The 7 Best Pool Test Kits of 2024, According to Our Testing

Hello, my friend, hello again; today we come together to talk about The 7 Best Pool Test Kits of 2024, According to Our Testing and hope the blog can help you.

We put these pool test kits through a test of our own to ensure users are in the know about the chemistry of their pools.

Pool water should be clean, clear, and safe to swim in, but without checking the content of the water with a pool water test kit, it’s not possible to know whether the chlorine level is too high, too low, or perfectly balanced. Pool test kits can also be used to check the pH level, total alkalinity, calcium hardness, cyanuric acid levels, and salt levels for saltwater pools.

To bolster our own research, we talked to Rafi Friedman, President of Coastal Luxury Outdoors in Jacksonville, Florida, who shared his expert advice on how homeowners can take best care of their pool. Regardless of the size or type of pool the owner is trying to maintain, it’s necessary to have a pool testing kit. These kits help achieve the appropriate balance of chemicals to kill bacteria and plant growth while ensuring the water is safe for people to swim in without ending up with red, aching eyes or irritated skin. Browse this list of top products to get an idea of the best pool test kit—we even tested several kits to make the shopping process easier. 

1. BEST OVERALL: Taylor Technologies K-2006 Complete Pool Test Kit
2. BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: U.S. Pool Supply 3-Way Swimming Pool & Spa Test Kit
3. BEST LIQUID: HTH Pool Care 6-Way Chemical Test Kit 
4. BEST TEST STRIPS: Runbo 7-in-1 Pool Test Strips 
5. BEST DIGITAL: ESeasonGear Salt-3000 Pool & Pond Salt Water Meter
6. BEST SALTWATER: Taylor Technologies K-2005-Salt Complete Pool Test Kit
7. BEST CHLORINE: Poolmaster 5-Way Test Kit

How We Tested the Best Pool Test Kits

Before we could put together a list of the best pool test kits, we wanted to perform some tests of our own. We needed to ensure that each kit could deliver on its claims and provide enough value for its price point. Admittedly, the chemistry of the pool we tested was way out of whack, but it proved to be the perfect testing point.

First, we opened each kit and followed the directions to test all the different elements. In the process, we took note of how easy they were to use and understand, and which ones felt overwhelming. Next, we compared the elements and convenience of each kit with its price point to ensure that it provided enough value. Pool test kits that were either too difficult to use or too expensive for their purposes were tossed aside, while those that passed were given awards based on their strengths. 

Testing Stats
Products tested	7
Time spent testing	8 hours
Tests performed	5
Price range	$10 to $80

Our Top Picks

Make sure the pool chemicals are balanced and the pool pump and filtration system are working properly with a pool test kit. Consider these top products selected based on kit type, test elements, accuracy, and overall quality to help find the best pool test kit.

Best Overall

Taylor Technologies K-2006 Complete Pool Test Kit

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Our Ratings: Ease of Use 5/5; Storage 5/5; Value 5/5

Product Specs 

• Test type: Liquid
• Water types: Chlorine and saltwater
• Test elements: Free and total chlorine, bromine, pH level, acid and base demand, calcium hardness, total alkalinity, and cyanuric acid

Pros

• Full test kit included; tests for free and total chlorine, bromine, pH level, acid and base demand, and more 
• Can work in conjunction with saltwater tests if needed
• Secure reagent storage keeps all test equipment in order when in storage 

Cons

• Vial lid is poorly fitted; may leak or spill during use 

Keep the pool water clean, clear, and safe for use with this Taylor Technologies liquid pool test kit. The titrimetric kit has a comprehensive collection of reagents, allowing the user to measure a variety of factors in the pool water, including free and total chlorine, bromine, pH level, acid and base demand, calcium hardness, total alkalinity, and stabilizer (cyanuric acid) levels.

The Taylor pool test kit is made for chlorine pools, but it can be used in conjunction with a saltwater pool test kit for saltwater pools. It comes in a blue plastic container that has a lid to keep the reagents safe while not in use—they slide into friction-fit grooves for a secure grip. It also includes a water balance calculator to quickly and easily reference the appropriate pH level, calcium hardness, total alkalinity, and more.

This Taylor test kit proved to be a true chemistry experiment during pool water testing. However, it is no more difficult to use than most of the other liquid tests, and we like that it helps determine how much of a particular product it would take to amend the pool pH, alkalinity, or chlorine levels. Our major complaint is that the rubber cap didn’t stay put during testing, so keeping accurate water levels was a bit of a challenge.

Get the Taylor Technologies pool test kit at Amazon, The Home Depot (2-pack), or Walmart.

Best Bang For The Buck

U.S. Pool Supply 3-Way Swimming Pool & Spa Test Kit

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Our Ratings: Ease of Use 4/5; Storage 4.5/5; Value 5/5

Product Specs 

• Test type: Liquid
• Water type: Chlorine
• Test elements: Chlorine, bromine, and pH

Pros

• Affordable price point compared to other pool test kits 
• Simple 2-part reagents for accuracy while testing 
• Comes with a plastic case for safe and easy storage 

Cons

• Limited test elements compared to other pool test kits 

Though it’s important to check the pool water for the appropriate chemical balance, users may not want to perform six or seven tests every time they assess the pool. This inexpensive liquid pool test kit comes in a small blue container for safe storage. It can measure only pH level, chlorine level, and bromine level, but for small residential chlorine pools and hot tubs, the basic tests are enough.

The titrimetric pool test kit includes a clear-view water testing block with a color scale that’s labeled with minimum and maximum ranges for chlorine, bromine, and pH. To test the water, just fill the block with a pool water sample, then add five drops of the appropriate reagent to each test tube. Shake the block to mix the solution properly, then check the results. The kit is simple, effective, and inexpensive, and it comes with a plastic case to keep everything secure when not in use.

Get the U.S. Pool Supply pool test kit at Amazon or Walmart.

Best Liquid

HTH Pool Care 6-Way Chemical Test Kit

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Our Ratings: Ease of Use 5/5; Storage 3.5/5; Value 5/5

Product Specs 

• Test type: Liquid
• Water types: Chlorine and saltwater
• Test elements: Chlorine, bromine, pH, alkalinity, calcium hardness, and cyanuric acid

Pros

• Easiest liquid kit to use; simply add some water to the testing block 
• Directions were easier to understand than other kits; suitable for first-time users as well as pros 
• 100 weekly tests’ worth of reagents; lasts for a long time 

Cons

• Does not come with a case; some components could get lost 

Liquid pool test kits such as this HTH product are an affordable option for assessing a wide range of pool water factors. The titrimetric kit comes with a clear testing block and several small reagent bottles, allowing users to test the pool weekly for up to 100 weeks before needing to replace the pool test kit. This kit can be used with chlorine and saltwater systems, though it cannot measure the level of salt in the water.

Use the kit with multiple samples of pool water to assess levels of chlorine, bromine, pH, alkalinity, calcium hardness, and cyanuric acid. As a drawback, the pool test kit doesn’t come with a case to keep the reagents organized, so users need to find a safe place around the home to store the kit to avoid misplacing the testing block or one of the reagent bottles.

During testing, we found the beauty of this kit to be its simplicity. Almost all of the steps include adding the same number of drops (five) to the test sample, helping to make the testing process faster and easier. We wish it came with a case, but this kit has a relatively low number of reagents, so keeping it organized is fairly simple. 

Get the HTH pool test kit at Amazon or Ace Hardware.

Best Test Strips

Runbo 7-in-1 Pool Test Strips

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Our Ratings: Ease of Use 5/5; Storage 4.5/5; Value 4.5/5

Product Specs 

• Test type: Test strips
• Water types: Chlorine and saltwater, but will not measure salinity
• Test elements: Free chlorine, total chlorine, bromine, calcium hardness, total alkalinity, pH, and cyanuric acid

Pros

• Comes with 100 test strips for long-term use and pool cleanliness 
• Very easy to use; simply dip the test strip in the solution and wait 30 seconds 
• Refill strips are sealed in pouch for safe keeping

Cons

• Doesn’t help determine the amount of chemicals needed

Testing the pool water isn’t likely to get any easier than simply dipping a Runbo testing strip into a sample of pool water for just 2 seconds. After removing the strip from the water, the color will change over the next 30 seconds to indicate the current chemical composition of the water. The pool water should be checked two to three times per week if the pool is used daily. If it’s used less frequently, then once a week is suitable.

The strip measures seven factors, including free chlorine, total chlorine, bromine, calcium hardness, total alkalinity, pH, and cyanuric acid, helping to ensure that the pool remains safe for swimmers. The test strip package displays the color-coded chart for reference during testing and includes 100 pool test strips.

Although it can be difficult to determine how much product it may take to amend a pool with test strips, these strips make testing current levels extremely easy. We found that determining pool levels with Runbo test strips is straightforward, as the strips are easy to read and compare to the chart on the outside of the bottle. And, the kit comes with a sealed pouch of refill strips, ensuring that the water testing strips are fresh for improved accuracy.

Get the Runbo pool test kit at Amazon.

Best Digital

ESeasonGear Salt-3000 Pool & Pond Salt Water Meter

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Our Ratings: Ease of Use 4/5; Storage 4/5; Value 3.5/5

Product Specs 

• Test type: Digital
• Water type: Saltwater
• Test elements: Salinity, temperature

Pros

• Ready to go out of the box; suitable for first-timers as well as pros 
• Very easy to use; simply stick the probe into the water and wait 
• Hold button locks reading in for easy viewing 

Cons

• It took a while to stabilize the readings while in use 
• Only works on saltwater pools and koi ponds 

This ESeasonGear digital pool tester is small enough to carry safely in a pocket or tuck into a bag with other pool maintenance supplies. However, the tester should be isolated from contaminating products, so users may want to store it in a ziplock bag. It operates on a pair of LR44 batteries (included) and has three simple buttons to control the device.

The digital water tester is designed specifically for use with saltwater pools and koi ponds. With this purpose in mind, it can measure water temperatures between 32 degrees and 130 degrees Fahrenheit and can also check the salt content of the water. The device has a salt range from 0 to 5,000 ppm, and it’s relatively inexpensive for a digital product.

Our ESeasonGear tester was ready to go straight from the box, including the batteries. Though we didn’t have access to a saltwater pool for testing, we were able to give this digital water tester a whirl with a sample cup. We found that the ESeasonGear is as easy to use as it gets—it literally requires just sticking the probe end in the water. It did seem to take a while for the reading to stabilize. However, once it did stabilize, hitting the “hold” button locked the reading in, allowing us to check the readings after removing the probe from the water.

Get the ESeasonGear pool test kit atAmazon.

Best Saltwater

Taylor Technologies K-2005-Salt Complete Pool Test Kit

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Our Ratings: Ease of Use 4/5; Storage 5/5; Value 4/5

Product Specs 

• Test type: Liquid
• Water types: Chlorine and saltwater, but primarily designed for saltwater
• Test elements: Salinity, chlorine, bromine, pH, alkalinity, hardness, cyanuric acid, acid demand, and base demand, as well as water balance calculator

Pros

• Tests for salinity, chlorine, bromine, pH, alkalinity, hardness, and more 
• Helps users determine what and how much to add to the pool
• Secure box with storage for individual bottles; keeps all components organized and safe 

Cons

• Test cap didn’t fit securely; may leak while in use 

Many saltwater pool test kits include only the necessary reagents to measure the level of salt in the pool water, but maintaining a pool requires users to monitor several different chemical compositions in the water. This Taylor Technologies liquid test kit helps to maintain the chemical balance for the entire saltwater pool instead of focusing on just the salt.

The kit comes with reagents to assess the salinity or salt level of the water. It also includes reagents for measuring pH, chlorine, bromine, acid demand, base demand, total alkalinity, calcium hardness, and cyanuric acid. It comes in a blue plastic case to help organize the reagents when they are not in use and includes a water balance calculator for quick and easy chemical level reference.

This was another kit that made us feel as if we were back in high school chemistry class. But, the amount of information this kit offers saltwater pool owners is impressive. Rather than simply testing for salinity, this kit also tests for all the elements common to chlorine kits. We found that the cap to the test vial didn’t fit well, but the individual bottles fit inside the hard plastic kit, making them easy to organize. Also, this complete kit helps the user determine what and how much to add to the pool for optimal levels. 

Get the Taylor Technologies pool test kit at Amazon or Walmart.

Best Chlorine

Poolmaster 5-Way Test Kit