Quasar Instruments Blog | Life Science and General Laboratory Products

Preparing to launch the 2013 DemoLab Tour

admin — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 23:31:37 +0000

Quasar Instruments is teaming up with marketing partner Gilson on a national demonstration tour! Our state-of-the-art mobile demonstration vehicle is undergoing preparations to be decked out with general laboratory equipment, highlighting Automated Liquid Handling systems. Stay tuned for tour dates and locations.

200 Years of Science and Optical Instruments

T. Scott Kephart, Ph.D. — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 04:27:12 +0000

Did you know that the oldest microscope manufacturer in the industry is A.Kruss Optronic?

The company was established by Andre Kruss in the year 1844 and named Optical Institute A. Kruss. In 1859, Kruss began producing its own lenses for microscopes, photographic cameras and projectors, and birthing the model for modern movie projectors. The company gained momentum after World War II, and began serving international customers under Paul Kruss’ management.

Check out one of their quality microscopes: Krüss MBL2000 Biological Standard Microscope

Today, the 7^th and 8^th generations of the Kruss family now manage the company, upholding their reputation of manufacturing only high-precision microscopes and other state-of-the-art scientific instruments. Combining the tradition in the art of precision and new innovations in electronic technology, the company continues to produce high-quality scientific apparatuses and devices that aid educational, clinical and biotechnology laboratories worldwide.

For other lines of Kruss models, visit Quasar’s Microscopes Section for more details.

Keeping it Clean

T. Scott Kephart, Ph.D. — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 06:04:04 +0000

Did you know that the sterilization process of medical instruments dates back to the Roman era? This can be accounted to Galen, a Greek physician who practiced the field of medicine in Rome. Before each use, he encouraged physicians like himself to boil their medical tools such as scalpels, forceps and catheters. Back then, injured Roman gladiators were aided with clean and disinfected tools, thanks to Galen. However, it was only in 1876 that Louis Pasteur and his student and collaborator, Charles Chamberland, invented the first autoclave.

Ritter Polysteribox®

Medical science is fast evolving, allowing present scientists to come up with unimaginable discoveries and innovative inventions. In 1993, Ritter’s inventor Mr. Werner Ulschmid in Germany was awarded with B.A.U.M. due to his Polysteribox, a one of a kind sterilization box.

Medical professionals can use this plastic container in their autoclave which will remain uncontaminated until opened for next usage. Not only can it withstand up to 134 degrees C temperature in an autoclave, but it also allows a shorter sterilization period of 20 minutes, giving way to productivity among healthcare organizations.

Or check out the full line of autoclaves and sterilizers here:

Quasar Instruments’ Autoclaves and Sterilizers

Choices for Larger Volume Repetitive Pipetting

T. Scott Kephart, Ph.D. — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:32:09 +0000

In this video, I demonstrate four dispensing methods commonly used in biology laboratories for filling up a 1 mL deepwell 96 well plate. A volume of 1 mL will be dispensed using a variety of different tools.

1. Standard 1 mil Cap Eco Pipette.

In using this specific pipette, you have to start by aspirating the 1 mL solution and then dispensing it into each of the reservoirs. This pipette is very accurate, however it is not advisable when you want to speed up the process.

2. Pipette Controller and a serological pipette

To use this specific device, simply load and aspirate the liquid. You can set it up so it can push the liquid up or you touch the button at the back to enable the gravity dispense feature, which can give you a little more control. This would be a good option if you need to get some media in each of the wells but you aren’t concerned with having exactly the same measurement of solution in each.

3. Ritter Ripette Mechanical Repeater

To use this device, first, select a syringe size from 0.05mL to 50 mL. By doing this and by selecting how far the plunger moves once it’s pressed, you can get a variety of volumes dispensed. Then, aspirate up the liquid and dispense out any air. Every time the button on top is pressed, the unit is dispensing one mL. This option gives an accurate volume in a quick span of time.

4. Ritter genX Electronic Repeater

This device is equipped with a 100 step step motor. With this pipette, you have the flexibility of programming in any volume you want. You can just simply take any one of the syringes and be able to dispense 1/100^th of whatever that volume is in each step. Once the syringe is loaded, it’s time to aspirate the media and blow out the excess air from the instrument. Every time the button is pushed, 1mL of the media will be dispensed into one plate.

Those are the different options available for filling up our plate.

The best centrifuges you have never heard of

T. Scott Kephart, Ph.D. — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 07:59:21 +0000

For decades American auto buyers have flocked to vehicles manufactured in Japan, making Honda and Toyota constantly among the most popular selling vehicles. In the lab equipment market, Japanese manufactures are selling their equipment “white-label” to large american brands for them to market. However in South Korea, another country known for their exceptionally high quality manufacturing is home to the best centrifuge manufacturer you have neer heard of….yet.

Despite manufacturing centrifuges since 1964 Hanil has remained a relatively unknown brand in the US market, unless of course you work in a lab who has ever purchased one, because once the secret is out in your lab every centrifuge purchase is a Hanil. Comparable to the fellow South Korean manufacturer Hyundai in the automotive market, Hanil is one of the fastest growing centrifuge manufactures in the world, due to their user friendly centrifuges which back up their high quality manufacturing with a standard 5 year warranty. This is 2 years longer warranty coverage then Beckman and Thermo Fisher centrifuges!!

Take advantage of this 5 year warranty to purchase a Hanil Microcentrifuge at close to 40% less then the competitive brands eliminating any risk in getting on the Hanil bandwagon. See more of Hanil FLETA 5 Lab Centrifuge.

Or check out the full line of Hanil microcentrifuges here: Hanil Micro 17TR
What’s your best kept money-saving brand secret? Let us know and if it passes our rigorous quality tests you might find it available from Quasar soon.

HOW TO: Calibrate a Capp Pipette

T. Scott Kephart, Ph.D. — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 06:24:43 +0000

With Capp pipettes, calibrating is easier than you think.

Let’s say upon your volume verification, you discovered that the pipette was dispensing a different volume instead of what is being displayed. For example, 49 microliters of liquid is dispensed even though the volume indicator says that it’s 50 microliters. Instead of setting the pipette back to the manufacturer to be calibrated, you can now calibrate your Capp pipettes manually in just six easy steps.

1. Remove the control knob of your Capp pipette.
2. Unlock the pipette.
3. Place the control knob on the supplied allen wrench found in the holder.
4. Take the cover off and unlock the micrometer.
5. Once the micrometer is off, simply adjust the volume to display 49 microliters and tighten once again.
6. Put the cover back on the pipette.

Voila! You may now use your calibrated Capp pipette.

A Closer Look at Proper Preparative HPLC Injection

T. Scott Kephart, Ph.D. — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 06:21:22 +0000

It is important to limit the partial loop injection volume in Preparative HPLC for maximum recovery of your sample.

To illustrate clearly, the injection loop is drawn as a straight tube in the video.

The vertical lines found at the end of the tube represent the injection volume or total injection amount. When samples are loaded into the sample tube, they follow a parabolic flow profile.
The parabolic shape gets more exaggerated as the sample moves through the sample loop. This shape is so pronounced that if you inject more than ½ of your sample loop, you’re going to risk pushing the sample out of the end of your injection loop and into the waste puddle.

If total recovery is important to you, make sure that you don’t inject more than one half the volume of your sample loop onto your HPLC column.

A Closer Look at How a HPLC Injection Valve Works

T. Scott Kephart, Ph.D. — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 06:01:28 +0000

In order for you to understand better how an injector port works, here is a video of me illustrating how to plumb up an injection valve in a HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) system.

A typical injection valve makes use of a two position six port injector. In the video, the ports are labeled along the way to be able to understand how the mechanism works. Since different systems have different valves, labeling won’t be helpful because this video only shows this specific valve.

Inside the six port two position valve, there is a rotor within which channels are kept. This can be labeled as position one, also called the sample loading position. When the valves are switched, determined by the dotted line in this example is known as position two or inject position.

For the sample loading position, the sample loop simply goes from a port on one side of the valve to a port directly on the opposite side.

In this case, knowing which ports to use is not as important as understanding how it works.
To illustrate further, one port is hooked up to an injector, be it a syringe or an auto injector. The port next to it, with a different channel, is for the waste. Once the sample is loaded, it will be pushed through the port through the rotor and to the column. Injection loops that prep HPLC range from up to 10, 15 and 25 mg volumes. When using a 25 mg sample loop and only injecting 5 mg as an example, it is not advisable to push the sample plug all the way through the remainder of the sample loop and onto the column. In order to achieve this effect, we want to make sure that the liquid from the pump is pushed in the counterclockwise direction. This action is known as “backflushing” the sample loop. Backflushing is achieved by hooking the remaining port up to the pump, the liquid will now run in the counterclockwise direction when it is switched on in the inject position. The sample plug will then be pushed farther out the port where the column is hooked.

To summarize, once the liquid is loaded, it should flow in a clockwise direction. Once injected, the liquid will backflush in the loop and finally reach the column.

Lab and Mini Centrifuges

T. Scott Kephart, Ph.D. — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 07:33:31 +0000

Have you checked out the ExtraGene Mini Centrifuge? It is a wonderful unit for personal use in the lab and is ideal for quick spin downs and micro filtration. The Mini Centrifuge has an on/off switch on the side of the unit as well as a start / stop switch attached to the lid. The unit is supplied with two rotors, one for 6 1.5 and 2.0 mL microfuge tubes and one for 16 0.2 mL PCR tubes or 2 PCR tube strips. The centrifuge spins at 6,000 rpm and produces 2000 g. The ExtraGene mini centrifuge has a 2 year warranty.

Mini Centrifuges

The lab centrifuges from Hanil also offer exceptional quality, value, and reliability. Backed by Hanil’s 5 year warranty and serviced directly by Quasar Instruments these lab centrifuges, from the general purpose refrigerated 514R centrifuge to the budget friendly FLETA 5 centrifuge, offer an exceptional value.

Lab Centrifuges

CAPP Pipette Innovation

T. Scott Kephart, Ph.D. — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 06:54:19 +0000

How did your favorite coffee additive lead to the creation of the common handheld tool you use to handle liquids in your lab? We are talking about Milk and your pipette! The origins of the pipette date back to 1950’s when milk inspectors popularized the “Carlsburg” pipette to transfer samples onto microscope slides.

Here is a harder question, do you know who invented the autoclavable pipette?

It was my favorite top-of-the-line pipette manufacturer: CAPP! All CAPP pipettes are fully autoclavable pipettes.

View the video on the left for more about this great product. More about this pioneering product here: Capp Pipette

CAPP is an innovator! They also released the ONLY pipette on the market specifically designed for PCR. See here: Capp PCR Pipette
To “CAPP” it off , their unique 3-in-1 upgradable pipette gives you 3 fixed volumes in one handle and the option to upgrade to a variable volume pipette with the same unit: Capp Trio Pipette

These are just 3 examples of really innovative pipettes, but more of your pipetting needs from basic educational use to microbiology applications are available from Quasar.

Heathrow Lab Organization

T. Scott Kephart, Ph.D. — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 07:32:14 +0000

Pipettor Clamp-Ette®

There is a stereotype that analytical researchers are a well organized group of people, but I know when many of us look at our lab bench we can honestly say that is one stereotype we do not live up to. I would like to show you some of the new products that accomplish two things in lab organization:

A) Create more bench space by moving your equipment and supplies to higher ground or decreasing footprint.

B) Sort everything so you can quickly locate the correct equipment or supply for the task at hand.

But how much productivity gain would you receive from these items? Here’s why…

1. Heathrow Scientific’s Lab Organizers allow for quick dispensing and containment of items you reach for-dozens of times per day. The link on this page offers you a glimpse of the system:
Lab Organizers

2. While you may have many traditional pipette stands in your lab, many are surprised by the effective new style of pipette workstations like these
Pipette Racks and Workstations.

3. My favorite two new pipette solutions are the Heathrow Pipette Clamp-Ette (picture above) which can grasp onto any surface in your lab, putting it truly at your fingertips:

And the Heathrow Sharkfin which includes a pipette stand, tip rack and double storage bin in one workstation: Sharkfin™ Pipette Station

Benchmark Orbi-Shaker and 2D/3D Fixed Speed Shaker

T. Scott Kephart, Ph.D. — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 06:16:51 +0000

You may not put much thought into your shaker purchases. I know when I worked in the lab every catalog had a house brand of shakers and they would often be ordered by default. This month I have found out there are much better choices in lab shakers. I want you to see firsthand why Benchmark’s Orbi-Shaker and 2-D/3-D fixed speed shakers offer the best combination of innovation and value on the market. Benchmark 3-D fixed speed shaker, which has 24% more platform space than other brands.

The Biomixer is the best nutating shaker I have seen for blood and centrifuge tubes ever. See more of this here: 3-D Shakers (Fixed Speed)

And the Benchmark 2-D BenchRocker is one of the best deals you will see on a highly adjustable multipurpose variable speed rocker.

You can use it inside an incubator or cold room. The features are awesome, and you can read more on it in this link: Variable Speed Rockers

But what impressed me most about the Benchmark Orbi-Shaker were the attachments available for it through their patented MAGic Clamp system. The system is discussed further here: Orbi-Shaker™

Plasticware and Hybex bottles

T. Scott Kephart, Ph.D. — Wed, 11 May 2011 03:06:32 +0000

Plasticware consumables are a large part of any laboratory budget and an attractive place to save money; however, that same plasticware is what protects valuable samples. Finding high quality plasticware for this purpose and still save money for the lab is difficult.

Like many, I have searched for high-value, low cost but reliable consumables. Below, I have provided you some previews and links to some of the best I’ve seen so far.

15 and 50 mL Centrifuge Tubes


Pipette Tips


Microcentrifuge Tubes	96 / 384 well plates, 1, 2, 5 and 10 mL deep well plates	PCR Tubes and Plates


Repeater Pipette Syringes	Cryogenic Vials

Bulk Pipetting Options

T. Scott Kephart, Ph.D. — Wed, 11 May 2011 02:59:35 +0000

Everybody is familiar with the standard pipette. This instrument is ideal for delivering volumes accurately and quickly. One area where the standard pipette is less efficient is bulk dispensing or delivering the same liquid and volume multiple times, such as reagent filling in a deep well plate. This month’s video update shows a couple options to address this common lab problem including using a repeater pipette and a pipette controller.

A repeater pipette is a product for dispensing the same media into multiple target vessels without having to refill a pipette each time. It aspirates a large single volume then dispenses a portion of that volume each time you press the dispense button. Here’s a link for more details on: Repeater Pipettes

Pipette Controllers are intended to be used in place of rubber bulbs to easily and precisely fill glass pipettes. Watch this video as it shows how controllers increase your efficiency and accuracy in the lab. More on this here: Pipette Controllers

2 Superb Pipettes: Which one is for you?

T. Scott Kephart, Ph.D. — Wed, 11 May 2011 02:44:41 +0000

Having the right pipette for a specific environment is the first step for any laboratory. I have seen a couple of pipettes that could help revolutionize your workflow. These are the Capp ecoPipette and the Accumax Pro. While the technology has been here for a while, the innovative additions, accuracy and manufacturing quality are truly amazing. Let’s take a quick look at these two leading pipettes:

Capp ecoPipette - It is a high-end research-grade pipette. While it is marketed against the high quality pipettes from Gilson, Rainin and Eppendorf, the ecoPipette offers innovation and high quality at an affordable price. The Capp pipettes are manufactured in Denmark from high quality metals and plastics. The innovative variable volume control knob allows you to easily use the same pipette handle as a fixed volume pipette or variable volume pipette, simply by changing the control knob (Video on website).

Here’s more information and literature on Capp ecoPipette: Capp ecoPipette

Hybex Bottles

T. Scott Kephart, Ph.D. — Wed, 11 May 2011 02:38:58 +0000

Hybex media bottles are high quality bottles with a low coefficient of thermal expansion (3.3) allowing them to be temperature resistant from minus 70ºC up to 500ºC. This permits repeated use in freezers, microwaves, autoclaves and dry heat sterilization chambers. They come in a variety of sizes and cap colors.

Hybex™ reusable media bottles are manufactured from high quality, borosilicate 3.3 glass. With their superior chemical resistance, these bottles are ideal for storage of reagents, culture media, biological fluids and a variety of other aqueous and nonaqueous solutions. All hybex bottles have permanent, white enamel graduations for volume measurement and a white identification box for marking or coding.

I found a free downloadable literature on Hybex bottles here: Media Storage Bottles. There are a number of bottle capacities in there too, so if you’re looking for different sizes and variants of Hybex, I think it would help you a lot.