Reversed-phase chromatography is the method of choice for the analysis of basic compounds. However, because of the problems encountered with these compounds, “base deactivated” stationary phases have been developed. This review focuses on a major problem encountered by the chromatographer which is to effectively choose, for a particular separation, the appropriate reversed-phase packing. Often, columns of the same type but provided by various manufacturers vary in their chromatographic behaviour. It is known that differences in the purity of column packings, in the properties of silica gel supports and the density of silanols on the surface can be responsible for chromatographic differences. Unfortunately, in the case of “base deactivated” columns there is no universal test and chromatographic effects are compound dependent. The aim of this review is to describe the various chromatographic tests proposed in the literature for the differentiation of the many stationary phases on the market.