Are the Hamilton SoftGrip pipettes autoclavable?
Yes, the Hamilton adjustable volume, fixed volume and multi-channel pipettes are autoclavable at 121°C without the need of disassembly or recalibration.
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Why are the Hamilton pipettes autoclavable?
All materials used in the SoftGrip pipette, including those in the upper body, are autoclavable. Many competitior models contain materials in the upper body that cannot withstand autoclaving, causing melting or warping that leaves the pipette unusable.
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When I want to autoclave the Hamilton SoftGrip pipette, do I need to do anything special to the pipette prior?
It is suggested to loosen the lower body of the Hamilton pipette and placing it inside an autoclave bag before autoclaving. Doing so may extend the life of the pipette.
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Do I have to recalibrate the Hamilton SoftGrip pipette after the autoclave?
It is good laboratory practice to check the calibration after the autoclave and recalibrate if needed. Our experience is that it is not usually necessary to recalibrate after autoclaving.
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Is the calibration of the Hamilton SoftGrip pipettes traceable to some sort of quality standards?
Yes, the calibration on the Hamilton SoftGrip pipettes is two-level calibration NIST traceable. Each pipette is calibrated and certified individually, not just verified, and a certificate of calibration is included with the pipette.
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What is the warranty for the Hamilton SoftGrip pipettes?
The Hamilton Company offers a one-year warranty from date of purchase for all parts and labor on all their pipettes for manufacturer's defects.
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What kind of pipettes are the Hamilton SoftGrip pipettes?
The Hamilton SoftGrip pipettes include single channel adjustable volume, single channel fixed volume and the multi-channel pipettes, and all are volume air displacement pipettes.
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Are the Hamilton SoftGrip pipettes easy to handle and ergonomic?
Yes. An ergonomic study of the Hamilton pipettes vs. most major brand pipettes was performed by a third party company. The Hamilton pipettes came out #1 on all the ergonomic parameters that were tested.
The Hamilton SoftGrip pipettes have been recognized and received industry awards for outstanding design from:
- Industrial Designers Society of America
- Business week/Medical & Scientific Products
- The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design
For a copy of the Ergonomic Study please contact Hamilton Company.
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Can I calibrate my Hamilton SoftGrip pipette myself?
Yes. One of the main features of the Hamilton SoftGrip pipette is the ability to be calibrated gravimetrically in the field. The calibration is very easy to do and the universal calibration tool is available for all Hamilton SoftGrip pipettes
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Is the calibration tool the same for all Hamilton SoftGrip pipettes including single channel adjustable volume, single channel fixed volume and multi-channel pipette?
Yes. The calibration tool is the same for all the Hamilton SoftGrip pipettes including single channel adjustable volume, single channel fixed volume and multi-channel pipettes.
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When I buy a Hamilton SoftGrip pipette, what is included with the Hamilton pipette?
With each pipette, included are:
- The Hamilton SoftGrip pipette of your choice
- The pipette certificate of calibration traceable to NIST
- One English manual (additional languages are avaialble for download)
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Why should I use the Hamilton Low Retention pipette tips?
Fluid retention is virtually eliminated and Hamilton low retention tips are not siliconized, therefore no sample leaching. You can also expect more reliable results and a reduction in reagent costs of typically 10 - 15%. This is a great benefit especially when working with low volumes of precious samples or with expensive reagents.
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The seal of the Hamilton SoftGrip pipette is good for how long?
This is dependent on usage and application, but our studies have shown that the seal is good for at least 300K cycles and more.
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Do I need to use both hands when I want to change the volume setting on my Hamilton single channel adjustable volume or the multi-channel pipette?
Yes. The Hamilton Company isolated the volume adjustment ring to avoid accidental volume changes and it has been design to eliminate glove snags while changing volume.
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Is it easy to read the volume on all Hamilton SoftGrip pipettes?
Yes. Each Hamilton SoftGrip pipette has a magnified precision micrometer and is color-coded for quick volume identification.
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How precise and accurate are the Hamilton SoftGrip pipettes?
The Hamilton SoftGrip pipettes have an accuracy to +/-0.3% of selected volume and a precision within +/-0.12% of selected volume (see published specifications for individual models). Please refer to the comparison chart with other major pipette brands and you will notice based on the competitors' precision and accuracy claim, the Hamilton SoftGrip pipette is more precise and accurate.
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What brand of pipette tips can I use on my Hamilton SoftGrip pipette?
The Hamilton Company sells Hamilton SoftGrip pipette tips that have been tested and QC'd with the Hamilton SoftGrip pipettes. Although, most universal tips from other major brands like Gilson and Eppendorf also fit on the Hamilton pipettes.
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Where do I send my pipette for warranty repairs?
The Hamilton SoftGrip pipette should be sent back to Hamilton Company with prior authorization and paper work done. Hamilton Company will evaluate the pipette, and depending on the findings, will return the pipette to you when ready at no cost to you.
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Where do I send my Hamilton SoftGrip pipettes for service repairs?
The Hamilton SoftGrip pipette should be sent back to Hamilton Company with prior authorization and paper work done. An estimation will be made for parts and labor. Upon customer approval of the repair estimate, the Hamilton Company will proceed with the repairs and will send the pipette back to the customer once ready and will charge the customer for servicing fees for labor, parts and shipping.
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Why should I buy the Hamilton SoftGrip pipette tips instead of other leading brands for my Hamilton SoftGrip pipette?
As you already know, the quality of tips affects the pipette performance. The Hamilton company offers the Hamilton SoftGrip pipette tips which offer clean hydroscopic surfaces, absence of flash and have consistent geometry and dimension from one lot to another. Each lot of pipette tips is tested very thoroughly according to the Hamilton Company's very strict QC rules before released on the market.
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Why should I buy the Hamilton SoftGrip pipette instead of the other major brands?
The Hamilton Company is the world leader in design and manufacture of fluid measuring devices and the expert in robotic liquid handling systems. The Hamilton Company is skilled in design of custom OEM liquid delivery modules. The Hamilton Company expertise is in precision fluidics. Other pipette products did not address the user stress issues, and performance improvements were possible. The Hamilton Company has produced a pipette with optimum performance without sacrifice. The Hamilton SoftGrip pipette has the best ergonomic design; highest user satisfaction with uncompromised quality in precision fluid measuring.
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