Hi Jason,
In general I would trust the meter over the test kit but... that is presuming the meter is properly calibrated. I recommend this article
A Comparison of pH Calibration Buffers by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com. It also includes a link to an article on using borax to make a test solution. Here is a link to a science fair project about the
pH of drinking water.
Science Project 2004. The
pH of the municipal water in Raleigh runs between 7.9 - 8.8!
