Yeah, the packets can be a little bit of a pain. I found it a lot easier if you fold the bottom sealed part along the open part of the packet so the opening fits right into the vial. It also helps to fill up both vials with tank water and mix the powder into one before starting the test. Getting the sir bubbles out is the other pain. Bet yeah, still better and easier than other tests. I like an exact read out of my phos level. Not a guesstimate between level increments.