We recently purchased two Eppendorf 5000uL adjustable Research plus pipettes, and have had no end of trouble with them. The piston keeps getting stuck in the barrel, preventing the piston from re-setting after delivering the liquid. We have to disassemble it to get it reset. We use the pipette filters all the time, and filtered pipette tips to prevent solvent from getting up into the barrel, and this problem was happening right away as soon as we purchased them.
Has anyone else seen this issue before? Is it something simple, like re-greasing the piston (though they're brand new, I had hoped we wouldn't have to do maintenance on them for a while). Or do we need to think about replacing parts?
TIA for your advice!
Josh, Unfortunately this is a consequence of companies viewing small ticket items like this as 'consumables'. I'd use a thin oil like Valvoline or a fluorinated polymer like Krytox to lubricate the barrels. This is why in my previous job I tried to purchase micropipettors by Drummond. They make their pipettors so they can be disassembled and they supply replacement parts. Hope this helps.
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