Water baths are used in industrial and clinical laboratories, academic facilities, government research laboratories, environmental applications, as well as food technology and wastewater plants. Chillers, on the other hand, are refrigerators that cool down samples or processes to preset temperatures by removing heat from one element and transferring it to another, typically air or water.
Top 7 Questions You Should Ask When Buying a Chiller or Bath
1. Does the product have any exclusive features? What sets it apart from other vendors’ chillers or baths?
2. Is the vendor ISO 9001 certified?
3. What refrigerants are used in the product? (This is applicable to chillers and refrigerated baths/circulators).
4. Are the products energy efficient, environmentally friendly, and in compliance with RoHS guidelines? (no heavy metals used in printed circuit boards, etc.)
5. Can old/broken units be returned for disposal in an environmentally friendly manner? (refrigerants reclaimed, metals and other materials recycled, etc.)
6. Does the company accept tradeins and if so, what happens to the old unit? (should be disposed of properly)
7. What warranties and application and tech support do the company offer?
Temperature ranges respondents operate their water baths or chillers, based on our latest survey data:
| Less than -100 C | 2% |
| -50 C to -100 C | 2% |
| 0 C to -50 C | 14% |
| 0 C to +50 C | 50% |
| +50 C to +100 C | 30% |
| More than +100 C | 2% |
The different types of water baths our respondents are using or planning to purchase:
| | Using | Plan to Purchase | | Circulating water baths | 29% | 24% | | Standard (general purpose) water baths | 28% | 22% | | Waterless bead baths | 3% | 22% | | Cooled water baths | 11% | 19% | | Shaking water baths | 9% | 5% | | Unstirred water baths | 6% | 5% | | Stirred water baths | 3% | 3% | | Boiling water baths | 9% | 0% | | Steaming water baths | 2% | 0% |
|
The top ten most important factors/features our readers look for in a water bath or chiller when they are making a purchase:
| Performance of product | 98% |
| Low maintenance / easy to clean | 95% |
| Greater temperature uniformity, stability and control | 93% |
| Value for price paid | 92% |
| Low operating costs | 85% |
| Total cost of ownership | 80% |
| Ease of use; ergonomic operation | 79% |
| Digital temperature control | 78% |
| Warranties | 77% |
| Size of water bath | 76% |
Recently Released Chillers & Baths
Digital Water Baths
• Equipped with sensitive microprocessorbased PID controllers
• Maintain bath temperatures from ambient +5° to 100°C with ±0.1° precision and ±0.2°C uniformity
• Available with 2, 5, 10, 20, or 28 liter single chamber reservoirs
• Also feature a digital temperature readout, one-touch set point recall, and three userdefined temperature preset buttons
PolyScience
www.polyscience.com
FFB-8 Series
• Offers a wide operating range of 50 to 700°C (122-1292°F)
• Also includes PID temperature control and a built-in dust extraction and collection system
• Provides a safe, essentially isothermal environment with a high rate of heat transfer
Omega Engineering
www.omega.com
Optima™ Series Heating Circulators
• Consists of four new models providing excellent temperature stability (±0.05 to ±0.01 ºC) and uniformity (±0.1 to ±0.05 ºC)
• Designed for use with Grant’s five new stainless steel or three plastic baths and the five models in its refrigerated bath and circulator range
• Clamp is also available to allow independent use of the Optima thermostats with any vertical sided tanks
Grant Instruments
www.grantinstruments.com
F250 EcoChiller
• Compact, budget-priced and user-friendly recirculating cooler designed especially for routine application in day-to-day laboratory work
• Unit cools with a closed circuit and uses only between one and 2 liters of refrigerant
• Working temperatures range from +5°C to +40°C with a temperature stability of ±0.5°C (PID-control)
• Includes adjustable pump with a pressure capacity of 0.35 bar
Julabo
www.julabo.com
Chiller & Bath Manufacturers
Water baths are used in industrial and clinical laboratories, academic facilities, government research laboratories, environmental applications, as well as food technology and wastewater plants. Chillers, on the other hand, are refrigerators that cool down samples or processes to preset temperatures by removing heat from one element and transferring it to another, typically air or water.
Top 7 Questions You Should Ask When Buying a Chiller or Bath
1. Does the product have any exclusive features? What sets it apart from other vendors’ chillers or baths?
2. Is the vendor ISO 9001 certified?
3. What refrigerants are used in the product? (This is applicable to chillers and refrigerated baths/circulators).
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