Same plant tests can vary widely. A cola top may test at 20%, but a lower bud will test at 12%. Dispos will put that high test on everything sellable from that plant or lot # of plants. That's one reason why they use the Purpl Pro is to save $$ on lab testing, only sending their best samples in for testing.
The worst of the glitches are well over. It took patience I admit to be part of something that was pretty much crowd funded only for it to stumble out of the gate and then have faith in the people to be committed to it. In the end it paid off.
It's accurate to lab GC testing by +-3% when I compared it to a Colorado lab.
It's by far the most sensitive instrument I've ever owned.
It needs to be rebooted before nearly every test session and calibrated 1x a week if not more, and it's battery does not hold it's charge so it needs to be charged before every test session.
But once calibrated and charged, I can run off maybe 100 tests if I wanted. I usually tap out at around 30 tests.
I've used it as a guide really to find my ways into growing the most potent crop possible. Everything from how I train to feed has been helped with potency testing.
The last couple hurdles it helped me with was finding that no veg grown pot could be just as if not more potent than long veg crops and it showed me curing has little to no effect on potency. And then it also showed bleached bud tips were no more or less potent than regular.
I kinda put it right up there with my PPFD meter on the usefulness scale.
That cut was all over the place!! I never did find one top over 20%. Doubt MaxAC will ever be grown again here
You can get into testing for less than that with the paper & dye tests and there's other somewhat similar devices that use a smell sensor to detect potency. Purpl Pro is pretty much the Cadillac of them all not using the smell sensor and instead light calibration.
I've seen others give false readings on non cannabis stuff and I've treid to trick mine with basil, lawn grass, and shredded paper and it didn't fall for my ruse.
No at home test method is 100% on point today but it does beat spending $$ on one time tests or tens of thousands on GC lab equipment.
I would never let mine go for only $500 but $1200 will get me listening