LaMotte vs Taylor reagents

[miked19]

Hi Everyone,
i was wondering if there is a difference between the LaMotte DPD 1A, DPD 1B, DPD 3 vs the Taylor’s R-0001, R-0002, and R-0003? I used the LaMotte and Taylor reagents on the Color Q Pro 7 and the produced similar results. The only difference is that the Color Q uses a spectrometer and the Taylor uses a manual comparator. TIA

 

[jblizzle]

None of those are one of the recommended test kits. Your signature says you have the k2006, but the reagents you list are not part of that kit.

In any case, I would not mix and match reagents from different manufacturers.

 

[skimmerswimmer]

I don't believe the reagents are the same and even if they were, I believe the ColorQ Pro 7 dropper sizes are specific for that kit. I don't really rely on my ColorQ Pro since it is not as accurate as the TF-100 and also can't read high FC. The FC, PH, and ALK all tend to read low compared to the TF-100 but the CYA is usually close (+/- 10). The CH reading is laughable...usually low by 100-200 ppm.

As an example:
FC - ColorQ 4.5, TF-100 8.0
PH - ColorQ 7.2, TF-100 7.4
ALK - ColorQ 60, TF-100 80
CH - ColorQ 100, TF-100 275
CYA - ColorQ 30, TF-100 40

Since my weekly test results don't change that much, I use the ColorQ Pro 7 as a quick trending check, knowing what my "real" levels are based on my ColorQ <=> TF-100 comparison history and if something looks off, I use the TF-100 to get the correct reading and make my chemical adjustments accordingly. The ColorQ Pro 7 is OK for convenience (every sample size is the same and every reagent addition is 5 drops) but it can't really be relied on for actionable results.

 

[tim5055]

The Color Q comes up a few times each year. I'm a gadget guy and really wished it worked consistently So, please do not confuse the specificity of the results the ColorQ gives with accuracy. We have had members attempt to use the ColorQ to follow our methods and almost all have abandoned its use due to inaccuracies and inconsistencies. We even had one member test the same sample of water three times in a row and ended up with three different sets of results. Here is an example of a ColorQ post: ColorQ vs TF100 and here is a review where the Color Q was used alongside a TF-100. Test Kit Comparison

 

[Ifkimbrough]

Hello. For the record.. I used the Color Q 7 kit with 20X40 pool with SWG for years without issue. Whenever I brought the water to the local pool store for testing the numbers were always very close suggesting good accuracy. Whenever I repeated tests the numbers showed very little variation so precision was also very good. The only test that had consistent variability was CYA. Using solely this device coupled with advice from this site and pool calculator.com I managed to keep a perfectly balanced and crystal clear pool the majority of 10years. This kit was a game changer for me and I highly recommend.

 

[tim5055]

Hello. For the record.. I used the Color Q 7 kit with 20X40 pool with SWG for years without issue. Whenever I brought the water to the local pool store for testing the numbers were always very close suggesting good accuracy. Whenever I repeated tests the numbers showed very little variation so precision was also very good. The only test that had consistent variability was CYA. Using solely this device coupled with advice from this site and pool calculator.com I managed to keep a perfectly balanced and crystal clear pool the majority of 10years. This kit was a game changer for me and I highly recommend.

The problem is that you are comparing teh ColorQ to what we consider poor testing.

If you have read around here much you have probably seen that not much credence is given to pool store testing. While you would think that a "professional" would be the best, unfortunately in most cases it is quite the opposite. Between employees who blindly trust the word of chemical sales representatives and high school kids working in the pool store for the summer you end up with poor results from their testing. In my case two different pool stores told me my CYA was "fine", around 70 or 80. When I tested myself I found it over 200.

Drop based testing with Taylor reagents is the gold standard in water testing.