tCheck 2 - Home THC and CBD potency tester
$279.00
Pros
- Relatively accurate home potency testing!
- Fast results in under 60 seconds
- Simple and Easy to operate
- Fits in the palm of your hand
- Keeps logs of all your tests
Cons
- Sample tray scratches easily, (cosmetic only, doesn't interfere with operation)
- 15mg/ml max reading requires sample dilution
- Maybe not a "lab level" of accuracy, but good enough for most people
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tCheck 2 Review
The tCheck 2 review has finally arrived and is on sale! We put it through a few tests and the full results are below. Don’t have time? Here’s a review summary! The tCheck 2 device is a portable spectrometer which will tell you the CBV% (cannabinoids by volume) of your oil or alcohol based cannabis infusions. It has a maximum reading ability of 15mg/ml, so you may need to dilute your oil or tincture before testing. As long as you follow the guide and understand its limitations, the device is amazing! If you make your own oils, tinctures, or concentrates you simply MUST have one of these in your toolkit!
POTENCY TESTING
When you are making Cannabutter or infusing Coconut oil, one of the main issues home cannabis infusers must deal with is trying to accurately determine the THC and/or CBD content of their products. Some relatively simple math will get you in the ballpark, but what if you wanted to know the exact percentage of cannabinoids present in your infusion?
LABORATORY ANALYSIS
Typically, the only way for you to determine your potency is sending samples of your medicine to a laboratory for analysis. Without access to a lab, you were pretty much stuck using the crude mathematical method to estimate your potency until now! Thanks to modern technology, you now can perform an exact measurement of the cannabinoids of your infusion (or your flower or concentrates for that matter) in the comfort of your own home with a simple inexpensive device called the tCheck!
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THE ALTERNATIVE
The tCheck 2 device is an application specific UV-Vis spectrometer designed to measure the concentration of herbal compounds in liquids. It works by shining a specific wavelength (color) of light through the oil, then measuring the amount of light that makes it through. The tCheck 2 also has the ability to test your raw cannabis flower and cannabis concentrates! The entire testing process takes place in under 60 seconds and displays total of the dominant cannabinoids in CBV (Compound by volume) measurement.
EASY TO USE
The tCheck 2 is a simple easy to use device consisting of a small hard plastic box emblazoned with the tCheck logo and a solitary power button. There is a large rectangular slot next to that lonely button which serves to guide in the sample tray to the magic inside. The tCheck 2 sample tray has a small well in the end where you put your good stuff.
To get prepared, first download and install the tCheck 2 App on your phone and connect the device via Bluetooth. Open the App and register your account. This will allow you to see and save the results log of all your tests. Sign in the App and power on the device. Perform any firmware updates if prompted.
For a limited time, get $25 off your new tCheck 2 for sale with the coupon code Mediblechef!
OPERATION
Prepare your sample *See Below. Load the tray’s sample well with 4-5 drops of your oil or tincture and snap on the lid. (It’s ok if a small amount spills over, the tray will catch the rest.) Make certain there are no bubbles present, nor any solid contaminants as they will make your reading fail.
Power on the tCheck 2 and open the App. On the home page, hit the “Run Test” button. Follow the prompts and have your room temperature available – you need it. After inserting your slide, your test should be finished in about 60 seconds. The device entertains you along the way with a flourish of funny little anecdotes, so you don’t get bored.
Once complete, the results are displayed as either THC or CBD along with the strength in mg/mL. If you did not have to dilute your product first, this is your final measurement of the cannabinoid content. If you had to dilute, simply multiply your results times the dilution ratio you chose. (Ex. If you used a 1:10 dilution ratio for the test, multiply your results by 10 to get your actual values). The device shows you the CBV % of the dominant cannabinoid by default.
You can also test flower and concentrates with the optional Flower & Concentrate Kit. This kit allows for proper sample preparation to allow your tCheck 2 to accurately determine the cannabinoid percentages. The resulting tincture sample is tested in the same manner as any other test, just choose “Alcohol” as your base in the prompts.
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SAMPLE PREPARATION
This is the only part where you have to do some work. You must first prepare your sample so that you are reasonably certain it falls under the 15 mg/mL testing limit. As you probably have no idea what you have, this can be a stab in the dark.
For quick easy math purposes, you could start with a 1:10 dilution ratio. Here you will mix 1 drop of your infused oil with 9 drops of your base oil (ie. If you infused olive oil, use regular olive to dilute). Mix gently but thoroughly, taking care not to make any bubbles. This is the solution you will test.
If it shows a reading, multiply that result by 10 to get the true strength of your infusion. If it says OVER, don’t worry, that just means you’ve got some stronger stuff! You can try again with a higher ratio like 1:20 (1 part infused, 19 parts base). Multiply your results by 20 to get the true strength of your infusion.
QWISO – Easy 3 Minute Quick Wash ISO Extraction
QWET – Easy 3-minute Quick Wash Ethanol Extraction
THE RESULTS
It only takes a few tries to get the hang of this; It’s not a very complicated process. You would get a more consistent result by using the Serial Mixing technique, but this is way faster, way easier, and close enough if you mix well.
The tCheck does require that your solution be as free from contaminants as possible in order to provide the most accurate results. I highly recommend that you filter your material before testing, even if there is no contamination visible at all. The simplest and easiest method for filtering is to use a 150ml disposible syringe and a 20 micron syringe filter.
**Update: tCheck is now including a syringe and syringe filters in the addon accessory kit! This is a most welcome addition and will aid in much more accurate tests. If you do not have the kit, you can still get them on Amazon.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I think that the tCheck 2 is probably one of the most important devices that a cannabis consumer should own. If you make your own oils for edibles or tinctures, the tCheck 2 takes the guesswork out of the picture and gives you piece of mind by accurately determining your dosage. There may be a small learning curve for some, (mostly with the dilutions is my guess), but most people should have no real issues operating this device; just follow the guides.
The tCheck 2 is available for $299.00 (- $25 off with coupon below) directly from tCheck.me. If you wish to test flower, there is an addon kit that provides you with that ability as well. The kit is also available at tcheck.me
If you make oils, tinctures or concentrates at home, you really need to add the tCheck2 to your arsenal! Without a tCheck2, you are just blindly guessing about what you are about to consume….and that’s a recipe for disaster!
For a limited time, you can use the code below to receive $25 off your new tCheck2!
Supplies are limited and going fast! Get yours right now before they are all gone!!!
Be sure to use the coupon code: Mediblechef
Already have a tCheck? Tell us what you think about it below!
Can it test RSO oil? I make my own oils and I want to see how much THC each batch it has in it. I use alcohol (everclear) and a random mix of strains usually what I have around at the time so I never know what I end up with. First batch I made a grain of rice size drop smeared on a cracker was a nice pleasant warm buzz for maybe 6 hours. Second batch the same size drop had me so fucked up I couldnt move my legs for what seemed like an eternity. lucky it was the weekend. anyways Can it test RSO oil? If I understand right I have to buy the expansion kit thing too or is rso the wrong kind of concentrate? Thanks! Deb
Hi Deb! Yes, the tCheck can test your homemade RSO, you just have to properly prepare your sample first. You will need to perform the above mentioned dilution steps with your oil before testing. Concentrates are typically much stronger, so you may have to perform a much higher dilution ratio like 30:1 or even 40:1. Use the same type of alcohol you used in preparation to dilute your oil, test it and then do the math to see the THC content in your RSO. You do not need to buy the expansion kit, all you need is a medicine dropper and more alcohol. I highly recommend getting the tCheck 2, it will totally eliminate the dosing issue you experienced!
Save your money the thing is junk
Did you have an issue with yours?
Yes everything you test reads over what the device can read. Then you have dilute your sample to get a reading. Seems like it just gives out random #’s for anything. Just returned mine yesterday.. very disappointed
Having to dilute your sample is an extra step, yes. This is why I discuss the process extensively above – so you are aware that you may have to do that BEFORE you purchase it. The device has limitations; this is the cost of playing.
It seems that you were perhaps not aware of this requirement? If that’s the case then if you are not prepared to dilute, then return it if you must.
Sorry it didn’t work out for you. I hope you find a tester that better suits your needs.
I had to dilute it by a 5 to 1 ratio just to get something under 15%. Total waste to have to do all that work. Also gave me a reading of 2.9 thc in regular oil with no thc..lol just returned and they had a nerve to try and have me pay a stocking fee. The nerve of this bogus company
Deb, make sure you filter your RSO/Alcohol mixture if your RSO is really dark in color. The better you can filter it the more accurate your results will be. I use a 20 micron syringe filter as mentioned here to make sure there’s no floaties in the mix. You will be surprised how much yuck gets filtered out.
I bought the tcheck based on your original review, thanks for updating this because you answered a few lingering questions I still had. I wasn’t understanding the dilution part so everything kept saying OVER. I go frustrated and put it in my desk drawer where I forgot about it. A few days ago I was going through my drawer and found it so I figured Id give it one more shot to get it working before returning it. I googled to refresh my memory on how to operate it and ran into your article again. Now you have instructions! I realized what I was doing wrong after reading and what do you know, it works when you know how to use it!!! Glad I came back, thanks for your help! now my tests all work fine. My tray is a little scratched already but so far it has avoided the lens part so all is good. Its so nice now to be able to measure my dosage and knw exactly (close enough) how much THC I’m ingesting. I love my tcheck now, glad I didn’t give up on it!
I’m happy to see that you figured it out, would have been a shame to return it 🙂
I think that as long as you are aware that there may (will) be work on your part in order to get accurate results, the tCheck is an awesome little machine!
Proper sample preparation is key to ensuring a good test. This is the only part of’ the process that can be challenging, but once you figure it out everything works great.
As far as the trays go, it looks like the sample wells are mostly recessed enough to avoid being scratched, so the damage is pretty much cosmetic in my opinion.
I am glad you are finally happy with yours!
that thing is such bullshit it cant test flower at all I ground it fine as hell and it still wont read it .
🤔🤔🤔 did you just put ground weed on the tray??? You do know you have to soak in alcohol first right?
Jack, do you have a tCheck?
I do! I am very happy with mine, it works great once you know how much to dilute. I think mercedes may have been confused when it comes to flower testing
Hi Mercedes, I’m not sure if you mean you ground your flower finely before performing the required alcohol extraction or if you did what jack said and just put the ground flower on the tray. If its the latter, that will not work as this device only measures things in liquid form. If you did the alcohol extraction and are still having issues try NOT grinding the flower. This will leave you with a much cleaner product to test without all that ground up plant matter contaminating the sample. If your alcohol extraction is cloudy, filtering it will help immensely. The tCheck will not read the sample if it cannot see through the mud. 😉
Need to be some fine some small bud. Soak 5 minutes. Worked fine 3 times. Now it give no results to me
When you say it gives you no results, what actually happens?
Did you dilute it with a reagent?
You will dilute with whatever carrier you are using, yes.
Thanks for the coupon 😍😍😍
You’re welcome!
Do you guys have a discount for those of us who own the original tcheck?
Perhaps this question is best directed to tCheck. Id give them a call and ask!
I bought this unit right from Tcheck. stopped working after thee test and i hear nothing from there support. don’t throw away good money.
Sorry to hear that Arne. Just for my own curiosity what is wrong with your unit? Just asking because mine suddenly stopped working ( the lights were on but no one was home). I changed the batteries (only thing I could think of to do) and it came right back to life. Been just fine since then. If that’s not the case then I would definitely try reaching out to support again.
I had the same issue with a bad battery my tcheck was giving me wild and crazy readings and then suddently stopped working I read your note about changing the batteries so I did and now it has been working ever sence try changing the batterys
I had the same issue with a bad battery my tcheck was giving me wild and crazy readings and then suddently stopped working I read your note about changing the batteries so I did and now it has been working ever sence try changing the batterys
Will this test oil that I currently buy from a store? I really want to know if I am getting what they say I am?
Yes it will as long as:
It’s either an alcohol based tincture
-or-
Its an oil base of either coconut oil, olive oil, MCT oil or butter (as well as ghee).
I have went and bought various items from a few shops just to test for fun, most of the time we’re within 2% or so, always within 10% so far.
Hope that helps!
Thank you. That does help. It is oil I am
just not sure what kind.
So will it tell me the amount of cbd and thc? If there is any thc.
It will tell you the total percentage of cannabinoids by volume
Does this read MCT oil? If I buy one and it says “over”, what is a good dilution target to start out with?
Yes Jon it does read MCT oil. For easy math purposes, I would start with a 10:1 dilution, Increasing if still over. I think 10:1 covers most products well. Just ensure you dilute with fresh MCT oil. Sorry for the late reply, just saw this post.
Does this read MCT oil and if it has to be diluted, what is a good start point for dilution?
yes, it reads mct oil, I just made a batch 3.5 grams of weed (decarbed) infused into 50ml mct oil and extracted 35ml which ended up 28.8mg/ml. I mixed 1 drop of extract to 5 drops of mct oil, the t-check read 4.8mg/ml x 6 drops = 28.8mg/ml
hi allan
I have a question i tested some CBD oil from Hemp Bombs on the t-check-2 just for fun and the test results showed 6.6mg/ml 100%thc, why did it not say 100% cbd? thanks
Not exactly sure Chip, I have had that happen before myself on occasion too. I wasn’t concerned really, as I knew it was CBD, but I never figured it out to be honest. I planned on asking tcheck but haven’t gotten around to it yet. I chalked it up to a glitch in the matrix
hi allan
do you know anything about the nova decarb gadget, cause for about 6 months now I been using it to decarb and infuse, started with 10mg nothing 20mg nothing 30mg 50mg 75 and just tried 100mg and still nothing. I was just wondering if its not decarbing good enough, since the t-check-2 cant really tell if is thca or thc so when it says 100% thc that part is kind of miss leading. any thoughts thanks
I have not used the Nova, so I cannot really comment on it. That being said, depending on your tolerance, consuming 100mg of decarbed cannabis should net you between 15 and 25mg of THC depending on the strain. If you dont have an edible tolerance that should most likely effect you in some noticable way. If that’s the case, then it sounds like its not being fully decarbed.
I had a Nova but im not sure mine worked right it seemd to never decarb fully I had to eat twice as much as when I made it in my oven. at least it didn’t smell like the oven though lol
Don’t even think about buying this piece of garbage. Very very inaccurate, I tested the same flower 10 times and got 10 different readings, all over the board. The flowers kit is a joke, the scale is worth about $5 they give you some cheap tools, 4 oz of 99% rubbing alcohol, and that’s it. $10 worth of stuff and they charge $200 OMG I was so disappointed, then I got pissed cause they think were a bunch of fools. Remember, prior to purchase, you were told!!
Interesting that your tests are inconsistent, I don’t seem to have that problem. Have you made sure you are running the latest firmware? If so, I’d reach out to tcheck, maybe something is wrong with yours? Mine experience is that the tcheck is quite consistent when used properly – typically every test is within a percentage point or 2, so I take the average of 3 tests.
Whats your exact process for testing flower?
One thing that I did discover is that when testing flower (or concentrates), the solution MUST be free of any contaminants. If you are experiencing inconsistencies with flower or concentrates, try filtering the solution first before testing. Before I started filtering, my flower tests were also inconsistent. I use a 20 micron syringe filter, as described in the article.
I cant speak to the flower kit, as I didn’t purchase that one. I already have everything the kit came with so there was no need.
Hi Allan, what do you use for the reagent? I also have the extra stuff with exception of the reagent. Didn’t know if just normal like running alcohol or some type of mixture.
You can use 91%+ Isopropyl alcohol or 190+ proof Ethanol
Thank you for the quick reply…… Been using the 190 grain alcohol for my tinctures so one more thing I already have. Tcheck 2 coming on Tuesday so get to give it a nice run through.
Just my 2 cents. My experience with flower testing was also weird, bad and ugly until I tried the syringe filters. I could see really fine weed dust in the alcohol which im sure was throwing off the test. on the other note I also thought $200 was a bit steep for that flower test kit so I didn’t buy it. (my thought was that people would see what the kit had in it and decide not buy it, guess I was wrong.) I use my own supplies and it works just fine. personally I enjoy my tcheck it works great once I learned to use it right and I have recommended it to many friends who also don’t have any problems. sounds to me like you ether need to filter your stuff or you have a lemon in which case id exchange it. also some people talk about getting bad batteries maybe you should change them and see just in case. ok that was 4 cents not 2 🙂
Will this tell me how strongs my tincture is that i made cuz i dont know how much to take i took to much and fell of the earth for real and i want to know how strong this shit is
Yes, the tcheck will tell you the potency of your alcohol tincture.
I’m quite confused from reading the posts. I purchased a tCheck2 a few months ago and have had problems with the readings. The support staff at tCheck had me trying various fixes and then most recently told me that it only works with isolate infused oil, so my infusions made with decarbed flower would not work. It seems from the posts here that people are getting accurate readings from infusions that aren’t using an isolate. Not sure if it’s me, the tCheck is a scam, or the support staff don’t know what they’re talking about.
Hi Deb! Normal oil infusions made with decarbed flower work just fine as long as you make sure the following is true: #1: You are using Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, MCT oil or clarified butter. #2: You have properly filtered the infused oil. Typically the issue lies with #2, and I have found that proper filtration is mandatory for getting a good consistent reading.
I cannot comment on your oil specifically, but I will say that the vast majority of homemade oils that I have come across are extremely dirty. Particulate matter in the oil sample, whether visible or not, will cause the readings to be all over the place from my experience. I highly recommend that you purchase some inexpensive syringe filters (There are links in the write-up above, or you can google your own) and filter your oil before testing. This is absolutely necessary to produce accurate results.
The tCheck is not a scam, the device works quite well as long as it is used within its operational limitations. The samples need to be as clean as possible in order to get a good reading. (This is posted in the Support section under Testing FAQs. – Do I need to filter my concentrates?) As to your question about the support staff, I am not sure why they said that about the Isolate but I do not believe that to be an accurate statement.
I just want to comment that you are right about that need to filter your oil. I was having a hell of a time getting a consistent reading on my extractions until I read your article and the comments here. I almost trashed it I was so upset. I bought those syringe filters from amazon as a last ditch effort and you were right it makes all the difference, it works right now! If anyone is having weird reading on their tcheck get some filters like he says and it’ll all be good. But if you still want to throw it away send it to me lol
Bought a tcheck and it hasnt allowed bluetooth connection with android or ios cell phones
Only thing I can tell you to do is change the batteries and try again, if it still isn’t connecting I would contact tCheck directly for assistance.
Just wanted to say thank you for your work on this thread, it’s been more helpful than tcheck tech support. I found this page after support could not figure out my problem and found my answer in these comments. I was having weird issues with a brand new device, turns out the batteries were bad. I changed them and everything has been working perfectly since. I didn’t even think about changing the batteries since it was brand new out of the box and the batteries were shrink-wrapped new. Anyways just wanted to say thanks my T check works great now!
Thanks Goeff, I am glad to have been of assistance to you!
Hi thanks for the article. So my question is does this test tell you thc and cbd content if both exist or just the predominant one? Are there any other options on the market to compare it to within a similar price range?
Hi Teza, the tCheck will tell you the % CBV (cannabinoids by volume). They were working on a subscription service to further break down that into individual compounds, but haven’t heard anything on that lately.
To my knowledge there is no other product like the tcheck available at all, so I cannot compare it to anything really.
I’ve had my tcheck for about 8 months and I love this machine. It has saved me money so many times for testing products before purchasing. And also making the perfect dosage for edibles is awesome! Fully recomend for the serious consumer.
Great to hear!
I just got mine based on your recommendation and I’ve been using it for about 2 weeks. I’m glad I read the comments because I too had a bad battery that made it do wierd things. Mine is pretty accurate, I know the potency of what I’m testing and it is always within 3-4%. I’m happy with my purchase, thank you for your help. My only regret was I put off buying one for so long.
Glad you are enjoying it!
I am having trouble receiving the 20% discount when I go to check out was wondering if anyone experienced
Hi Mandy. The 20% off sale is no longer available. Now its $20 + an additional $25.
Hi, I only make butter (thus far). . . . so I only need the main unit, but not the add on correct?
This is an American company and prices in USD? Do they ship to Canada?
With butter, do I simply melt the butter and put the right amount on the slide (liquid form) to test it? (possibly use a small strainer to get rid of any small particles that may get in the way of results)
I don’t need to dilute the butter with anything to test it?
Thanks! 😀
No need to dilute, put the liquid butter in as it is. Make sure its hot enough to not start to solidify within 60 seconds.
Ok, additional question. . .just reading some reviews etc. So this device measures total cannabinoids in the sample, not just the the. . . . so how does the resulting measurement help me determine potency in my butter?
The unit will measure the total percentage of cannabinoids in your sample. The ratio of THC to CBD will be determined by strain. They were working on an ability to determine the percentage of the individual cannabinoids, but that has not yet materialize. Without knowing the strain that you have, you should just probably assume the cannabinoids to be THC, as its more common. If you know the strain, you can determine the ratio with a little research.
You can’t use the ratio of thc to cbd unless you know the value of either component separate
If you use a strain such as Harlequin that you know has a CBD to THC ratio of 5:2, then you can use this information to determine your sample strength. Example: If the results you get from your tCheck say you have 25% CBV in your sample, then applying the ratio of 5:2 would mean that you have approximately 17.86% CBD and 7.14% THC.
How did you come up with the total 17.86% CBD and 7.14% THC from the 25% CBV? Thanks
Hi Chris, in this example I used a strain with a well documented CBD to THC ratio of 5:2. Using this ratio, if your sample was 25% CBV, that 25% breaks down into a CBD to THC percentage ratio of roughly 18:7 (exact figure above).
The overwhelming majority of reviews on the t-check have been very negative. Either too hard to use or bad numbers. I want to check CBD content of infusions into EVOO. Is there another device the market?
From my experience, the only bad numbers that I had were way back in the beginning, prior to filtering the oil. Ever since I started doing that it has never been an issue. I think this is the main issue that most people have.
I don’t think the tcheck itself is hard to use, there’s only one button. It’s more the filtering & dilution processes and the math involved can be a turn off for many – there’s work involved.
As long as you know, and are fine with working within its limitations, the tcheck is a good device for the price.
There is another cannabis potency testing device called the Purpl Pro but its in another price category entirely at nearly $1700. The Purple Pro only tests cannabis flower, not oil infusions so it may be of limited use for you. Somewhere in the middle is the CannaDX which is around $1000 – it also only tests flower.
To my knowledge, there are no others.
I followed the steps when testing my flowers. but still seem to get it to tell me the test is not accurate and it only say 1mg. even when I follow the steps to test my butter. It says the same thing. What is the problem? what can I be doing wrong for this to happen?
I personally prefer to clarify the butter first before making cannabutter (more like canna-ghee). The sample still requires filtering, but it seems to give much more reliable results.
Clarifying would normally be done before infusing though, so outside of further filtration I do not know what else to recommend at this point.
I am not sure to what level you filtered your sample for testing, but from my experience whole butter requires a bit more filtration than everything else in order to test properly.
On another note, have you tested anything else besides butter, just to rule out the possibility of a bad device? Do you have the most current firmware? Have you changed out the batteries?
The worst! Completely inaccurate when compared to lab testing. Ask me how I know?
Customer service is a joke
Mine has consistently been within 5-7% of the corresponding laboratory testing results, what does yours do? I cannot speak for customer service, as I have not had to deal with them in quite a while, what was your issue if I may ask?
Testing thc in glyceri?n
Can I test glycerin thc juice with this
Unfortunately glycerin infusions cannot be tested st this time. Perhaps you can send your request to tcheck for future consideration?
Thanks
lost my slide when I moved how can i order another?
You will need to contact tCheck directly for a replacement slide.
https://tcheck.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/sections/360010788811-Contact-Us
Thanks for your nice post really this post is very helpful. Please keep up your writing everybody can easily check this kind of topic because it’s about CBD, CBD Oil, CBD Skin Care, black afghan hash, Anti-ageing, Natural Skin. Thanks, Hope that we will get something new and the best.
My Friend has one of these but I never used it b4. He showed me how it works and it seems to work for him. I’m thinking about buying one when I get the money. Im covid strapped rn.
I recently purchased one of these. I read a lot of mixed reviews before buying. I think that most of them were because people either didn’t know how to use it or they had different expectations as to what this does.
Mine seems to be working just fine. I followed the instructions to the letter along with guidance from your review and I haven’t had any issues at all. I dont have access to a lab to compare, but my test samples are always pretty close to each other. I test 3 times and take the average.
This is only for personal use so I dont really need pinpoint accuracy. If its within a few milligrams Im ok with that.
So far I recommend this without reservation.