"luxury" microbiology supplies - (Dec/05/2014 )

Hi all,

One of my previous advisers, a microbiologist, has a personal kit with her name engraved on a very comfortable inoculation loop, etc.  I asked her where I could find something similar, but she had gotten it as a gift and doesn't remember from who. With the holidays coming up, I was curious if anyone could name off some "luxury" or personal/ customizable microbiology equipment that you've encountered or where I could find such equipment. Even if you don't know anything about customization, could you tell me the highest quality brands for equipment to try to piece together a personalized kit?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

I use a wire loop held in a machinist's pin-vice, which I find is much easier to use than most commercially available loop holders.

I really enjoy using my "Flame Boy" bunsen burner (Just wave your hand and it bursts into flames). But if I were working with pathogenic organisms I would probably choose a hot bead sterilizer.

Soda-lime glass beads, 5 mm diameter, available from Friedrich & Dimmock, catalog GB5000SL are inexpensive and disposable, useful for plating. Most lab supply houses sell the borosilicate ones, which are MUCH more expensive.

I find buying a variety of colored caps for my GL45 bottles pays off in making it easy to identify my reagents (white for water, blue for TE, purple for 50% glycerol etc.).