SimplexHealth Metals 12-in-1 review
SimplexHealth Metals 12-in-1 (Laboratory Test)
By Tom Calder
Key specs
The maker's figures.
- What it tests
- 12 metals (typical panel: lead, arsenic, copper)
- Format
- Home water sample posted to a laboratory
- Tests included
- Arsenic, boron, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron
- Results in
- 10–12 working days after the lab receives
A laboratory-processed metals panel is the right tool when you actually need an answer, not a guess — but at this price it's for private supplies and specific lead-pipe concerns, not routine reassurance about mains water. The listing and price are confirmed directly with the vendor; the lab holds ISO 17025/UKAS accreditation, though not confirmed specifically for this 12-metal panel, so check that scope before relying on the results for anything formal.
- Best for
- Homes on a private well, spring or borehole — or pre-1970 properties with old lead pipework — who want a certified metals reading rather than an indicative colour-strip result.
- Skip it if
- You're simply after peace of mind on mains tap water
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Researched, not used. We haven't used this product. This review is built from the maker's specifications, owner reports and our own sizing.
What we like
- Lab analysis rather than a DIY colour-match strip, so results are far more reliable for metals like lead and arsenic
- Covers a broad 12-metal panel in one test, useful for a first full screen of a private supply
- Suits the genuine screening cases — private wells/boreholes and old lead plumbing — where public water testing doesn't apply
Worth knowing
- Price is high next to a £15–£25 indicative strip test, and only justified when there's a real reason to test
- The lab holds ISO 17025/UKAS accreditation, but we couldn't confirm this specific 12-metal panel sits within that certified scope — check before relying on it for any compliance purpose
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Our review
SimplexHealth's widest metals panel: one posted bottle, twelve metals back by email, including lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium, which you can set against the UK limits. What separates it from the maker's 10-in-1 is two extra plumbing metals, nickel and zinc, so it suits a private-supply owner with older pipework, or a pre-1970 house with a specific metals concern.
What the twelve metals are
The panel is arsenic, boron, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, lead, manganese, magnesium, mercury, nickel and zinc, reported in mg/l or µg/l from a single bottle. SimplexHealth describes it as designed for metals that commonly occur in well and ground water, with tap water acceptable where there is a specific concern, and it does not interpret the figures.
Nickel and zinc are what distinguish it from the Metals 10-in-1. SimplexHealth's own tap-water panel groups lead, copper, zinc and nickel as metals that leach from pipes and fittings, and the DWI lists plated taps as a source of nickel. Lead, copper, cadmium and chromium, which both panels share, can also come from plumbing, so the extra two give a fuller picture of the fittings rather than a different job.
On a private supply, and in an older home
On a borehole or spring the metals of interest occur naturally: the DWI names arsenic, iron and manganese, and says lead too can be present in some groundwaters. Under the Private Water Supplies (England) Regulations 2016 a supply serving one house with no commercial use is risk-assessed and monitored by the council only when the owner or occupier asks, so a posted panel is a check between those requests.
In a mains-fed home built before 1970 the DWI says lead pipes may still be present, and the owner is responsible for the supply pipe from the outside stop valve inwards. Its advice is to ask your water company to test at the kitchen tap first; this panel is the step after that if you want copper, nickel and zinc from fittings read alongside lead.
How it compares
The Metals 10-in-1 Well & Ground Water test shares ten of the twelve metals, dropping nickel and zinc, on the same turnaround, and is the sensible choice when the pipework is modern and the question is purely the source. The Water Suite 12-in-1 is a different tool: bacteria, nitrate, fluoride, hardness and pH, with only arsenic, iron, manganese, magnesium and mercury from this list and no lead at all. For lead alone, the maker's lead-only laboratory test answers in 5 to 6 working days, reports down to 0.09 µg/l and is the analysis SimplexHealth sells as UKAS-certified.
Living with it
The box holds one bottle, instructions and pre-paid courier return. Take and post the sample the same day, Monday to Thursday only, freezing any supplied ice packs the day before, and return it within six weeks of despatch. One bottle is one outlet, so a kitchen tap and a borehole head are two orders. Results are emailed 10 to 12 working days after the laboratory logs the bottle. The service is UK-only, overnight return is not promised in the Outer Hebrides, Isle of Wight, Isle of Man or Cornwall, and an under-filled or wrongly collected sample is not refunded. SimplexHealth gives 14 days to cancel but excludes used products and leaves return postage with you.
Reading the result
Schedule 1 of the private supplies regulations sets lead 10 µg/l, arsenic 10 µg/l, mercury 1 µg/l, cadmium 5 µg/l, nickel 20 µg/l, chromium 50 µg/l, manganese 50 µg/l, iron 200 µg/l, copper 2 mg/l and boron 1 mg/l; the mains regulations set the same figures. Zinc and magnesium have no prescribed value, so a zinc figure is context about your fittings rather than a pass or fail. The accreditation footnote lists UKAS scope for bacteria and legionella work, not metals, so if a figure needs to stand up with a landlord or a seller, confirm the scope with the laboratory first, or use the lead-only UKAS test for that parameter.
Our verdict
Buy it if you have a private supply and older plumbing, or a mains-fed pre-1970 house where you want the plumbing metals read together after asking your water company to sample the kitchen tap, and accept a screening result. Choose the 10-in-1 if the house is replumbed and the source is the only question. Do not buy it for general reassurance on mains water: your supplier's published results already cover these metals, and our tap water guide sets out why.
A researched review, built from the maker's specs, manual and UK listings; facts checked 21 Oct 2026. Sources: Watersafe UK — Metals 12-in-1 (Laboratory Test), product page (read 21 October 2026); SimplexHealth — Metals 12-in-1 (Laboratory Test), product page (read 21 October 2026); SimplexHealth — Metals 10-in-1 Tap Water (Laboratory Test), plumbing-metals panel (read 21 October 2026); SimplexHealth — Lead Tap Water Test (UKAS Laboratory Test), first-draw and flushed method (read 21 October 2026); SimplexHealth — Returns policy (read 21 October 2026); The Private Water Supplies (England) Regulations 2016, Schedule 1 — prescribed concentrations and values; The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016, Schedule 1 — mains prescribed concentrations; The Private Water Supplies (England) Regulations 2016, regulation 10 — single dwellings monitored on request; Drinking Water Inspectorate — Lead in drinking water (read 21 October 2026); Drinking Water Inspectorate — Possible risks and their sources (read 21 October 2026).
Who shouldn't buy this
Don't buy this if you're simply after peace of mind on mains tap water — your water company already tests to DWI standards and publishes results; a lab panel like this makes sense for a private supply or suspected lead pipework, not routine reassurance.
This is a Researched review: we haven't used this product. We check every specification against at least two independent sources, re-check the UK price on a schedule where we can track it automatically, and say plainly who it isn't for. Commissions never change a rating.
If this isn’t the one
Best for Owners of a private well, borehole or spring wanting a broad lab panel with UKAS-accredited bacteria results, or buyers vetting a private supply before a house purchase.
Best for Homeowners with pre-1970 lead pipework, or anyone on a private supply (borehole, spring, well) who needs a definitive lead reading rather than an indicative guess.
Read the review →Best for Owners of a well, borehole or spring who need a genuine lab-verified metals reading, not a DIY indicator strip.
Questions
What is the difference between the SimplexHealth Metals 12-in-1 and the Metals 10-in-1?
Two metals. The 12-in-1 adds nickel and zinc, both associated with plumbing and fittings, to the ten in the well and ground water panel; turnaround and sampling rules are the same.
Does the Metals 12-in-1 test for lead?
Yes, lead is one of the twelve, and the UK limit to set it against is 10 µg/l. The maker's accreditation footnote lists bacteria and legionella work, not metals, so for a lead result that has to carry formal weight its lead-only test is the one sold as UKAS-certified.
Can the Metals 12-in-1 tell me whether lead comes from my pipes or the supply?
Not on its own: one bottle gives one reading. Separating pipework from supply needs a first-draw sample after the water has stood in the pipe and a second flushed sample, which is how the maker's Lead Tap Water Test is built.
How long does the Metals 12-in-1 take?
SimplexHealth quotes results by email within 10 to 12 working days of the laboratory receiving the sample. With free kit delivery of 3 to 5 business days and the courier return, allow three to four weeks from order to report.
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