CO₂ incubators are designed to copy a cell’s natural environment with a relative humidity of around 95 percent, a temperature of 37°C, and a pH of 7.2 to 7.5. They are most common in biology labs performing tissue or cell culture and are used in any process where cells need to be cultured for a few hours, many weeks, or where cells need to be expanded or maintained.

Top 8 Questions You Should Ask When Buying a CO₂ Incubator

1. What measures have been taken in the design to avoid contamination and what features are included to remove contamination?
2. What capacity and orientation of incubator does your lab require?
3. Which temperature control will you need? Direct heat, water jacketed, or air jacketed?
4. How does the CO₂ sensor contribute to optimal cell growth?
5. How does the humidity contribute to optimal cell growth?
6. Ask for the uniformity and accuracy data versus asking for a water jacket or air jacket.
7. Do you need O₂ control to simulate the environment for your experiment accurately?
8. Calculate the total cost of ownership on the product over one year including product price, install, regular cleaning labor, material like HEPA filters, etc.

Types of CO₂ incubators used by survey respondents:

Primary purpose of CO₂ incubators as reported by survey respondents:

Nearly 54% of respondents are engaged in purchasing a new CO₂ incubator. The reasons for these purchases are as follows:

Top 10 features/factors respondents look for when purchasing a CO₂ incubator:

For more information on CO₂ incubators, including useful articles and a list of manufacturers, visit www.labmanager.com/incubators

See previous survey results:

• 2017
• 2016
• 2015
• 2014
• 2013
• 2012
• 2011
• 2010