This product is mostly easy to use, although I'd recommend getting a turkey baster or medicine syringe to get the water because it's hard to get the exact amount of aquarium water needed by just dipping the test-tube into the water. You'll find yourself having to dip the tube in the tank, then pour some water out, then dip it back in, then etc to get the amount needed. Beyond that, it seems to be accurate for testing. I can't speak on the pH up and down solutions because upon using them in a 5-gallon tank I'm really not seeing a big difference in the pH when using them. I had better luck using Indian Tea Leaves to bring the high pH down (although those took a couple of weeks before they really started affecting the water, but once they did they brought it down very quickly.)

Product was easy to use and simple. I am a first time tank owner and this was a big help