Pipette tip selection should always be prioritized alongside any technique and pipette calibration to help produce dependable experimental results. This article will provide some background and criteria for evaluating and picking pipette tips that will not adversely influence an experiment’s preliminary results. From materials and manufacturing to your fit and the forces required to load and eject, pipette tip quality plays a vital role in application outcomes. You do not have to look that hard to find different papers full of additional hints and tips about the importance of maintaining your pipettes in good condition. It is also easy to find guidelines on “proper pipetting techniques.” All of these stress the contribution of your pipette, and using the right pipette tip can maximize the possibility for success.
How Can You Pick the Proper Pipette Tip?
An ideal pipette tip should fit snugly onto the pipette, remain sealed throughout the entire pipetting operation, eject quickly without using excessive force, be free of any defects, be pure, and arrive with absolute quality assurance. There is a proper way to pick the right pipette tip for your experiments, tip dynamics, and the influence of any pipette tips within your results.
Finding the Right Pipette Tips
The accuracy and precision of even the best-calibrated pipettes may be lost if the wrong kind of tip is used. Depending on your experiment, the wrong tip could also make the pipette a source of contamination. This is why you must pick high-quality tips for accuracy in your experiments. If the shape of your pipette tips varies from batch to batch or inside a set, the pipetting won’t be accurate. This is a build and quality control problem, and it costs money, just like other manufacturing processes. So, avoiding cheaper tips and investing in some high-quality tips are often better to ensure that the tip variability is kept to a minimum. If your tip doesn’t fit right, the accuracy will suffer.
Universal Pipette Tips
There’s also the option of using tips sold by your pipette maker. However, using high-quality universal pipette tips is usually the best solution for your application and the pipette. Universal pipette tips are compatible with most micropipettes on the market. They’re made to fit securely and firmly around each pipette barrel, varying in diameter from one manufacturer to the next. However, not all universal tips are created equal, so carefully consider your options and talk with the experts from the Lab People before you make up your mind.
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