For a full picture before you buy a filter, the Tap Score Advanced Home Water Test is the best choice here. You collect the sample at home and a certified lab analyzes it for 116 analytes, including lead, arsenic, nitrate, bacteria and 44 VOCs. For a quick at-home screen that includes lead and bacteria, choose the Watersafe Drinking Water Test Kit. The Varify 17-in-1 is the strip kit for repeat checks at several taps, and the HM Digital TDS-EZ is the meter for tracking a reverse osmosis system.

Start with what you already have. If you’re on city water, the EPA requires community water systems to send customers a Consumer Confidence Report, an annual water quality report, by July 1 each year. If you’re on a private well, the EPA recommends testing every year for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH.

Quick comparison

Product Format What it checks (maker’s list) Included
Tap Score Advanced Home Water Test Mail-in kit, certified lab 116 analytes: metals, bacteria, nitrate, 44 VOCs Sampling kit, shipping to lab, digital report
Watersafe Drinking Water Test Kit At-home tests Lead, bacteria, iron, copper, chlorine, nitrates and more One kit
Varify 17-in-1 At-home test strips 17 parameters incl. lead, fluoride, iron, copper, pH, hardness 100 strips, 2 bacteria tests
HM Digital TDS-EZ (Amazon search) Handheld meter TDS only, 0 to 9,990 ppm Meter with 2 batteries

Contents and specifications are from each maker’s product page, checked October 5, 2026.

1. Tap Score Advanced Home Water Test: best certified-lab test

The Tap Score Advanced Home Water Test is a mail-in kit. Tap Score routes your sample to an independent certified lab in its network and quotes a lab turnaround of 5 business days, with standard shipping to the lab included. Results come back as an interactive digital report.

What it covers: Tap Score lists 116 analytes. They include E. coli and total coliform, 25 metals (among them lead, copper, arsenic, manganese and uranium), fluoride, nitrate and nitrite, 6 disinfection byproducts, 44 VOCs, and hardness, alkalinity, pH and TDS. Tap Score recommends it for homes on a water utility or a private well, especially near industrial or agricultural activity.

Trade-offs: you wait for the lab instead of reading a strip, and it is a one-sample test. PFAS is not in the 116-analyte list; Tap Score sells PFAS tests separately.

2. Watersafe Drinking Water Test Kit: best at-home lead and bacteria screen

The Watersafe Drinking Water Test Kit is made by Silver Lake Research, which sells it as “The Original Water Testing Kit.” Its product page says the kit includes a lead test and a bacteria test, and that it covers iron, copper, chlorine and nitrates. Silver Lake Research says its technology detects lead at 5 ppb and bacteria at 1 bacteria/mL.

Why pick it: lead can come from plumbing inside your home, so it’s worth testing at your own taps. Watersafe’s home page names water heaters, water meters, brass fittings and fixtures as possible lead sources and suggests testing every faucet.

Trade-offs: it’s a one-kit screen with limited detail. Silver Lake Research’s own pages give two different totals for the number of contaminants covered, so check the box for the full list. Use a certified lab to confirm a positive result.

3. Varify 17-in-1: best strip kit for repeat checks

The Varify Complete Drinking Water Test Kit tests 17 parameters with dip strips. Varify names lead, fluoride, iron, copper, pH and total hardness among them. The box holds 100 strips, sealed in 5 packs of 20, plus 2 bacteria tests that screen for total coliform and E. coli. Varify says most strip tests take about 1 minute and the bacteria test takes 48 hours.

Why pick it: 100 strips are enough to compare several taps, or to check the same tap before and after a filter. A hardness or chlorine reading helps narrow whether a softener or a carbon filter is the next thing to research.

Trade-offs: you read results by matching colors to a chart, which makes them a screen, not a measurement. Varify’s FAQ says to use a fresh strip for each test, store the kit in a cool, dry place, and read the bacteria test at 48 hours. Replacement bacteria tests aren’t sold separately. Our test results guide explains what to do with the numbers.

4. HM Digital TDS-EZ: best for monitoring an RO system

The HM Digital TDS-EZ is a handheld meter. HM Digital lists a range of 0 to 9,990 ppm, 1 ppm resolution up to 999 ppm, ±3% accuracy and an NaCl conversion factor (average 0.5) from conductivity to TDS. It comes factory-calibrated with a 342 ppm NaCl solution, runs on two included button-cell batteries rated for about 1,000 hours, and has hold and auto-off functions.

Why pick it: comparing TDS before and after a reverse osmosis system is a common way to check the membrane. APEC’s ROES-50 manual , for example, suggests testing once or twice a year and replacing the membrane when product-water TDS creeps up to 15% to 20% of the feed water’s TDS. The meter is reusable, so you can check as often as you like.

Trade-offs: TDS is one number. It doesn’t identify lead, bacteria, chlorine or any other contaminant. Our TDS meter vs test kit comparison covers what it can and can’t tell you. The Amazon offers we found were from third-party sellers, so the link is a labeled search.

How to choose a water test

  • City water: read your Consumer Confidence Report first; the EPA’s CCR page links to a search tool if you didn’t get one. If your home has plumbing or service lines that contain lead, the EPA’s guidance pairs that with tests for pH, lead and copper (Tap Score covers all three; Watersafe includes a lead test).
  • Private well: test every year for the EPA’s four basics (total coliform bacteria, nitrates, TDS and pH). The EPA says to use only laboratories certified for drinking water testing and notes that your local health department may test for free. Our well water panel guide covers what to order.
  • Match the test to the symptom. The EPA’s private-well guidance pairs common conditions with tests: lead plumbing calls for pH, lead and copper; stained fixtures for iron, copper and manganese; scale and poor lathering for hardness; and nearby farming for nitrate, nitrite, pesticides and coliform bacteria.
  • Screen at home, confirm in a lab. Strip kits are good for finding a problem and for repeat checks. A health concern or a large treatment purchase deserves a certified-lab result.
  • Use a TDS meter only for TDS questions. It is the right tool for checking an RO system, not for judging whether water is safe.

FAQ

Are home water test strips accurate enough?

They are a screen, not a substitute for a lab. For private wells, the EPA says to use only laboratories certified for drinking water testing, and your local health department may test well water for free. Use strips to spot problems and a certified lab when a result drives a health or treatment decision.

How often should I test well water?

The EPA recommends testing a private well every year for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH, and right away if the water’s taste, odor or color changes, the well is repaired, or conditions nearby change, such as flooding or new construction.

Can a home test kit check for PFAS?

Not the at-home kits here. Varify and Watersafe don’t name PFAS on their product pages, and the TDS-EZ measures dissolved solids only. Tap Score’s Advanced Home test doesn’t include PFAS in its 116-analyte list either; Tap Score sells separate PFAS tests.

Sources

Product details were checked on October 5, 2026. Better Water Guide has not tested these kits. This is desk research, not a water-safety diagnosis.