The SkanWasher400 from Molecular Devices is a 96-well microplate washer for ELISA plates that can also be used to wash ELISPOT plates with good results. It has a built in vacuum and tubing, requiring only the connection of the tubes to the reservoirs. It is compact enough to fit in a biosafety hood and can be conveniently and safely used for washing of plates, which require BSL2 level safety precautions.
The machine can be set to wash with different levels of pressure, from very gentle to a jet wash. It can also be set up to use variable aspiration times and washing volumes, as well as allowing different soak times between washes. It is very easy to use and program, while also working in a prime and wash mode (i.e. easy cleanup, as well).
The time requirements are only about a minute per plate and the instrument can be set for up to eight different user-specific wash programs. The machine performs a very thorough wash, leaving behind only 2-3ul of wash buffer and thus, eliminating the need to manually remove all buffer before the next step (critical with BSL2 level specimens). The aspirating level can be set, making changes between different brands, as well as round and flat bottom plates, easy. The other good feature is that the waste reservoir is big enough to allow time between emptying as it fills.
We had a multi lab set up and the machine was used a good amount. It worked well for about 4 years and then started having problems. The main problems we faced with the machine were associated with the air pressure (valves and O-rings going bad). The company unfortunately does not have repair personnel available to come to your lab to repair or fix problems. The cost of shipping makes it uneconomical to send out the machine to fix and the company does not offer loan machines for the duration of the repair.
The Skan Washer 400 is user friendly and compact and is an excellent piece of equipment for single lab use. I believe that it is a quality piece of equipment for the cost until mechanical problems occur.
Anagha Divekar, Ph.D
Postdoctoral Fellow
University of Rochester
Rochester, NY