Customer Reviews

3M LC-8S20C Lead Check Swabs

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The instructions state to crush the swab in two places and then squeeze until a small amount of fluid shows at the end of the swab - then you have two minutes to rub the swab on the surface you are testing. If it turns red or pink or purple, lead is present. The test will not work if you swish the paint chips around in the solution. The swab must be rubbed on each surface you are testing. Consumer reports gives this product a high rating for detecting surface lead.

I purchased this kit to test my dinnerware for lead when I noticed that the glaze and design were wearing thin. It tested positive for lead, so I now have a new set of dinnerware that doesn't have any lead in it. This kit was so easy to use, and has helped me to have peace of mind that I am not feeding dangerous chemicals to my family. Just break the swab as directed, rub the tip on the item you want to test, and check for red color changes. If no color change is seen, place a drop on the enclosed card to make sure the test swab is working correctly, and you're done. Can't be any easier.

As parents of a young infant, who manages to stick everything that he can get hold of in his mouth, we were very worried about lead poisioning. Thes kits really helped put our mind at ease. They are very easy to use, the kit includes a very descriptive explanation. We bought several kits to keep around the house for new toys and have been handing them out to friends that also have children. We looked into other kits but most were unsafe to use (fumes and could only use outside).

Hard to say if it works, as it detected no lead in my house, to my relief. But it does come with handy test strips containing real lead, so you can see if the test itself was defective, or whether it was in fact detecting no lead. In all cases, the swabs did turn the test strips red, but detected no lead in my house. Yay.

This lead screening kit is really easy to use. If the liquid does not turn pink or red on the test surface, but does turn pink or red on the positive control sheet (containing lead), then the result is a true negative. The kit comes with a very detailed instruction manual for complex cases, including testing red paint. I used 5 of the 8 sticks, and for the price I paid, it was about $3 per stick. I was completely unhappy to find that one of those sticks did not have the test fluid and was completely useless. For that manufacturing error alone, I'll give this product 3/5 stars. Otherwise it would have been much higher.

One stick bad out of the six I used from a 8 pack. Stick had no chemical or was dryed out.

Purchase two 8 pack kits one year ago from Amazon. Will report back about shelf life on unused sticks.

Each pack has a small patch of lead on a paper card. This card is used as a back up for a "negative" test for lead paint. If the paint your testing is negative, you put some of the sticks chemical on the test card, if it turns red, the stick has good chemical and the negative test for lead paint was accurate.

Are less expensive locally, when I can find them.

EPA web site on lead paint safety.

www.epa.gov/lead/

I love that there is a control sheet (or as they say "confirmation card") in the package that contains lead so that you can test if the swab actually worked. I didn't even need that - when I used the swab on our window sills it turned bright pink. I tested a few other items and used the control sheet (which turned pink after touching with the swab) so I know these items are lead-free.

Oh, and the procedure takes about 10 seconds. Very easy and fast.

I also love that there are 8 swabs in the package. I also like the warning about handling the confirmation cards.

What I think could be improved is the packaging of the confirmation cards - I wish they were individually wrapped in plastic sheets, because I accidentally touched them before I had read that they contain the lead.

We bought this test kit after finding out about an old (well a very old) recall for lead blinds.

The instructions could use some more explanation. The test tubes are good for two or three tests, but we were unsure if we were testing correctly. The instructions should have included weather or not you are looking for the 'red' color on the test strip brush or on the item.

Other than that, the strips did the trick and worked well. A great thing to have around for a quick check.

Just like it says! Work great and super easy to use. I really like the test pads that come with the kit to make sure everything is working.

I've only used this kit once so far, but I found it very easy to use. Break stick at A and B and then squeeze to release the yellow fluid to the end of the stick. Rub stick against surface to be tested for 30 seconds and if it turns pink, there's lead. If it doesn't turn pink, they have provided test cards for you to use the stick on to verify that it is working. Great little system! Now I know my mug is safe to drink from!