Excellent Bead Bath

Results Summary

This is much more convenient than a hot water bath. Vessels can be placed straight in without a rack and placed at an angle to maximize heat transfer. There is no concern of water entering the vessel. The upkeep in terms of monitoring, refilling, cleaning is minimal. By eliminating water, the likelihood of microbial contamination is decreased without the use of chemicals. The bath is rated 3 stars for optimization because the beads transfer heat more slowly than water. So if rapid heating is needed (for heat shock, cryovial thaw, etc), the temperature must be be raised to an optimized higher setting. I simply use a beaker of water on a digital hot plate for those few occasions.