Is there another piece of laboratory equipment that gets more use than a pipette?
Whether performing serial dilutions, aliquoting reagents, preparing ELISAs or any number of liquid handling activities, some variation of a pipette is required.
The typical air-displacement pipette is an exceptionally precise tool that is the product of sophisticated engineering – something that can be easily forgotten given the way prices have recently fallen.
Because experiments must be reproducible it is critical to maintain the accuracy of your pipettes.
An entire industry for pipette calibration has grown to support this need. What frequency pipettes should be calibrated depends on many factors, and there are many excellent online resources that discuss the importance of pipette calibration and offer valuable insight.
Those who prefer DIY pipette calibrations should check out our friends at Calibrate-It for simple instructions.
One of the most basic components of pipette care that is often overlooked is proper handling and storage of the pipette when not in use.
We have personally seen some rough handling and suspect its more wide-spread than people like to admit.
Here are some of the most common cases of “pipette abuse” we’ve encountered:
- Labs that keep piles of pipettes cluttered in a designated drawer
- A benchtop littered with pipettes, sometimes piled atop one another
- Lab technicians that toss pipettes instead of gently laying them down
When not properly stored, the delicate mechanisms that affect the precision of the pipette can be easily damaged, not to mention the constant risk of a pipette getting knocked off the bench and landing on a hard surface.
We suspect most of the calls we receive about broken pipettes are due to avoidable accidents since nobody is comfortable confessing to dropping it on the floor; at least not yet to date.
Because of the above, Stellar Scientific is a big proponent of pipette racks, carousels and clamps.
Our catalog features linear racks, tower carousels and clip-on clamps to accommodate every size lab bench and every situation.
Our newest addition are linear pipette racks designed with window "cut-outs" to accommodate both single and multi-channel pipettes
And, these durable acrylic racks support most every pipette brand including Rainin*, Gilson* and Eppendorf*
Because pipettes tend to be spread out across different benches, we've built in discounts that increase as you purchase more.
Whether you are a start-up lab looking to equip your lab with pipette racks or an established lab that wants to protect their valuable investments, Stellar Scientific is your source for quality lab supplies and equipment.
*Trademarked names held by their respective registered trademark holders