Luster Leaf 1820 Rapitest Soil Moisture Meter

I was looking for a product that would tell me if the lawn was overwatered. I paid close attention to what I was purchasing and thought this product would do the job but, as it turns out, Amazon simply didn't provide sufficient information. When the item arrived, the writing on the packaging says it is for plants, not lawns. The package sits unopened.

Few tools are as simple and effective as this one. It needs no battery and provides instant and seemingly accurate readings on the moisture content of soil at different depths. If simplicity is what you are after, then this is a good choice.

I usually don't do well with houseplants. I can never remember how often to water them, and even when I do know, I contstantly forget when I watered them last. Well, not anymore. This moisture meter lets me measure when the dirt is dry enough to water again, which is very handy, considering that my different plants in their different-sized pots all drink water at varying rates. It's simple, and works very well.

as with other reviewers on this product in a full glass of water, it reads 5/10. Is it hit and miss when you buy these things?

...and it's still working 25+ years in. I see several reviews saying the thing is junk. In all likelihood, the only problem these folks are up against is an excessive oxide layer on the metal probe. My rigid, single piece unit has the same probe and you only need to give it a good scrubing with a Scotch Brite pad to resurrect a "dead" or mis-reading probe (a small pad was included with mine). As far as being a "light meter", where is it saying this thing is for that purpose?!? Duh!!!

Seems some people give up way too easily...of course RTFM is probably way too much to ask :D

I use it it for potted plants. Find out some were soaked, that may explain some lants had a problems. No more guess - the tool give reading in second. Very usefull and recomended

I purchased this meter to check the moisture level of some indoor plants and be sure I was watering correctly. I had been sticking my finger in the soil to test. I have been gardening for a long time and plants were doing well but some pots hold water and others dry out quickly - thought it would be nice to have an accurate moisture meter than my finger. Well this product is not the one. I followed the directions and stuck it in several times & places. The meter was reading "wet" so I did not water my plants and almost killed a couple. The touch test was much more accurate that this meter! I would not buy or use again.

This is a must if you want healthy plants. No more over-water and/or dry plants. An absolute must for the house. Like anything with flexible a flexible wire you will probably have to replace it sometime but it is reasonably priced and does NOT use any batteries. Also it is reasonable enough you can't justify running around to try to find one so this is a great way to purchase. I have purchased one of these to keep the Mom-In-Law happy as well. That is a good thing....

I purchased a Luster Leaf 1820 Moisture Meter to have an objective way to keep my African Violets from drowning or becoming a desert.

I *like* the separate probe, it works great in a shelf environment for spot checking pots. What doesn't work is the whole instrument.

Bone-dry potting mix and bone dry air read "dry", <1; slightly damp potting mix reads "dry" <1; wet potting mix read "dry", <1; everything read dry <1.

I lost 25 violets to root rot from overwatering that were dry <1.

I finally put the probe directly in a container of water, and got a reading of 4, which according to the back panel, was perfect for African Violets. Which of course, is *not* the reality of life...

Those of you who whom have gotten good ones, good luck, and replace your batteries. It looks like about 50% aren't any good.

Luster Leaf 1820 Moisture Meter

It seems to work very well and keeps my wife from over watering her potted plants.

I have gone through so many of the "stick" type moisture meters which break down after a short while. This type is not as convenient but I hope it will last longer. The problem with this is that it's not long enough for larger potted plants.

I should have known better. The item is cheap and that's how it works. There is a different reading when you try for a second reading. Nursery Bonsai specialist tells me there is no better measurement of moisture than the old "finger method"

It is difficult to use because you need one hand to hold the meter and one hand to dip the meter stick as you are continuously putting down the watering can. More trouble than what it is worth.

I have been using this product for many years to help me decide if it's time to water individual house plants. I bought 2 more so I would have one on each floor of my house. It's a great tool. Read a review that someone wrote that complained that the same plant gave different readings in 2 separate areas of the soil. This seems normal to me as water does not evaporate uniformly throughout the soil.

I searched for comparable soil moisture testers and this seemed both the best and most economical. After using it for a month, I can easily say it works exactly as advertised, and it's helping me avoid over-watering, my greatest agrarian foible. It takes a bit of poking around the pot to get an idea of the overall general moisture level, but one can get the general idea from several probes. The chart of plants and their needs is also extremely helpful -- though I had to search the internet to rectify differences in common names of plants. All in all, very satisfied.

This probe takes some getting used to but am hoping its readings are accurate. I am starting plumeria cuttings that can't take a lot of moisture. This probe seems to be very sensitive and will measure moisture content at various levels when placed in different soil areas of the pot. This is good to prevent root rot. I think I'm going to like it a lot!

The product did somewhat ok on house plants but did not work ouside in the yard.

I bought a moisture meter at some discount store about 20 years ago. It was really cheap and worked great. And then one day it died.

Appearance-wise, it was just like the Luster Leaf 1820, except the display had no colors. It was a different brand, but since they were so similar, I chose this product as a replacement

Performance-wise, however, this item lacks a bit of luster compared to my old one. My old one gave an instant read. With this, you need to give it a few seconds. But it does work well, and I do like having the "cord" to give me some reach. I tried one that had the probe attached directly to the meter, and it was really a pain to use.

These are not so easy to find, so I do recommend this product. It's good to know how dry or wet your plants are, and with a moisture meter, no dirty fingernails. I only wish it gave an instant read. Otherwise, I'm very happy with it. And it can be used for houseplants or the flower bed.

This moisture meter arrived quickly, and has helped me to stop over-watering my plants. The probe being separated from the meter makes it easier to use with high or very full plants.

This one is just perfect for the person who keeps over-watering your plants and killing them with kindness (that's me).

Just insert the probe and it tells you if it's dry or wet. The chart that comes with it tells you what the typical house plant likes, so you can't go wrong. Bingo!

Quit guessing... and you don't even need batteries. It is no more expensive than the last 3 plants you killed by over/under watering!!!

For the price, this is the best and most practical moisture meter I've used. The detached probe makes readings easy for hanging baskets and larger plants.

The Luster Leaf Moisture Meter is just what I was looking for.
It lets me know when to water (or not water) my inside and outside
plants. Very pleased

Not a whole lot to say here other than it works perfectly and does exactly what it's supposed to. Great value in my opinion. My office plants are happy and healthy because I bought this thing. No more guessing (which I wasn't great at...)

So far so good. My plants look way better than a month ago and most importantly I regained to confidence lost after previously murdering a couple of dracaenas. Over all: well worth the investment.

I checked a plant I had not watered in a few weeks, and it came up on 0. OK, probably correct. Then I checked a plant I watered a few minutes ago, and it shook a little before going back to 0. That doesn't seem right. So I stick it in a glass of water, and it gets to 5. For a meter that's supposed to measure moisture, and has 10 as the highest moisture rating, that's definitely not right. So now it's measuring the moisture inside my garbage can, where it belongs.

Luster Leaf 1820 Rapitest Soil Moisture Meter

Great way to check your plants to keep from burning them, also takes the guess work out. I love this product.

The meter is OK. It didn't seem to work at first, but I think it's all right now. The metal part that connects the reader to the piece you insert into the soil is not rigid which makes it harder to manipulate than the meter I had before. If I saw the meter in person, I might have looked for another one; however, I am using it and it seems to work.

Luster Leaf Rapitest Soil Moisture Meter #1820This is a great little gadget that will actually save me money because I won't have to buy plants to replace the ones that I have killed by over watering.

Moisture meters start at about $6 and run up to well over $100. At first I bought the $6 type, the only kind at the local nursery because I didn't want to pay a high percentage of the product's value for shipping. It's sold by Amazon (with free shipping) as the "mini" meter. It was unusable junk just as the reviews indicate. Because I was turned off, I was reluctant to try this one (#1820) because it's still fairly cheap compared to the meters and irrometers used in commercial operations and research. If I needed to pay $70, even $200 or more, I would, and an additional 5% for shipping would be fine. I needed something that actually worked and not just a toy trinket to play around with. This one is quite inexpensive and though shipping was proportionately costly, I gave this one a shot and I found it completely satisfactory.

This product works great! It tells me exactly when to water, so there is no more guessing and no more over- or under-watering. And now my fingernails stay clean, too!

Last year I planted a tree and didn't know if I was giving it too much or too little water. This year I have this handy device to help me. The directions say it's for house plants, but it's working great for my newly planted trees. I can finally tell when they need water and can avoid over watering.