“TELL ME, DO YOUR MICROCENTRIFUGE TUBES POP OPEN WHEN BOILED?”

Having been in sales all my life, I can assure you that this is one of the top 10 questions that a disposable labware representative gets asked about “Eppendorf” tubes.

We have to give credit where credit is due; these snap cap microcentrifuge tubes have taken the name of the first company that successfully marketed them, just like Kleenex, Ski-doos, and other frigidaires. Nevertheless, I will now name them by their generic name, microcentrifuge tubes, sorry Michelle!

I spent the better part of my life promoting microcentrifuge tubes that should not pop open or so I was led to believe so. I was simply repeating what the manufacturer’s representatives were telling me. I would then share my time between apologizing to the customers that were nice enough to let me know that they did pop open when boiled and to research the world and the seven seas to find this elusive product.

Only to find out, after all these years, that my quest was meaningless. A simple comment by Simport’s owner shed some light on my despair; “Of course, they will pop-open when boiled, that is proof that the cap is tightly closed!” Then suddenly angels started singing and a bright light engulfed me. This is what nobody had ever told me before, and it's soooo obvious!

So if you ask us; yes, Simport’s microcentrifuge tubes will pop-open when boiled. This is because they are very tight and when pressure builds up inside as a result of boiling, it will make the cap pop open. If you want a cap that stays on when boiled, you have a few options:

• Buy a microcentrifuge tube with a locking cap such as our T330-15 or Secure-Lock™ T331-10 or-20
• Buy a screw cap microcentrifuge tube such as our Micrew line of products
• Or buy a cheap south Asian microcentrifuge that leaks enough to prevent pressure buildup when boiled

P.S. You may have to explain all of this to your salesperson before proceeding to buy but, be nice to them, they do not know any better, nobody ever told them!