BrandTech 780500 Polypropylene 1.5mL Micro Centrifuge Tube with Lid, Clear (Pack of 500)

Time owned: 3 monthsTechnical Problems: Have shattered on me several times in the centrifuge at rcf > 14000g. Worried about some polymer dissolving in organic solutions.Complaints: More difficult to cap one-handed than other brands. Conical bottom is too round/flat. If you have a small amount of sample collect at the bottom it will be tough to tell if you've collected an appreciable amount of it.Value: There are other cheap alternatives that will do. You don't need expensive brand name Eppendorf tubes, but these are to cheap for me. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005I09ES6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 these worked much better as cheapo tubes (but take forever to ship).Recommended for: Anyone dealing mainly with aqueous solutions that don't need to be spun down at high speeds.When I first got these they felt cheap. That's not necessarily a problem, but when I went to cap them one-handed during an experiment, they didn't quite "click" they way I'm used to, and it was tough to get the cap on securely (I often had to put down whatever was in my other hand to cap it). This is a pain for me because I do time-sensitive experiments. If you're patient and just need a place to hold about a mil of solution for a little while, it shouldn't be an issue. Then I had to spin down a sample that was only about 30 kDa within just a few minutes. I placed the tube in a centrifuge slot designed for 1.5 mil tubes, and set it to 14000g for 2 minutes. It shattered and sent my sample flying everywhere. I tried this several more times with just DI water, and got the same result. They seem to be okay up to 10000g. I haven't had this problem with any other tubes. Also, if you have a small amount of sample to collect via centrifugation (~1-5 mg), then avoid these since you'll have a tough time seeing if it has fully precipitated since this is not quite as "conical" as your standard tube. I've also noticed some precipitates that look like polymers in some of my samples after handling this with acetonitrile or some other organic solvents (that are PP compatible). I'm a little worried there may be some other materials contaminating the tubes.

It wasnt clear as advertised but brown in color. I was realy disappointed since I needed to distinguish clearly between the supernatant and the deposits.but it works fine at a speed of 300g, items was delivered on time and in good condition.

These tubes do not fit the Artec Educational Mini Centrifuge Kit. It had it coupled with it on the Amazon page so I assumed they would work with it...they do not. The bottom of these tubes is too wide for the centrifuge and once you get it in, it takes pliers to get it out. Not fun:(.

Not used as intended. I made spiky glowing bits on a burning man costume. Worked quiet well there. Held up to the elements and protected my LEDs. One time I even spun around really fast and most of the lids stayed closed so I guess they would be good for your science stuff.

These tubes are extremely cheap, and I have an abundance of them now! I use them as nano sized geocaching containers, and they fit the bill perfect.

Lids dont stay shut all the time.

It is not the color on the picture. It is plain clear.

They get the job done. They hold liquids well. I have yet to centrifuge using them yet, but they definitely seem sturdy enough to be used without any issues. 500 tubes is a whole lot! It seems like a lot more of them than I expected, but that is no reason to complain. Great price, good product.