Sooner or later, as with any hobby, you begin acquiring tools that make your favorite pastimes more enjoyable and productive. Scuba divers might buy a sophisticated dive watch, foodies could invest in quality culinary knives and an audiophile might be meticulous in his or her choice of an amplifier. Hydroponic gardening is no different and it definitely helps when your equipment suits your personal needs. For this review will be looking at the Bluelab truncheon nutrient meter with an eye for ease of use, quality and performance.

During December it was mentioned that the new 2008-2009 Sunlight Supply retail catalog had been made available. Hydrofarm, a hydroponic gardening wholesale distributer and manufacturer, has also released their retail catalog for the 2009 season. As would be expected, various changes have been made in Hydrofarm’s product lineup for the current year. Take note however, perhaps the largest difference between the 2008 and 2009 catalog is that the 2009 catalog is completely absent of prices for listed products. The Hydrofarm representative I spoke to was unable to explain why this decision was made but cited unpredictable price fluctuations for raw materials from the previous year and stated the most current prices are available on the Hydrofarm website. Hydrofarm doesn’t have a method for requesting a catalog from their website, though most retail hydroponic stores should have a copy available upon request.