2015 Pipettes Survey Results
Pipettes can be found in almost every laboratory and, if you’re looking to buy one, there are many options— manual or electronic, single or multi-channel. Luckily, a few main considerations can help in deciding whether or not to buy the latest pipette technology.
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Trevor Henderson, PhD
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Trevor Henderson BSc (HK), MSc, PhD (c), is the creative services director at Lab Manager. He has more than two decades of experience in the fields of scientific...
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Top 5 Questions You Should Ask When Buying a Pipette
- What differentiates the pipette from others offered in terms of performance and ergonomics?
- Is the product compatible with other manufacturers’ consumables (tips)?
- What types of services are offered for this product? Calibration? Repair?
- Does the company offer application support and technical phone support before and after product purchase?
- What is the product life expectation? What is the product’s warranty period? If the company discontinues the product, for how many years do they provide accessories and parts for the instrument?
Types of pipettes used by survey respondents:
| Manual: Single-channel | 89% |
| Manual: Multi-channel | 47% |
| Repeater | 30% |
| Electronic: Single-channel | 28% |
| Manual: Fixed-volume | 28% |
| Electronic: Multi-channel | 17% |
| Electronic: Fixed volume | 4% |
| Other | 2% |
Main causes of pipetting errors as reported by survey respondents:
| Human errors | 57% |
| Liquids stick to tip | 49% |
| Viscosity reduces accuracy | 40% |
| Surface tension reduces accuracy | 27% |
| Immersed tips carry over liquid | 25% |
| Pipettes take up more liquid | 18% |
| Liquids evaporate | 8% |
| Liquid temperature | 6% |
| Other | 6% |
Nearly 48% of respondents are engaged in purchasing a new pipette. The reasons for these purchases are as follows:
 | Replacement of an aging pipette | 59% |  |
 | Addition to existing systems, increase capacity | 20% | |
 | Setting up a new lab | 6% | |
 | Need a more ergonomic pipette | 5% | |
 | Moving from a handheld pipette to an automatic pipette | 3% | |
 | Other | 7% |
Top 10 features/factors respondents look for when purchasing a pipette:
| Consistent performance and accuracy of product | 91% |
| Durability of product | 78% |
| Availability of tips and accessories | 73% |
| Low maintenance / easy to clean | 59% |
| Designed to permit recalibration | 57% |
| Price | 56% |
| Ergonomic operation | 47% |
| Service and support | 47% |
| Warranties | 41% |
| Leak detection | 39% |
For more information on pipettes, including useful articles and a list of manufacturers, visit www.labmanager.com/pipettes