Best Gel Running Tank on the Market

February 09, 2016

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Research
Laboratory Technician

Overall

Performance

Ease-of-Optimization

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Company:

Life Technologies

Product Name:

Mini Gel Tank

Catalog Number:

A25977

Our lab runs a great deal of Western Blots in a given year, and we have several gel running apparatuses. Everyone's favorite gel running apparatus is the Life Technologies Mini Gel Tank for a number of different ergonomic reasons. We chose to purchase from Life Technologies because of their reputation of great customer service and the plethora of pre-cast gels that they offer.

Experimental Design and Results Summary

Application

Vertical Gel Electrophoresis

Starting Material

Polyacrylamide Gels with loaded samples

Protocol Overview

Put your gel into the mini gel tank and top off the area with running buffer before starting. Remove the combs and then carefully load each well with your samples, making sure not to leave any wells empty in the process. Once the wells have all been loaded, install the top of the gel tank, plug the cords into a power supply, and apply a current to start running out your gel.

Tips

Check wells for extra gel bits before loading them to ensure cleanly-loaded wells

Results Summary

This is the best vertical gel running apparatus that we have in lab. It consistently runs gels perfectly straight without concave or convex dye fronts. Furthermore, being able to run two gels separately makes it easy to run a single gel out further than another gel that was started at the same time.

Features Summary

Wedged wells allow for easy angled gel loading

Additional Notes

None

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Summary

The Good

Ease of use, saves reagents, consistently straight dye fronts

The Bad

Have to buy pre-made gels....

The Bottom Line

This is a great vertical gel-running apparatus that minimizes the amount of necessary reagents while also maximizing the ergonomics of loading the gel and allowing for easily-viewed gel running. If you don't mind purchasing pre-made gels, this Mini Gel Tank from Life Technologies is a great system for loading and running out gels.

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