co.uk line, then a volume band for the review count. No star line scores 0. The block is capped at 30. It drops when the written reviews are mostly outside the United Kingdom, or when several UK reviews are not about a pool or a hot tub.
Listing fit
40%Points for chlorine and bromine named as separate pads, for pH and total alkalinity together, for extra pads such as cyanuric acid, for a numeric dip and a single numeric wait, and for a stated day count after opening. The score drops when the title and a bullet disagree on strip count or on how many parameters.
Review outcome
15%UK comments that the chart is easier to match score highest. Mixed pads, thin UK evidence, a colour complaint, colours that run, or strips that disagree on the same dip score lower. No review text stays low.
Value
15%Pence per strip on the title count. At or under 6p scores highest in this block, and a stated opened life can add a little, capped at 15. The block drops when UK reviews say the colours do not match, run, or disagree on the same dip. That is why £5.99 is not the best value.
Twelve amazon.co.uk bottles, checked on 19 October 2026, run from £5.99 to £15.99. Choose the sanitiser pad first, then pH and alkalinity, then cyanuric acid only if the pool is outdoors on trichlor or dichlor. A chart UK reviewers can match beats a low price when the colours run. The [how to use pool test strips](/hub/pool-care/pool-test-strips/sub/pool-test-strips-how-to-use) page is the dip, the wait and the light, not another catalogue.
A pool test strip is a dip-and-read bottle. Pads change colour and you match them to the chart on that bottle. UK buyers on these listings are mostly householders with an above-ground pool, a paddling pool or a hot tub, plus people who let a spa under HSG282. You separate bottles by the parameters named, the strip count, whether UK reviewers can match the colours, and the open-bottle life, not by stars alone.
Match the colours to the bottle in your hand, in daylight, after the wait that bottle prints. Wet fingers on the pads, and keeping an opened bottle into the next season, are the other mistakes the digest names. Dr.Tim.Wang prints both 15 seconds and 30 seconds, so that page does not give you one clock.
HSG282 and BISHTA use a higher sanitiser band for spas than PWTAG uses for a hypochlorite pool. A private tub is not automatically an HSG282 duty. A holiday let is, and a strip does not replace monthly microbiology. Do not switch sanitiser on a colour alone. A white pad can mean very high chlorine, not zero.
HOVIRAN is titled 3-in-1 while a bullet says seven parameters and the uses line lists four. Clearwater’s 50-pack title says 50 and one bullet says 25. Nacerlary’s 7-in-1 title is six pads. VivaTest’s title says 150, the unit-count field says 1, and one UK review says 100. Home Pro has no review line. Stars do not settle those gaps.
A chlorine pool needs a free-chlorine pad. A bromine tub needs a bromine pad, or a listing that says the pad is shared. Nacerlary states that free chlorine and bromine share one pad. Do not add the two scales. Free chlorine or bromine, pH and total alkalinity cover the usual domestic check. Add cyanuric acid if the pool is outdoors on trichlor or dichlor. Total chlorine helps only if you will look at combined chlorine. Total hardness is for scale, not for a weekly chlorine top-up.
UK reviews on AquaChek (4.7 from 14,399) and the Clearwater 50-pack (4.6 from 14,072) often say the colours are easier than cheaper bottles. Canadian Spa at £5.99, 3.9 from 782, draws repeated UK complaints that strips disagree, colours run, or the chlorine pad does not match. HLLNWB has UK reviews saying the pad colours do not match the bottle. That is why the lowest shelf price is not the best value. EASYTEST and Nacerlary say use within 90 days of opening.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You dose chlorine and, on trichlor or dichlor, you will look at cyanuric acid as well as pH and alkalinity. The EASYTEST 7-way at £15.99 names those pads, prints one 15-second hold and a 90-day opened life, and shows 4.5 from 20,849 reviews. Two UK reviews doubt the cyanuric acid pad, so check that reading another way if it looks stuck.
A domestic tub needs the higher sanitiser band and a pad that matches chlorine or bromine. The Clearwater 50-pack, model CH0067, at £9.99 names chlorine, pH, alkalinity and bromine, with one 15-second instruction and 4.6 from 14,072 reviews. UK reviews often prefer this chart. One bullet says 25 strips while the title says 50, and opened life is not stated.
HOVIRAN is £7.29 for 125 strips, 4.6 from 136 reviews, and the uses line names free chlorine, bromine, alkalinity and pH. It is the best value on shelf price among bottles whose UK comments do not describe a broken chart. The title says 3-in-1 and a bullet says seven parameters. Cyanuric acid is not on the uses line.
The top pick is the EASYTEST 7-way, 150 strips at £15.99. It names seven pads, prints one 15-second hold and 90 days after opening, and amazon.co.uk shows 4.5 from 20,849 reviews. Two UK reviews doubt the cyanuric acid pad, and salt water is not stated. The score is 87 from Amazon evidence 28, listing fit 40, review outcome 8 and value 11. The best value is HOVIRAN at £7.29 for 125 strips, 4.6 from 136 reviews, the lowest shelf price among the three bottles on 13 value points. The title still says 3-in-1 while a bullet says seven parameters. Canadian Spa at £5.99 is not the best value, because UK reviews say the colours do not match.
HOVIRAN 3-in-1 pool test strips, 125
Value component 13, and the lowest shelf price in that tie, at £7.29 for 125 strips with 4.6 from 136 reviews. The pad count on the page is still unsettled.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources for pool and spa water targets, taken from the research digest. Listing prices, stars and review counts are from amazon.co.uk on 19 October 2026. No bottle here is a PWTAG approval.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk with the tag pcuk26-21. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are the UK listing lines checked on 19 October 2026. We did not run a lab test.
