Equipment for the minimal biotech lab

[William Beeson]

This is an area I have been thinking about a lot the last several months.  So much of the life sciences equipment is incredibly overpriced because there are so few vendors.  Please add to this list if you think there are some extra "essential" items.  I'll share some information on the solutions I've adopted for each.

1. Precision temperature control
1. Growth incubators
2. Water baths
3. Shaking incubators
4. Freezers & refrigerators
2. Precision volume control
1. Micropipettes
2. Graduated cylinders
3. Serological pipettes
3. Precision mass control 
1. Analytical scales
4. Optical tools
1. Microscope
2. Camera
3. Spectrophotometer
5. Sterilization
1. Autoclave equivalent
6. Waste management

[Koeng]

I usually just pour into 15ml/50ml tubes instead of using serological pipettes because I have lots of 15ml tubes laying around.

I've never really used a microscope. Since I work with only ~3 organisms, I can usually smell the difference if there is contamination.

A thermocycler and electrophoresis equipment should also be up there if you want to do any molecular biology. Otherwise, nice list! 

-Koeng

[William Beeson]

Thermocycler and electrophoresis are definitely essential items for molecular biology.  Thanks for reminding.

[Nathan McCorkle]

oven, it makes quick and sure work when drying extracts (i.e. alcohol washes of DNA)

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-Nathan

[Cathal Garvey]

Also handy for sterilising glassware: wrap in aluminium foil, cook @
200C for 1h (leave closed during heat-up and cool-down to avoid damaging
glass).

On Wed, 2016-02-17 at 19:55 -0800, Nathan McCorkle wrote:
> oven, it makes quick and sure work when drying extracts (i.e. alcohol
> washes of DNA)
>
> On Mon, Feb 15, 2016 at 4:14 PM, William Beeson <bees...@gmail.com>
> wrote:
> This is an area I have been thinking about a lot the last
> several months. So much of the life sciences equipment is
> incredibly overpriced because there are so few vendors.
> Please add to this list if you think there are some extra
> "essential" items. I'll share some information on the
> solutions I've adopted for each.
>
>

> 1. Precision temperature control
> 1. Growth incubators
> 2. Water baths
> 3. Shaking incubators
> 4. Freezers & refrigerators
> 2. Precision volume control
> 1. Micropipettes
> 2. Graduated cylinders
> 3. Serological pipettes
> 3. Precision mass control
> 1. Analytical scales
> 4. Optical tools
> 1. Microscope
> 2. Camera
> 3. Spectrophotometer
> 5. Sterilization
> 1. Autoclave equivalent
> 6. Waste management
>
>

[Nathan McCorkle]

On Feb 18, 2016 5:18 AM, "Cathal Garvey" <cathal...@cathalgarvey.me> wrote:
>
> Also handy for sterilising glassware: wrap in aluminium foil, cook @
> 200C for 1h (leave closed during heat-up and cool-down to avoid damaging
> glass).

To clarify, just since I had to read that parenthetical a few times, I'm pretty sure you mean to leave the oven closed, as opposed to the items you're sterilizing (such as a flask that could be corked closed).

[Cathal (Phone)]

whoops, yes. Oven closed. I used to put a strip of tape between oven door and oven body to discourage error.

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