If the word centrifuge makes you think of a Shania Twain song, you might need a little more help than we can give you. That said, not all centrifuges are equal. Their quality and effectiveness vary based on motor speed, internal mechanism, constituent materials, and myriad other factors.
As you make your decision on which particular piece of equipment you’d like to buy, you may base your choice on human factors, such as where exactly the supplier is located, whether the manufacturer will deliver the product to your door, or how knowledgeable the customer service person was.
Today, we’d like to look at some of the more popular centrifuge brands in the business. We’re going to pick five of the best and point out some of their most effective features, so we can figure out what makes them the top of their field.
We’ll start with the Unico C-MH30. It’s a mid-range product, clocking in at around $800. According to customers, its best feature is that it’s relatively quiet, which can be helpful if you’re particularly sensitive to noise, or if there are easily rattled lab animals within your vicinity. It’s baked paint exterior resists acid, while its plastic and aluminium shell are both light and durable.
If style is more of a deciding factor for you, the pert, portable, purple Heathrow HS120301 may appeal to you. It’s small enough to sit on any desktop and costs just over $200. It has an efficient, ergonomic design, and is also available in yellow and green. Its rubber base reduces movement and vibration, and its tool-free snapsin rotors make it smooth and silent.
Speaking of colour, the colour-coded Bio Lion Centrifuge XC-4610K is quite easy to use, with its red, green and yellow button system. It packs a powerful spin, ranging from 4,000 to 10,000 RPM and RCM that can handle anything from 900g to 5,000g. It retails at just under $200.
The multi-taskers among us may be more impressed with the Hettich 2300-01 Small Centrifuge. It can hold up to six test tubes at a time, with each test tube having a capacity of 10ml to 15ml. This centrifuge is made of stainless steel that is beautiful, durable, and easy to clean. The stainless steel interior also facilitates effective decontamination procedures. Pricing starts at $1,300 dollars and the equipment functions through 90-degree horizontal swing-out spins.
Industrial-style centrifuges are an entirely different mechanical species. They require a lot more power and floor space, and the C & A Scientific Premiere XC-800 Centrifuge represents its class quite well. This model comes with an in-built timer, which increases the efficiency and accuracy of your lab tests.
There are several factors that come into play when you’re choosing the best centrifuge. If you’d like one for a school science lab, portability is important, as is durability, since you don’t want your machinery damaged by little and/or inexperienced hands.
For school labs, you should also pick a machine that is easy to clean, since it is likely to be in heavy use by hands that are far from spotless. If the centrifuge is for a medical set-up, choose a piece that is easy to sterilise, since decontamination will be crucial during lab tests.
Finally, take into account the RPM, since this will directly influence the speed, power, and current available for your experiments. A slightly less considered but equally crucial matter is space. If you have a small lab, pick a centrifuge that can fit in your palm or pocket. If you have a large workspace, you can go as big as you need to.
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