I am going to not recommend nothing in particular. BUT… here comes the but…
I’m working on sport centre, with pools, jacuzzi… etc. for almost ten years I was at charge of the maintemant and the water quality.
In all these years I worked with many, many hand ph meters and colorimeters (ADWA, HANNA, PRIMELAB, others that don’t remember…) and continuous mettering systems, from 30€ to 3000€ and my conclusion is that a good cheap one is “better.”
Let me explain:
As someone has mentioned earlier, the pH probe must be changed with the age. Depending on how you clean it, if you let it dry, type of contaminants in water, etc… the range is from 6 months to a year, or two.
With many Hanna meters… the HI98107, HI98127, HI98128, HI98103, hi98190 … after some time it refused to calibrate. It identifies the 4.01 solution as 7, the 7 as 10… and not able to calibrate. Nor one point calibration nor two points. The replaceable electrode for the hi98127/8 cost like a cheap pH meter.
With other brands, more or less the same.
The continuous mettering systems that we have, have to change electrode about 6 months.
The differences in the measurements between the VERY GOOD, the GOOD, the UGLY, and the laboratory was minimal, the max was about half point. And… no one give the same as the neighbour. Having four at hand and measuring at the same time, all calibrated, and no one gives the same exact value as the other (Hanna, adwa, colorimeter, constant metering…etc). Very small differences (0,1-0,2 at max)
The calibration liquids are not cheap also, nor the storage solution.
So… with this in mind, I will go for a cheap but good one. When the 200€ one crack… it hurts but by that time, I could buy almost 8 of the cheaper ones, and in total get many more working time from the cheap.
Also, be in mind that the hand meters are that… and sometimes they fall off hands…
I don’t count the constant measurement and distribution system -that we must have by law- and the pH meter, Chloro meter, pumps etc… are from 3000€ up. (And the probe must be replaced every 6 months anyway).
We make around 9 measurements each day with the hand meter - some day more-some a pair less. Not much, but the water are filtered and relatively clean.
So… I will go for the cheap-good
PD: Sorry for any mistakes - I’m spanish