The Scientist's New LabConsumer Section Reduces Legwork For Potential Buyers

Yogi Berra, the affable former manager for the New York Yankees, was once quoted as saying, "A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore." In spite of his confusion about the value of money, Berra's statement addresses the financial concerns of most professionals, be they athletes or scientists. Small products like pipette tips, large ones like automated DNA sequencers, and a wide range of equipment in between constitute the tools of the scientific trade. The cost and quality of these products directly affect a scientist's output. Many have experienced the frustration of substituting a cheaper product in an established protocol only to end up losing valuable samples or time and to be left wondering, "What the heck went wrong with the results?" Then there are those who purchase only top-of-the line lab equipment. However, buying the most expensive laboratory products doesn't always ensure success and can quickly shorten the economic life of a project. Using a buyer's guide can reduce purchasing snafus, as many who have sought out a television set or a laptop computer can attest. Commencing with our July 21 issue, The Scientist will provide consumer information for life sciences professionals in LabConsumer, a new section established as a communication platform between suppliers and readers. Independent of any manufacturer's influence, the principal objective of LabConsumer is to provide researchers and production scientists with current and accurate information about available lab instrumentation and products. Although similar in style to product magazines for the general consumer and the computer industry, LabConsumer is unique to the life sciences in its approach and content. The primary focus of LabConsumer is to profile or review laboratory equipment and supplies in an unbiased way. To that end, we will survey and investigate companies and their products. Profile articles will be based on data gathered from each manufacturer or vendor of a given product or product category. The purpose of profile articles is to provide an overview of the market to minimize the time spent by scientists on making purchasing decisions and to provide options that may be unknown to readers. Because we will list the products' purported features and benefits, our readers will be better equipped to select the one that best suits their labs' applications. Frequently, background information, such as a product's history or comments from product managers, will be included in these profiles. They also will contain a comprehensive list of manufacturers with an accompanying description of each company's offering. Comparative tables will be included to aid in making an informed purchasing decision. These tables will provide information on pricing, specifications, and the heralded performance data of each manufacturer's product. The first edition of LabConsumer will feature profile articles on Cycle Sequencing Kits and Electroporators. Topics of other upcoming profiles include CO2 Incubators, Mini-Prep Kits, Analytical Balances, and Protein Expression Vectors. Review articles, planned for future issues, will be based on data collected from manufacturers and from the authors' own experiences with the products. Reviewers will take the equipment out for a test drive and publish their findings along with a list of each product's general specifications. This hands-on approach will offer an outside opinion on the equipment's viability and ease of use so that buyers do not have to merely rely on the word of a visiting sales rep. Matching product strengths with applications is the aim of each review. LabConsumer does not intend to be a self-appointed consumer police force for the industry, out to arrest the product bad guys. Most products have a reason to exist. Despite a few shining stars as products go, what may be "best" for one individual or lab may not be well suited for another. This doesn't mean that we will shy away from pointing out problems or concerns with products. However, these concerns will generally be expressed on an application basis. As the old axiom says, what is trash to one may be treasure to another. Reviews are planned for product categories such as Microplate Washers, Pipettors, and Gel Documentation Systems. LabConsumer's Tools and Technology articles will profile or review new and unique products. These mini-articles are designed to give readers a look at singular products, exploring their purported features and benefits. Who are LabConsumer's writers? The section's editorial staff will author many of the profile articles. Occasionally, outside writers will be selected for their experience and expertise. Freelance writers will be used exclusively for review articles. These reviewers will be scientists with a working knowledge of the product category being examined. Authors of all LabConsumer articles will work closely with technical representatives from the companies being discussed. This does not mean that manufacturers will unduly influence the outcome of any article. Because of the highly technical nature of each article topic, cooperation from manufacturers ensures accuracy. In the words of Yogi Berra, "It ain't over till it's over." Do we think our articles will provide the final say on the topics discussed? Hardly. LabConsumer is a platform for an ongoing discussion about the products used in our work. We want your input. Tell us about your experience with products you have used and the topics that you would like to see us cover. Share your input on the surveys that we plan to conduct thoughout the year at meetings and on our Web site. Finally, take a few minutes and use the Reader Response Cards provided in each issue. Advertisers who support The Scientist gauge their interest by your regular response on these cards. More qualified responses allow us to provide you with more of what you expect from The Scientist and now from LabConsumer.

The Scientist's New LabConsumer Section Reduces Legwork For Potential Buyers

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