Bio Labware Review
Overview
One of our goals at symbiolab is making a complete collection of affordable and DIY laboratory equipment, which is required for common methodology in a biological research lab. To do this, we will begin by making a list of required equipment, describing the hardware, its use, commercial costs (order of magnitude values in EUR, which is approximately in the price range of USD; 1€ = 1.14$ on 12. May 2016) and the current DIY status. This list will include links to some DIY examples, it will however not contain actual plans for our designs, this will come later (there will be links though, once available). To make the content more legible, the equipment will be organized into categories, such as preparation, microscopy, chromatography, etc.
Saying this, while we plan to collect as much DIY equipment as possible, it is important to point out, that it DOESN'T make sense, to make EVERYTHING DIY. Many tools, which are commonly used in a laboratory, are simply easier and cheaper to buy, than to make from scratch. This includes glassware (beakers, measuring cylinders, petri dishes, glasks,...), basic utensils and consumables (spoons, spatulas, scalpels, tweezers,...) and basic kitchenware (fridge/freezer, dishwasher, microwave oven,...). These tools will therefore not be added to the review list. Also, sometimes one can work around a method completely with some small tricks. We will try to add these as well if possible.
As there is an overflow of possibilities and devices for laboratory use, it is not unlikely, we will forget something in our list. If there is something that you miss, feel free to contact us and add suggestions or directly contribute by making a branch and pull request.