Ever wondered which pH test strips were best in terms of accuracy and usability? Macherey-Nagel have completed a study into their pH test strips against a comparators test strips to help answer this question!
Macherey-Nagel (MN) completed a comparative study with their pH-Fix test strips 0-14 against a competitor manufacturer of 0-14 pH test strips. These pH test strips were tested for their usability and compared with each other. The subjects, with and without laboratory experience, carried out comparative tests with buffer solutions. They evaluated the design, handling and general user-friendliness of the test strips. The MN test strips were able to correctly reproduce the pH value of test solutions with a rate of 88% and the competitor scored 80%. The usability was rated at 4.65 for MN and 4.09 for the competitor (5-very good, 1-very poor). Design and comprehensibility of the instructions for use were also tested.
pH Value Determination
The subjects had to determine the pH of 15 different unknown buffer solutions using the two pH test strip brands. The buffers used for pH 2-12 were Titrisol buffers from Merck. The stock solutions for pH 0, 1, 13 and 14 were prepared using 1M hydrochloric acid, 0.1M hydrochloric acid, 0.1M sodium hydroxide and 1M sodium hydroxide solution. The results can be found below, the correct readings are in green, yellow readings are +/-1 away, and red has a deviation of more than 1
The results from this test were set in the ratio of all comparative measurements performed, and then expressed in %. The MN strips have a correctness of 88% compared to the competitor strips which have a 80% correctness.
Usability
The subjects were given a usability questionnaire after carrying out the pH value determination, consisting of 12 questions, where they answered with a rating from 1 (very poor) to 5 (very good). The results are shown below:
The results of this questionnaire showed that the MN test strips performed better than the competitor test strips, but the questionnaire also provided areas of improvement for both test strips.
Summary
Overall this comparative study shows that MN test strips compared to the competitor test strips performs better in both the correct pH determination of buffer solutions, and in subjective user-friendliness.
The study was provided courtesy of Macherey-Nagel, and the full case study can be found here
For more information please contact us via our website, or by filling out the form below
