Pumukli
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Which stirrer to buy?
Hello All,
I'm at the point of (not turning back) burying some money in a hotplate-magnetic stirrer soon.
I got a few offers of used equipment but now I can't decide which one to buy. The joy of possibilities. :-)
I have the following offers:
Heidolph MR2002
Heidolph MR3001
Ikamag RET
Ika RCT basic
Selecta Agimatic-N
Velp Scientifica ARE
The price difference between the cheapest and the most expensive one is around 25% based on the price of the cheapest one. (They are in the 100-130
Euros range.)
Is among them a brand that I should avoid at all cost? (I have very limited experience with these things, we used IKAs at school in those (far) days.)
These all are analog stirrers, have round aluminum heat plates and are in the 600-700 W range as far as I know.
Any help would be appreciated!
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hissingnoise
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I use an Ika labdisc ─ not having bought in to the heating/stirrer combo.
On the hotplate, circulation by convection suffices ─ just my two cents . . .
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XeonTheMGPony
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Quote: Originally posted by hissingnoise  | I use an Ika labdisc ─ not having bought in to the heating/stirrer combo.
On the hotplate, circulation by convection suffices ─ just my two cents . . .
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I would strongly disagree there is a large benefit to having a combo heater/stirring unit that will greatly improve yield and speed in some reactions
and is simply of great convenience in most others.
As to the best one so far all I have is a set of standards that I want but need to select one my self.
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Dr.Bob
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A lot of people like the IKA stirplates, and they are pretty and work well when new, but we have a stack of them at work that are broken, and IKA does
not fix or sell replacement parts for them after a few years or charges more than a new unit for them. So I would not get one now, based on the fact
that when they break, which they do often, at least in the US, they are mostly non-repairable. There may be some parts that are designed for 220
volts and when they designed their 110 versions, they might not have doe it well, that has happened with other Eurpopean companies selling in 110
markets, but still not good. But I have heard that they break often from others as well, so I am staying away from them now.
Heidolph seems to make nice stuff, but it is rarer in the US, only seen a little of their stuff. There is a company called Variomag, I think out of
Germany, not sure, but their stuff was the best stirring equipment I have ever seen. It was well made, sturdy, and stirred anything well. Only had
a few things from them, but wish I had more.
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JJay
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The Corning PC-351 is popular and not that expensive used. I used to use one all the time and liked it a lot, but it unfortunately became immersed in
water and the heating controls no longer function. I recently bought another one for about $65 used.
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JJay
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I just got my PC-351 today, and it is pretty sweet.
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Texium
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I have an old Thermolyne Nuova, and though it is quite old, it's built very solidly and has a huge 7" square ceramic top. With all the stuff I've
spilled on there, I know I would have destroyed it months ago if it had an aluminum top. Heating and stirring both work great, I just had to take it
apart and recalibrate the control knobs to get it back to working like new. On eBay it was $45 including shipping. They pop up on there from time to
time, so if you can find one that's in good shape it can be a great deal.
The only (minor) complaints I have are that it doesn't have super precise temperature control, and since it's analog it can't talk to a thermocouple.
Sometime I'd like to get a smarter one that can so that I can be lazy and let it make its own adjustments.
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j_sum1
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I hear stories of $50 hotplates but never see them. And then I have to double the listed price to get shipping from US to AUS.
Good thing I have a mantle that I have mostly not destroyed and a non stirring cook top. Between that and the barbecue, I get by. :Þ
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ikarctebay
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I am from EU so shipping will be almost 90$ for me and there is that wierd 110 Voltage, but for USA residents seems to be a good deal 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/H126855-IKA-RCT-Basic-Safety-Control...
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zed
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Sympathy. Such items are inexpensive in the US, often via e-bay, and there is discount US shipping available.
Homes are generally wired for both 120 (110) and 230 (220). Now, what we used to call 110, is now called 120, likewise 220 is now called 230. We
changed the way the calculation is made, not the actual voltage. And, it has been a while, so I don't remember how RMS values are calculated. 60
cycle? Keep that in mind when ordering new units. The sophisticated electronics inside newer units, may go bat-shit crazy when exposed to non-US
power sources.
I once obtained TWO used stirrer/hotplates for a total of about 50.00 dollars, and that might have included the cost of shipping.
Should be some simple solution for guys in the EU and OZ, but I haven't seen it yet. The situation of high prices, and scarcity of used equipment,
has persisted for many years.
[Edited on 29-5-2016 by zed]
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