We don't put too much faith in test strips. The kit we recommend is the Taylor K-2006 or 2006C. Take a look at it on this page. test kit info page

We really can't offer too much advice without some good numbers. One bit of advice I can give you at this point is to do some reading. Read through a lot of the posts here on the forum -- especially the stickied threads at the top of some of the sub-forums. Also read on our sister site www.poolsolutions.com. Lots of good information that will be very beneficial to you to learn. This is a good time to do your homework -- before your pool is open!