Status:
ReviewerMember since: 2015
Organization: George Mason University
Application Area: Utilizing for cloning, ligation and digestion reactions
"While it is easy to use and program, it is constantly breaking down. We have had to send it out for repair two times already and just this past week it failed again while running a PCR reaction. Furthermore the motor/fan is quite loud and requires a buffer area around it so that it does not overheat."
Manufacturer's Response"Dear Cynthia,
We at Techne were sorry to hear about your experience. In the UK factory headquarters we take great care to produce user-friendly, high-performance thermal cyclers. One of our most important criteria is reliability so we provide Techne customers with a 4 year warranty.
However, on this occasion we failed to achieve the quality expected from Techne and we take this situation very seriously. I have instructed my US colleagues to contact you and with the help of your Director of Operations, Techne have shipped you a brand-new thermal cycler, which has now arrived.
To further apologise for the inconvenience, we shipped you a brand-new and upgraded flagship PrimeG instrument to replace your older model. Once again, I apologise on behalf of Techne and I hope we can rebuild your trust in us for the future.
Best regards,
Jim Bratherton
Techne Product Manager"
Status:
ReviewerMember since: 2014
Organization: Indiana University School of Medicine
Application Area:HLA
"The five Prime thermocyclers have been reliable and consistent. They are accurate and the representatives have been able to answer inquiries without hesitation. I have recommended these to other labs."
Status:
ReviewerMember since: 2014
Organization: University of Tennessee
Application Area:Molecular Biology
"The 5Prime firmware is painfully slow to boot. Also, after a firmware glitch and subsequent warranty repair (two weeks out of service), the instrument returned unlevel so it had to go back (i.e., another two weeks of lost research). The second "repair" was someone gluing another rubber foot on the bottom of the instrument to try to stabilize it, which it did not fully. To top it off, the repair folks glued the new foot onto the air intake, partially obstructing air flow (and managed to scratch the instrument's faceplate and chassis). "
Manufacturer's ResponseAt Techne we work hard to produce reliable PCR machines. We test every individual unit before leaving the factory. High reliability is backed by a market-leading 4 year warranty. If things go wrong we do everything possible to resolve to your satisfaction. In this case, we didn’t get it right:
1. Slow startup. Prime thermal cyclers contain an internal PC running Windows. It takes about 90 seconds for the PC to boot, load Windows and launch Prime software. You don’t need to switch Prime off between PCR runs. Energy use at rest is negligible.
2. Firmware glitch. Resolved with the latest version of software available free on www.techne.com.
3. Damaged foot. Unfortunately a foot was damaged during shipping. My engineers replaced the foot with a nut and bolt, the adhesive you see is just thread-lock. The feet are small and the vents are large – the repair would not affect performance.
4. Scratches. Faceplates are replaced during repairs. To avoid delay, your faceplate was reused with the assurance of a replacement when new stock arrived. The chassis scratch occurred during shipping.
5. Summary. Your experience fell below the high standard you should expect from Techne, for which we apologise. Therefore you have been contacted by Techne and your PCR machine will be exchanged for a brand new unit.
Status:
ReviewerMember since: 2014
Organization: Manchester University
Application Area:Molecular Biology / PCR
"A thermo cycler that hits ABI in the wallet!! For the price, this is the best machine you could possibly wish for. The block has an excellent gradient feature that is accurate and stable, ease of use means even an undergrad. A student could use it. The touch screen is bright & responsive (no stabbing with a sore finger here!) Ramping speed is adjustable & at maximum is very quick indeed. Even the heated lid reaches temperature (again temperature is adjustable) faster than any other machine I've used (and I've used a great many over the years). The memory is huge so even a large lab with many members are unlikely to run out of space...even if you do, you can store programmes on a USB stick and run them from there. The footprint is on par with other machines; running is near silent and looks rather nice in Techne's trademark grey and orange. All in all, I can't fault it. I'd recommend this cycler above the giants of ABI and Eppendorf any day. Plus you get a 4 year warranty. Which is nice"
User friendly programming is achieved via a colour touchscreen and intuitive software. USB port enables transfer of programmes between instruments and temperature logs to your PC. A real time graphical display provides an instant visualisation of the program status. The Techne Prime cycler range is one of the most affordable full sized thermal cyclers on the market and is backed by a 4 year warranty.