Independent, research-led guides to the equipment labs actually shortlist — what the specifications mean in practice, what the running costs look like, and where the trade-offs sit. The first guide lands in October 2026.
Every guide is written by our editorial team, informed by the people running the instruments rather than the people selling them. Vendors can sponsor a guide; none of them can change what it says.
Specifications lined up so they can actually be compared — including the figures vendors quote differently from one another.
Consumables, service contracts, calibration, and energy — the costs that outrun the purchase price within a few years.
The questions to ask before you sign, the trade-offs nobody volunteers, and what to check on a demo day.
10 guides scheduled through July 2027, in publication order. Scope is finalised about eight weeks before each one publishes — if there is something you want covered, tell us before then.
From multichannel pipettes to full robotic workcells
A decision tree by throughput, budget, and walk-away time — covering the whole span from a better multichannel to a workcell that runs overnight.
Sequencers for core facilities and mid-size labs
A side-by-side read on benchtop sequencers, from run cost to turnaround.
Quadrupole vs. Orbitrap vs. TOF — which analyzer fits your lab?
Analyzer selection for labs weighing resolution against speed, sample load, and what the service contract will cost over five years.
Comparing Google Co-Scientist, GPT-Rosalind, Claude Science, and the rest
Where the research-assistant models have moved past the demo — and where procurement should still be sceptical.
Confocal, super-resolution, light-sheet, and what your core facility won’t tell you
Matching imaging technique to the biological question and the budget, from routine cameras to billion-pixel systems.
Columns, detectors, and the true cost per sample
An update to our most-read comparison work, costed per sample rather than per instrument.
From benchtop to 2,000 L
What scales, what breaks, and the point at which single-use stops paying for itself.
The 2027 guide to gene editing tools — base, prime, bridge RNA, and RNA editing
The full editing toolbox and how labs are choosing between the parts of it, now that the patent picture has settled.
Choosing lab software your team will actually use
The software layer labs complain about most — selection criteria, migration cost, and what “integration” is worth in practice.
−80s, LN2, and monitoring systems that actually prevent sample loss
Storage, monitoring, and failure planning — including the energy costs that now sit alongside the purchase price.
While the guides are in production, these are the closest things we already publish.
Category comparisons covering pipettes, HPLC, GC, titrators, and pH meters.
Tools of the Trade — software and instruments used in working labs, with vendor detail.
Product reviews written up by researchers who have run the kit.
New launches as they are announced, so nothing lands on your shortlist late.
Tell us what you are trying to buy and what makes the decision hard. Reader requests shape which guides we schedule next.
Vendor or marketer? See the editorial calendar for sponsorship options against each topic.
