OK,
I'll go down the slippery slope. If you MUST use test strips, then get new ones regularly, at least every season.

WARNING: WHAT FOLLOWS IS BY NO MEANS AN ENDORSEMENT OF TEST STRIPS. THEY ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROPER DROP TESTING.

IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH YOUR POOL WATER, ONLY POST READINGS DONE WITH DROP TEST KITS OR FROM WATER TAKEN TO A POOL STORE. DO NOT POST TEST-STRIP READINGS!

IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH YOUR WATER, YOU SHOULD NOT USE STRIPS AT ALL.

Follow the directions on the container EXACTLY--otherwise you will probably get a wildly inaccurate reading. Store them indoors, out of sunlight, or the key on the bottle will get faded.

Cost is not always a clear indicator of quality, but I DO try to get strips that have a CYA test--they are usually higher quality. However, the $30 jar of strips I just tossed don't work as well as the $11 jar.

If you get uneven results across a test pad (not the same shade everywhere) assume the test is invalid.

I get the BEST results when I already have a pretty good idea of the state of my water and all the tests and am looking for a deviation.

if I do NOT know the state of my water, I look only at the FC and the pH pads. And then I only look for deviation--like idiot lights flashing on your dashboard. If the FC pad is white or near-white, I need chlorine. If it's deep purple, deeper than the scale, I'm probably OK. On pH I look for some sort of clear indication of high or low. If I don't see anything drastic, I assume I'm OK till the next test--either later in the day or the next morning. Basically, I'm in a BIG hurry and am looking for a problem I must address RIGHT NOW or if it can wait till the end of the day.

So far, I have found the LaMotte Insta-Test 6 strips to be far superior to all the others I have tried. I've only been playing with them a week or so but they've been fairly reflective of my drop testing--and are $11 for 50, rather than $30 for 100 AquaChek Silver strips.

Again, I do not rely on strips--I try to use drop-testing everyday, but like all of us, between work, home, family, kids I am sometimes forced to take quicker, less-optimal measures. I may not have 2 minutes to test--only 30 seconds to make sure I don't have a problem.

AGAIN: THIS IS NOT AN ENDORSEMENT OF TEST STRIPS. THEY ARE NO SUBSTITUTE FOR DROP TESTING. YOU SHOULD BE USING PROPER DROP TESTING WITH ANYTHING FROM AN OTO KIT, TO THE WALMART 5-WAY KIT, TO EITHER BEN'S KIT OR THE TAYLOR 2006 KIT.