Oakton pH 450, CON 450 and DO 450 meters from Cole-Parmer provide automatic and manual temperature compensation to ensure accuracy, even with fluctuating temperatures. Up to 500 data sets can be stored and downloaded with USB or RS-232 cable. The battery-powered meters (500 hours using two AA batteries) are available with a universal power adapter, built-in stand and optional wall mount when bench space is at a premium. Other features include an IP67-rated waterproof housing, backlit LCD display and built-in auto stability.

“As soon as it stabilizes, you can push a button and send that measure into memory and it will be time-date stamped with the calibration data, as well as the measurement temperature,” says Sabrina Kalsi, product manager for Cole-Parmer. “Everything about that measurement will be captured when you hit the button.”

The plastic Grip-Clip on the side of the meters secures the probe and enables it to be attached to the side of a beaker or container for hands-free operation.

“You don’t have to worry about your probe, you can focus on your meter and what you’re doing,” she says.

The pH meter features six-point calibration: USA, NIST, DIN and custom pH buffers. Auto buffer recognition automatically identifies the correct pH meter buffer for rapid calibration. An alarm signals when it’s time to recalibrate, while data is presented as percent slope.

“It will tell you it’s 0.9967, or whatever, based on calibration,” Kalsi says. “It gives you core numbers to easily see and understand how your meter is operating.”

The CON 450 meter offers autorange conductivity from 0 to 199.9 mS in five ranges with automatic calibration up to five calibration points. The selectable temperature coefficient is adjustable from 0 to 10 percent per degree C for accurate compensation in most solutions. Taking measurements is a matter of placing the probe into the liquid.

A third member of the 450 series is the Oakton DO optical dissolved oxygen meter with probe.

“Optical dissolved oxygen is a big step for us,” Kalsi says. “There are no membranes, no solutions. You don’t have to worry about interference. You don’t have to have a source of flow or stirring to get a good measurement. You turn it on, put the probe in and take the reading. We’ve eliminated a lot of maintenance time and cost. We’ve made it a very easy measurement to take.” 800/323-4340; www.coleparmer.com.