LabConsumer ventured to LabAutomation '98 (January 19) in San Diego, California, with the intent of finding a truly unique piece of laboratory equipment. After hours of searching, we stumbled upon V&P's Alligator Microplate Magnetic Tumble Stirrer. V&P Scientific has developed the Alligator Tumble Stirrer (patent pending) as a simple and efficient method for stirring microplates. As opposed to using a spinning magnetic stirring bar, the Alligator Tumble Stirrer causes stirrers to tumble end over end inside each well, similar to the way alligators "tumble" their prey.

V&P's Alligator Microplate Magnetic Tumble Stirrer

The Alligator, which has been on the market about two years, can handle all microplate formats (24- to 1,536-well plates), deep-well plates, V- and U-bottom microplates, PCR plates, microfuge tubes, test tubes, and bottles. The Alligator measures a mere 17 inches wide by 17 inches deep by 7 inches high and can fit inside most incubators. The VP...