Top 5 Questions You Should Ask When Buying a UV-Vis Spectrophotometer
1. What applications will you be using the instrument for? This will help you determine the detection range you require. Don’t forget to consider future applications that may require a broader range.
2. What range of stray light performance are you comfortable with for your application and budget?
3. Consider what sort of samples you’ll be working with in order to determine what absorbance range you will need in your UV-Vis spectrophotometer. For example, if it is a turbid or concentrated liquid or a solid sample that is optically thick, you may require a working absorbance range between 5 A and 8 A or higher.
4. What level of throughput and reliability do you need?
5. How much will the instrument cost? Don’t forget to factor in the cost of maintenance, etc. along with the cost of acquisition.
The types of UV-Vis spectrophotometers our readers are using in their research, based on our latest survey.
| Single Beam | 43% |
| Dual Beam | 43% |
| Array-based | 11% |
| Handheld | 3% |
How often our readers use their UV-Vis spectrophotometers in their labs:
| Several times daily | 32% |
| Once a day | 6% |
| Several times each week | 37% |
| Once a week | 8% |
| Two to three times a month | 8% |
| Once a month | 3% |
| Less than once a month | 5% |
The top 10 factors/features our readers look for when buying a UV-Vis spectrophotometer:
| Important | Not Important | Don’t Know | |
| Ease of Maintenance/ low operating costs | 90% | 3% | 7% |
| Excellent reproducibility | 90% | 6% | 4% |
| Ease of use | 86% | 9% | 5% |
| Wavelength accuracy | 84% | 12% | 4% |
| Better sensitivity and resolution | 85% | 12% | 4% |
| Price | 85% | 12% | 4% |
| Warranties | 85% | 15% | 0% |
| Faster acquisition and analysis of data | 65% | 32% | 3% |
| Service/support in general | 64% | 29% | 7% |
| Safety | 60% | 32% | 8% |
Recently Released UV-Vis Spectrophotometer Products
QE65 Pro
• Features enhanced sensitivity and low stray light capabilities
• Delivers optimal performance in fluorescence, Raman and DNA sequencing spectroscopy
• New optical bench components more efficiently manipulate light for greater throughput and higher sensitivity
• Thermally robust design promotes spectrometer wavelength stability over a wide temperature range
Ocean Optics
www.oceanoptics.com
BioSpectrometer®
• Small, compact spectrophotometer for measurements in the UV and VIS range
• Measures and records UV-Vis spectral ranges or can just measure individual wavelengths from 200 nm to 830 nm
• Includes pre-programmed methods for a quick start
• Guided software procedure minimizes errors • Features direct operation on the device, no PC required
Eppendorf
www.eppendorfna.com
Ultrospec™ Series
• Delivers reproducible results, precision and ease of use to match a variety of user requirements
• Series includes Ultrospec 7000/7000PC for day-to-day laboratory activities, Ultrospec 8000/8000PC, and the top of the range 9000/9000PC system for demanding assays
• Each model is available as either a stand-alone or PC controlled system
GE Healthcare
www.gelifesciences.com
DR 6000™
• Equipped with RFID technology, integrated QA software, and more than 250 testing methods and guided procedures
• Provides reliable and traceable results • Programmed to take absorbance readings of a single sample at different wavelengths or over a specific period of time
• Allows high speed wavelength scanning across the UV and visible spectrum
Hach
www.hach.com
UV-Vis Spectrophotometer Manufacturers
| Agilent | www.agilent.com |
| Analytik Jena | www.analytik-jena.com |
| Beckman Coulter | www.beckmancoulter.com |
| Biochrom | www.biochrom.uk |
| BioTek | www.biotek.com |
| Buck Scientific | www.bucksci.com |
| Cecil Instruments | www.cecilinstruments.com |
| Eppendorf | www.eppendorfna.com |
| GBC Scientific | www.gbcscientific.com |
| GE Healthcare | www.gelifesciences.com |
| Hach | www.hach.com |
| Hitachi High Technologies | www.hitachi-hta.com |
| Ocean Optics | www.oceanoptics.com |
| Shimadzu | www.ssi.shimadzu.com |
| S.I. Photonics | www.si-photonics.com |
| Thermo Fisher Scientific | www.thermoscientific.com |
