The best pool testers, compared.
Top pick: AquaChek yellow test strips Best value: HOVIRAN hot tub test strips – About £7.29 for 125 strips, the lower shelf price of the two bottles on the top value score, with free chlorine, bromine, alkalinity and pH on the uses line. Updated October 2026.
A pool tester is a dip-strip bottle or a tablet comparator for swimming-pool, spa or hot-tub water. You are usually checking free chlorine or bromine, pH and total alkalinity, and you add cyanuric acid when an outdoor pool runs on dichlor or trichlor. A colour you cannot match in daylight is not a result. It names free chlorine, total chlorine, bromine, pH, alkalinity, hardness and cyanuric acid, with a 15 second hold and 90 days once opened. UK reviews in the saved file doubt the cyanuric acid pad. Covers managed pools and covers a domestic hot tub. The [pool tester buying guide](/hub/pool-care/pool-tester/sub/pool-tester-buying-guide) puts the readings you will act on first, then the chart you can match. It is not a drinking-water pen and it is not a general pH meter. The star average on amazon.co.uk is not that measurement. PWTAG’s code is the reference for a managed pool. BISHTA’s factsheets are the reference for a domestic hot tub. It does not name alkalinity or cyanuric acid.
A pool tester is a dip-strip bottle or a tablet comparator for swimming-pool, spa or hot-tub water.
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What water are you testing?
AquaChek yellow, model 511244, is 50 strips at £12.15, about 24p a strip, made by Hach with the origin listed as the USA. The four tests are free chlorine, pH, total alkalinity and cyanuric acid. Bromine is not named, and a dip time and an opened life are not stated. The star line is 4.7 from 14,399 reviews, the highest stars in this set. UK reviews treat the colours as closer to familiar charts than cheaper strips, and they often call the chlorine pad readable. The same file says the alkalinity colour is hard to match, that one pH was wrong while the chlorine looked right, and that one bottle showed no change after chemicals were added. The title says swimming pool and spa, and the recommended-uses field says swimming pool. A strong star line still leaves the colour as a judgement.
Pros
Cons
Best for: An outdoor chlorine pool where cyanuric acid is the extra you will act on, and 50 strips will last the season.
Less suitable: A bromine hot tub, or a daily test that would finish 50 strips in a few weeks.
Specifications
Common questions
How many strips are in the pack?
50. The model number on the listing is 511244.
Does it detect bromine?
Bromine is not named. The four tests are free chlorine, pH, total alkalinity and cyanuric acid.
Can it test spa water?
The title says swimming pool and spa. The recommended-uses field says swimming pool.
Clearwater CH0067 is £9.99: the title, unit count and included-components line say 50 strips, one bullet says 25, and at 50 strips that is about 20p each. The listing names chlorine, pH, alkalinity and bromine, and it says dip and remove immediately, then wait 15 seconds. Free versus total chlorine is not stated, shelf life is not stated, and one UK reviewer found no expiry or manufacture date on the bottle. The star line is 4.6 from 14,072 reviews. UK reviews often call the chart easy and mention repeat buys for inflatable hot tubs. Complaints include pH grades that are hard to separate, including for a red-green colour-blind reader, alkalinity greens that are hard to grade, and a result that disagreed with a pool-shop test. The listing says Clearwater is a BISHTA-approved member. That line is not a test certificate for this bottle.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A hot tub you test often, if you can separate the chart colours and you accept the 50-versus-25 conflict.
Less suitable: An outdoor pool that needs a cyanuric acid pad, or a bottle you will keep into a second season without a date.
Specifications
Common questions
How many strips are in the pack?
The title, unit count and included-components line say 50. One bullet says 25 strips.
Does it work with bromine and chlorine?
Both chlorine and bromine are named, with pH and alkalinity.
Is a shelf life stated?
No shelf life is stated. One UK reviewer found no expiry or manufacture date on the bottle.
HOVIRAN is 125 strips at £7.29, about 6p a strip. The uses line names free chlorine, bromine, total alkalinity and pH. The title says 3-in-1, and one bullet says seven parameters and then names those four. You dip for 2 seconds and wait 30 seconds, and shelf life is not stated. The star line is 4.6 from 136 reviews, with 24 UK reviews in the file. Most of those are short and positive, one reviewer says the pad colours match the pot, and the bottle has been used on a Lay-Z-Spa. One reviewer saw free chlorine only: alkalinity and pH did not show on tap water or pool water. Cyanuric acid and total chlorine are not stated, so you buy the four tests on the uses line, and the seven-parameter bullet does not add pads the listing then fails to name.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A hot tub or a small pool where you test often and you only need those four readings.
Less suitable: An outdoor pool on trichlor, where the missing cyanuric acid pad is the one you would act on.
Specifications
Common questions
Can it test chlorine?
Free chlorine is named. Total chlorine is not stated.
How many strips are in the pack?
125.
Can it be used for spas?
The title and the closing bullet name hot tubs and spas, and the closing bullet also names inground pools.
The EASYTEST 7-way is 150 strips at £15.99, about 11p a strip. It names bromine, total alkalinity, pH, free chlorine, total hardness, cyanuric acid and total chlorine. You dip for 1 second and hold the strip flat for 15 seconds, and the listing says 2 years from manufacture and 90 days once opened. The star line is 4.5 from 20,849 reviews. The file held 23 UK reviews against that headline, and the recurring doubt in them is the cyanuric acid pad, which stayed at or near zero, including after stabiliser was added. The other named pads are why this score is the highest in the set. Salt water is not stated. A wide strip is still a colour match, and that stabiliser complaint is why the score is not a claim that every pad is right.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want free and total chlorine on one dip and you will finish or replace the bottle inside 90 days.
Less suitable: You are buying it mainly to trust the cyanuric acid pad without a second check.
Specifications
Common questions
Can it be used for a swimming pool?
Yes. The listing names hot tubs, baths, swimming pools and spas.
Does it test cyanuric acid?
Yes. Cyanuric acid is one of the seven named tests. UK reviews in the file doubt that pad.
How should you read it?
Dip for 1 second, hold the strip flat for 15 seconds, and compare with the bottle chart in daylight.
The EASYTEST 3-in-1 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 2 years from manufacture and 90 days once the bottle is opened. The star line is 4.5 from 5,456 reviews, with 50 UK reviews in the file. Those reviews praise pads that stay separate if you read them on time, and they also describe a chlorine pad that stayed white, a pH colour too faint to match, and readings that disagreed with Clearwater or LaMotte strips. Colour that keeps moving after the 15 seconds, and strips that stopped reading true before the bottle was finished, come up in the same file. Salt water is not stated.
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
Does it test chlorine?
The listing names free chlorine, and also bromine, total alkalinity and pH. Total chlorine is not stated.
How long do the strips last?
The listing says 2 years from manufacture and 90 days once the bottle is opened.
Can it test spa water?
The listing says swimming pool, hot tub, spa and other water testing.
RAP’s 5-in-1 is 100 strips at £12.92, about 13p a strip. The listing names pH, free chlorine or bromine on a shared description, total alkalinity, cyanuric acid and total hardness, and it says to wait 30 seconds against the chart on the bottle. A dip time in seconds is not stated, and the stated shelf life is 3 years from manufacture, with no printed expiry date. The star line is 4.5 from 982 reviews. UK reviews in the file call some checks quick, and one reviewer found them close to a digital reading. The same file includes a very inaccurate pH, including a wrong dose over a week, alkalinity and pH that disagreed with a Pool Lab, pads that bleed, and one parcel with no instruction chart. One UK reviewer says the strips measure free chlorine, not total chlorine, and salt water is not stated in the specification lines.
Pros
Cons
Best for: An outdoor pool on stabilised chlorine where you also want a hardness pad and you will cross-check an odd pH.
Less suitable: A daily hot-tub dose from this bottle alone, after the reviews of a wrong pH over a week.
Specifications
Common questions
Does it measure total chlorine?
Total chlorine is not named. One UK reviewer says the strips measure free chlorine, not total chlorine.
Can it test saltwater pools?
Salt water is not stated in the specification lines. The uses line says hot tubs, swimming pools and spas.
How often does the listing say to test?
At least every week, and more often under heavy use.
HLLNWB’s 7-in-1 is 150 strips at £7.99, about 5p a strip. It names free chlorine, alkalinity, pH, total hardness, cyanuric acid, total chlorine and bromine. You dip for 2 seconds, the wait after that is not stated, and shelf life is not stated. The listing says pools, saltwater pools, spas and hot tubs are suitable, and a salinity pad is not named. The star line is 4.4 from 455 reviews. UK reviews like the price and the wide pad set, and some say the strips agreed with tablets. The complaints are a pH pad called unreliable, including a reading stuck above 8.2 while phenol red, other strips and a meter read lower, colours missing from the bottle chart, and chlorine judged by brightness rather than hue. A seven-way at this price only helps if you can match those colours.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a cheap seven-way and you will check an odd colour against tablets or a shop test.
Less suitable: You need a chart you can trust on the first dip, with no second method in the house.
Specifications
Common questions
Can it test chlorine?
Yes. Free chlorine and total chlorine are both named, with bromine, alkalinity, pH, hardness and cyanuric acid.
How many strips are in the box?
150. The unit count is 150 and the number-of-items field is 1.
Does it measure salt?
The listing says saltwater pools are suitable. A salinity pad is not named.
The Lovibond kit is £19.99 for 20 tablet tests, about £1 a test before any refill. DPD No.1 Rapid reads free chlorine on a printed scale of 0.5–6.0 mg/l, and phenol red Rapid reads pH on 6.8–8.2. Alkalinity, bromine, cyanuric acid and total chlorine are not named. The bullets say the rapid tablets last five years, are free of boric acid, and that a manual is included. The star line is 4.4 from 57 reviews, with 13 UK reviews in the file. Several of those say the block is easier to read than strips, and one buyer was on a second kit in ten years. One reading showed a high chlorine colour on tap water, one parcel had no usable instructions, and the plastic is called substandard in that file. Refill sizes 100, 250 and 500 are named, and the refill price is not stated.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You only need free chlorine and pH, and a liquid colour is easier for you than a row of pads.
Less suitable: A hot tub you test before every use, or an outdoor pool where cyanuric acid changes the dose.
Specifications
Common questions
What is the measurement range?
The listing states free chlorine 0.5–6.0 mg/l and pH 6.8–8.2.
Does it come with a manual?
The bullets say an instruction manual is included. One UK reviewer says the parcel had no usable instructions.
Does it test alkalinity or cyanuric acid?
Neither is named. The kit is free chlorine and pH only. Refill sizes 100, 250 and 500 are named; refill price is not stated.
Canadian Spa KA-10052 is 50 strips at £5.99, the lowest shelf price in the set, about 12p a strip. The title names free chlorine or bromine on a shared description, total alkalinity and pH. A wait time is not stated on the listing, one reviewer says within 1 minute, and shelf life is not stated. The bullets say 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 strips used together that disagreed, pads that did not change or all turned yellow, colours that ran, a pH that read low when the reviewer believed it was high, and a chlorine colour that was not on the chart. A smaller set still calls the colours easy, while side-by-side checks against other brands, including Lay-Z-Spa strips, did not match. The price is real, and that pattern is why this is a poor bottle to dose from on its own.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A spare 50-count only if you already check the same water with another method.
Less suitable: The only tester for a spa you dose before each use.
Specifications
Common questions
Can it test bromine?
Yes. The title names free chlorine/bromine, total alkalinity and pH.
How often should these be used?
The bullets say chlorine and pH should be checked every time the spa is used.
Are the colours easy to read?
Some UK reviews say yes. Many say pads do not change, colours run, or strips from one test disagree.
Nine amazon.co.uk listings were scored on 19 October 2026 from the prices, star lines and review notes on those listings. This was not a laboratory test. A colour match is not a claim that the water is safe, and no score here is a PWTAG approval. The four weights below sum to 100.
Amazon evidence
30%Stars on amazon.co.uk take a share of this block, then a band for how many reviews sit on the listing. No star line scores 0. The block is capped at 30. A star rating is not a measurement of pad or tablet accuracy.
Listing fit
40%Points for separate free chlorine and bromine, or free and total chlorine, for pH with alkalinity, for cyanuric acid and hardness, for a numeric dip and wait, and for a stated opened life. A title that disagrees with a bullet on strip count or on how many parameters is deducted. The block is floored at 0.
Review outcome
15%UK comments that the chart is easier to match score highest. The same praise scores lower when a meter, a shop or tap water is part of the disagreement. Repeated mismatch, running colours, or strips that disagree on the same dip score lowest.
Value
15%Pence per test uses the title count. At or under 6p scores highest in this block, and above 16p scores lowest, with a small addition when an opened life in days is stated. The block is capped at 15. The lowest shelf price does not win when UK reviews say the colours cannot be matched.
A pool tester in this comparison is a strip bottle or the Lovibond tablet comparator, not a drinking-water meter. On these nine amazon.co.uk listings the shelf runs from about £5.99 to about £19.99. Pay first for the readings you will act on, then for a chart you can match, then for reagents you will finish before they expire. A large star line that still names a pad you cannot read does not outrank a chart people can match.
A pool tester for this comparison is a dip-strip bottle or a tablet comparator that reads swimming-pool, spa or hot-tub chemistry. It is not a drinking-water TDS pen and it is not a general pH meter. Quality is whether you can match the colour in daylight and whether a second method agrees. The star average on amazon.co.uk is not that measurement. PWTAG’s code is the reference for a managed pool. BISHTA’s factsheets are the reference for a domestic hot tub.
EASYTEST prints a 1 second dip and a 15 second hold. HOVIRAN prints 2 seconds and then 30 seconds. A missing wait on AquaChek, Canadian Spa or the Lovibond kit is not a quiet 15 seconds. Wet fingers on the pads, and judging colours under a warm bulb, show up as the usual reasons a chart will not match.
A result you cannot match is not a result. UK reviews in this set include a cyanuric acid pad near zero, a pH stuck above 8.2 against a meter, and colours missing from a bottle chart. Cross-check with a second method before you add chemicals. Do not keep an opened bottle into next season when the listing states an opened life in days.
RAP and Canadian Spa name free chlorine and bromine on a shared description. That is one reading, not a separate chlorine test and a separate bromine test. HOVIRAN’s bullet says seven parameters and then names four. Clearwater’s title says 50 strips and one bullet says 25. Buy the tests the uses line actually names.
Free chlorine or bromine, pH and total alkalinity cover a normal domestic check. Add cyanuric acid for an outdoor pool on dichlor or trichlor. Add total chlorine only if you will subtract it from free chlorine to see chloramines. Hardness is for scale, not a daily sanitiser top-up. The EASYTEST 7-way and HLLNWB name all seven readings. AquaChek names free chlorine, pH, alkalinity and cyanuric acid, and does not name bromine. RAP adds hardness and shares free chlorine with bromine.
Strips are one dip and a chart. A comparator reads liquid colour. Pool Chemicals says strips are faster and less precise. You need a numeric dip and a numeric wait, or a printed scale, before the timing is a fact. EASYTEST prints 1 second then 15 seconds, and 90 days once opened. HOVIRAN prints 2 seconds then 30 seconds, with no opened life. Clearwater says remove immediately, then 15 seconds, and states no shelf life. RAP prints a 30 second wait and 3 years from manufacture.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You dose dichlor or trichlor and you want cyanuric acid named on the same dip as free and total chlorine. The EASYTEST 7-way at about £15.99 is the top pick for that pad set, with 4.5 from 20,849 reviews. UK reviews in the saved file doubt the cyanuric acid pad, so cross-check that one reading.
You need enough strips for a test before each use, and you act on free chlorine or bromine, pH and alkalinity. HOVIRAN is 125 strips at about £7.29, with 4.6 from 136 reviews. The sample is thinner than Clearwater or AquaChek, and shelf life is not stated.
You find a row of pads hard to match and you only need free chlorine and pH. The Lovibond comparator at about £19.99 prints scales of 0.5–6.0 mg/l and pH 6.8–8.2, with 4.4 from 57 reviews. Twenty tests is a poor fit if you test a hot tub every day, and alkalinity is not named.
The top pick is the EASYTEST 7-way, 150 strips at about £15.99, with 4.5 from 20,849 reviews. It names seven tests, prints a 1 second dip and a 15 second hold, and states 90 days once opened. UK reviews in the saved file doubt the cyanuric acid pad. The best value is HOVIRAN at about £7.29 for 125 strips, the lower shelf price of the two bottles on the top value score. Its uses line names four tests. A bullet that says seven parameters does not name extra pads. Canadian Spa at about £5.99 is the lowest shelf price and is not the best value, because UK reviews describe pads that disagree, run, or do not match.
HOVIRAN hot tub test strips
About £7.29 for 125 strips, the lower shelf price of the two bottles on the top value score, with free chlorine, bromine, alkalinity and pH on the uses line.
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 managed-pool chemistry, hot-tub factsheets and chlorine colour chemistry, taken from the research digest. Listing prices, stars and review counts are from amazon.co.uk on 19 October 2026.
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.
