The Denville 260D Brushless Centrifuge is a small benchtop centrifuge that comes with a rotor for 1.5 ml eppendorf tubes. The motor is brushless and, thus, requires little maintenance. One can purchase adaptors to hold smaller tubes (0.5 ml or 0.4 ml tubes) and this centrifuge can go up to 14,000 RPM/16,000 x g. There is a clear plastic cover which goes on top of the rotor and is easily locked in place by pressing it down.
The controls are simple to use and efficiently designed. The RPM and time are displayed digitally and adjusted with an ‘up’ or ‘down’ button. The speed (RPM) can be set digitally from 1,000-14,000 in 100 RPM increments. It may also be selected in RCF (g-force) mode by pressing the ‘RPM/RCF’ button. Time can be programmed (up to 99 min); non-timed running operation can be activated by simply pressing the ‘start’ button. At the end of run, there is a beep and the centrifuge lid opens automatically, another convenient feature of this unit. The beep can be inactivated if desired.
I primarily use this unit, in the cold room, for spinning worm extracts at 14000 RPM in order to remove cellular debris following sonication. I also use the centrifuge when extracting RNA from worms, a procedure which requires many high speed spins in 1.5 ml eppendorf tubes, for example, after incubating with Trizol, chloroform, and isopropanol. It is also used for other applications, such as DNA minipreps.
Overall, this is a great centrifuge. It is small and stays quiet even at high speeds. And, of course, there is a brake or it would take very long time to come to a stop for high speed spins. However, compared to other models which contain a brush, such as Eppendorf models, the Denville 260D Brushless Centrifuge seems to take little longer to come to a stop: just my observation. Having used a centrifuge with a brushed motor in a previous lab (and having witnessed the related maintenance issues), the Denville 260D Brushless Centrifuge is superior, requiring little to no maintenance. It is used on a daily basis, and we have not had any mechanical problems with this unit. It is quieter than brushed motor centrifuges, and it alleviates the problem of having to replace the brush every 6 months or so. Another great feature of this unit is that the fuse is uniquely located in a separate fuse-holder drawer that can be opened easily. So far, the Denville 260D Brushless Centrifuge has been the best small, benchtop centrifuge for 1.5 ml eppendorf tubes that I have used. I really like this unit and highly recommend this product to others.
Hee Chul Lee
Research Fellow
University of Michigan Medical School
Internal Medicine