The Pipetteboy acu from Integra Biosciences (IBS) is one of the most useful liquid handling tools available. The Pipetteboy acu is available in six colours and is constructed of plastic. This instrument is light yet remains relatively tough and is very comfortable to use over prolonged periods. The Pipetteboy acu is not so long as to be cumbersome when a pipette is attached, yet is long enough to allow easy operation when attempting to pipette the remnants of a large bottle, i.e. the fingers you use to operate the pipette buttons do not get jammed against the side of the bottle. The entire pipette is not autoclavable, however; the nozzle is comprised of autoclaveable parts and an easily changeable, disposable filter making this instrument easy to maintain and decontaminate.
The primary function of the Pipetteboy acu is, of course, liquid handling and the design of the Pipetteboy acu facilitates precise pipetting. Operation of this tool is intuitive and very basic. Push the top button and the pipette draws up the liquid, push the bottom button and it dispenses it. The button action is smooth and the buttons are pressure sensitive allowing you to pipette as quickly or as slowly as required. Pipetting speed can also be altered by means of the knurled screw located on the back of the pipette below the battery cover. This screw allows you to control the pipetting speed through the pipette control buttons, minimizing the chance of accidentally over-dispensing the liquids being used. The Pipetteboy acu can be run from a 9 V NiMH rechargeable battery or from an outlet. The Pipetteboy acu boasts an impressive amount of suction, easily drawing up viscous liquids such as glycerol, when run from either a battery or in-house power. Unfortunately, a charging station is not available for the Pipetteboy acu and the pipette needs to be plugged into an outlet to recharge it.
The IBS Pipetteboy acu is a very versatile piece of liquid handling equipment. The design of the neck of this device allows it to accept a large range of both glass and plastic pipettes. The IBS literature reports that the Pipetteboy acu is able to utilize pipettes ranging from 1 ml to 50 ml. I have used pipettes, both glass and plastic, across this range and have found the silicon mount forms a good seal on pipettes of all sizes. Due to this, I have rarely had problems with pipettes leaking or falling off the Pipetteboy even when using large, heavy glass pipettes. Occasionally, however, when using heavy pipettes the neck of the Pipetteboy has come undone, separating the pipette, silicone pipette mount and filter from the rest of the instrument.
I am genuinely impressed by the overall functionality and durability of the IBS Pipetteboy acu. This instrument is versatile, accurate and comfortable to use and forms an integral part of the “laboratory tool kit” I would highly recommend the Pipetteboy acu to anyone in the market for a new pipette.