Thanks to everyone who answered my questions about 3 models of thermocyclers. Multiple people asked me to post the answers which are shown below: Lisette Question: We just received an equipment grant to purchase a new multi-unit thermocycler. We have quotes from three companies and are trying to make a decision on which to purchase. If you have experience with machines below, I would be interested to find out how they have performed. Eppendorf: Mastercycler Nexus Gradient (2) Mastercycler Nexus Eco (4) Techne: Prime Elite Gradient Thermocycler (2) Prime Elite Gradient Satellite Thermocycler (4) BioRad: C1000 TOUCH CYCLER (2) S1000 CYCLER (4) Answers: 1) I purchased a Techne thermocycler two years ago and it broke down twice already (I think is the block). Their guaranty is great, you send it back and they fix it for free, but it is really annoying to have to send it back every 10 months or so. I wouldn't go with them again. 2) I don't have the Techne you have quoted but got a cheaper one a couple of years ago after having MJs for years. It was hard to program and not at all intuitive to me. The students don't like to use it. We got a C1000 BioRad this year - nice machine. I bought both the dual 48 blocks and the 96 - switching them out is a breeze, programming is fun, easy, nice. I also have experience with Eppendorfs (not the ones you mention) and they have also been very easy to use. Good luck - of that list I would pick the BioRad and stay away from Techne... 3) I recently bought 2 bio rad c1000s and they are AWESOME. Pcrs that used to barely work on other machines in my old labs seem to pick up for some reason on these guys and I very rarely have well edge evaporation on plates. We had a few problems but they were tied to old firmware and their support was helpful and the upgrade cleared things up. Hopefully they will be long term lasting units. I've only had my position here for a few years but all signs suggest they should be good. 4) We have both the Eppendorf Nexus Mastercycler Gradient and the BioRad C1000. I'm not a big fan of the Eppendorf one. The programming is not intuitive (we often have to break out the manual) and we get some evaporation with certain plate/seal combos. LOVE the C1000. The touch screen makes it very easy to program and it's very flexible in terms of plates/seals/mats (i.e., no evaporation). 5) We've had a single-block C1000 (pre-Touch version) for more than two years and we love it. There was an issue with the mechanics of the lid, and when I complained about it Bio-Rad happily upgraded us to the newer version of the lid assembly and re-QC'd the whole machine, etc., all at their expense (including overnight shipping in both directions). I think they're a class act. 6) We're using a C1000, and thus far, I'm pleasantly impressed with them. It does what we need to do, and is pretty easy to set up and program. I like it better than the old ABI one I've used, and it's much better than the MBS we used to have from thermofisher. We've only been running them for a month now, so I can't comment on long- term stability. Lisette Waits, PHD Professor Fish and Wildlife Sciences Laboratory for Ecological, Evolutionary and Conservation Genetics University of Idaho 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1136 Moscow ID 83844-1136 Phone: (208) 885 7823 lwaits@uidaho.edu http://www.uidaho.edu/cnr/fishwild/lisettewaits "Waits, Lisette"