HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT PIPETTE TIPS FOR YOUR EXPERIMENT

PART1

The precision and accuracy of even the best calibrated pipette can be wiped out if you choose the wrong kind of tips. Depending on the experiment you are doing, the wrong kind of tips can also make your pipette a source of contamination, lead to waste of precious samples or reagents—or even cause you physical harm in the form of repetitive stress injury (RSI). There are so many different kinds of tips to choose from. How do you know which is the best for your pipette and situation? Never fear, that’s what we are here for.

1) CHOOSE HIGH QUALITY PIPETTE TIPS FOR PRECISION AND ACCURACY 

The first consideration that tends to spring to mind when thinking about which tip type to choose is precision and accuracy. If there is any batch-to-batch, or within batch, variation in the shape of the pipette tips, then your pipetting will not be precise. The accuracy of your pipette can be affected if the tip does not fit your particular pipette properly. If there is a poor seal between your pipette barrel and tip, then the drawn-in air can escape and the correct volume of liquid is not aspirated. Therefore, the final volume dispensed is not absolutely correct. Choosing a tip that is a good fit for your pipette can be a tricky business.

2) UNIVERSAL OR PIPETTE-SPECIFIC TIPS?

The best option for your pipette and application is to use high-quality universal tips. These universal tips can be used with most micropipettes on the market. Universal tips are designed to fit securely and tightly around all pipette barrels, which vary slightly in diameter from manufacturer to manufacturer. For example, tips with FlexFit technology are flexible at the proximal end of tip (i.e., closest to the barrel), which gives them a better fit with a wider range of pipette types.