Microlab STAR Liquid Handling Systems by HAMILTON Robotics

"Great product. Continuous software updates and product improvement."

"Product is good quality and the Venus programming software is a moderately easy to use and highly functional product."

"The Hamilton STAR is very user-friendly when it comes to creating methods. The instrument is very consistent between runs. My only issue would be with after sales care, as the company needs more FSEs within the RTP territory."

"Have used the STAR systems for many years and have found them to be really reliable and service across multiple sites to be very good from Hamilton."

"Very diverse use and allows for in-depth programming, compared to similar liquid handling platforms. It can automate very intricate and customized workflows over diverse 3rd party integration. Accessories after purchase can be pricey. It adds up and can be limited to 'Hamilton only' accessories."

"The Hamilton Star has facilitated our assay prep tremendously. Programming is very end user friendly. Hamilton has also been very responsive to any customer needs we've had for the instrument. Minimizing human error with the star has streamlined our process and turn around time. "

"The STAR is a very versatile liquid handler and can do so much. The range it can get to is very low and useful. "

"Very reliable liquid handling, very versatile and flexible software. Great support through the whole sales process as well as subsequent customer care."

"We've been using this product well over 10 years. Vendor service is top-notch. The system is very robust and the quality of the work produced is praiseworthy."

"The ease of use of the Star is great! The adjustment of liquid class parameters is the best."

"Very flexible for custom applications, reproducible and great support."

"Use Hamilton Star products in the lab to accomplish various situations of NextGen sequencing. While difficulty in programming is high, the possible customization is boundless. Once an understanding in Venus is found, the application for the liquid handler is limitless."

"Hardware performs very well, with consistent and accurate liquid transfer capabilities. Good report and error handling feature. Software is reasonably intuitive but complex methods still normally require a specialist user to program. Hamilton are always on hand with method programming issues, fast engineer call out times too."

"Very good, robust, reliable, used for antibody production and normalisation protocols, as well as pipetting capabilities for plate washing and reagent dispensing."

"The STAR is a very powerful system with lots of flexibility. While intimidating when first learning, once you realize the power, the sky is the limit. As far as liquid handling, precision and accuracy are very good once liquid classes are optimized."

"Venus II does not have audit trail for method update, just a change note, which maybe enhanced for compliance."

"I had hardware issue, e.g. 1mL channel failure on almost all 8 channels. It took a while to get the vendor to perform an on-site fix."

"The instrument was reliable and robust in carrying out procedures, and obtained results were accurate and reproducible. The after sale-assistance of Hamilton technicians was always rapid and useful. As a whole, the instrument was worth the price."

"I use the Hamilton microlab star liquid handler. It is a robust system. Since the code is a little bit open source, the programming can be challenging without prior knowledge. The service help is great at answering questions. The liquid handler itself has been implemented in a GLP lab with ease and is used on a daily basis. The software is part 11 complaint. Overall, the system is very rugged and robust and is beneficial to have in the lab. The price tag can get steep with all the additional equipment added."

"The STAR line is a very flexible automation system. We've been working with Hamilton for 5 years now to automate various projects and we can always find the right configuration to fit our needs. The learning curve is a little steep, but Hamilton's support staff is so amazing that is makes it worth it. Hamilton is very interested in growing their partnerships with the people they sell to, they don't disappear after getting paid. I would highly recommend anyone considering automation to look into Hamilton products."

"We purchased the Hamilton STAR system to aid in high throughput screening of our various protein and crystal formulation experiments. Working with Hamilton has been a pleasure from initial contact through after sales care. We are beginning to use it in the lab and the STAR is streamlining our workflow and shortening timelines"

"The Microlab STARlet IVD is a customizable instrument that offers a large amount of assurance that the assay is running correctly, from monitoring aspiration and dispensing pressure curves to barcode verification of carriers and reagents, and more. The assistance and support we get from Hamilton is excellent, they are fast to respond to questions."

"It dramatically improves quality and reproducibility for DNA extraction, PCR set-up and DNA archival. It also increases throughput."

"This is a powerful instrument, most useful for set assays with the same assay parameters. Our lab's needs are a little more challenging: in addition to a calibration curve, various samples for pharmacokinetic analysis require different levels of serial dilutions. Thus, more complicated programming is needed, since the scenario can be quite different from plate to plate, and the software has a somewhat steep learning curve. Also, as with other robotic systems, you should be prepared for a higher reagent usage due to dead volume limitations, and you should also adjust for the relatively slower action vs. manual operators. Consumables (pipette tips, reservoirs, etc.) can add up."

"The Hamilton Star line of automated pipettes are solid choices if you're looking to streamline routine laboratory pipetting tasks. Once you attend the week long training session at their headquaters in Reno Nevada, you'll be fully proficient at programming the system and would have the confidence to troubleshoot common problems that will arise after implementation. "

"Our company has had the instrument for more than 9 years. We use them for our routine sample analysis to support our drug discovery and development project. It meets and exceeds our expectations. "

"The method-writing software that comes with the Microlab STAR is easy to learn and use, even a novice can get a quick tutorial and start using it to create simple methods to run experiments. However there are some limitations for more advanced users (certain settings cannot be customized) which keeps this from being a 5 star system for me. I would definitely recommend my colleagues to try out this system because my overall experience with the Microlab Star has been positive."

"Our Star and Starlet are integral to our company's pipeline. Nearly all tasks generally completed by hand are tasked to our robots. The robots are valued members of the Emerald team!"

"The Star liquid handler interfaces well with the Hamilton Store system and can also be used for routine liquid handling. The software controls peripherals well and is quite complex; there is a good graphical GUI that is not too hard to use and the scripting can be picked up especially if the user is familiar with other liquid handler scripting. On deck plate movement is robust but relatively slow and peripheral integration is good but not very compact; there is a lot of wasted space which is addressed somewhat by the new Vantage. The Hamilton team were helpful and responsive with issues that arose during testing and after installation."

"The Hamilton Star is a great instrument. Very reliable and sturdy, usually does not crash on its own, you really need to do something wrong to make it stop. Handles 96, 384, even 1536 formats great. The software and programming features are easy to use. Once you have the protocols written, using it is a breeze. Writing them is whole another story. Another issue we had is getting someone to train members of our team in using it. I am sure Hamilton provides great instructions once you buy the new instrument, but with older ones they don't have the incentive to spend time teaching people how to use it."

"The Hamilton Star is one of the most versatile large-scale liquid-handlers on the market. The base system provides good structure and possibilities for integrations. The software platform has quite a learning barrier for entry method development, but once learnt allows extremely complex method and mistake-proofing development. It does take a while to get to know the structures and operational philosophy. Service support is excellent - the network of engineers is good, but the standardization of procedures and documentation is even better. Value - certainly not the cheapest system on the market, but certainly saves buying multiple dedicated instruments."

"These instruments are reliable and the service and application support teams are top notch. I would recommend them to anyone in need of automated liquid handling applications."

"The system is very simple and flexible. With sample extractions varying from PPE, SPE, and LLE, the requirements of additional third-party units to be integrated is made easy (shakers, vacuum, robotic arm to move plates). The 2D and 1D barcode features are also critical to ease identifying and tracking samples. There are also many different technologies available to help ensure the accuracy and precision of pipetting like capacitance and pressure liquid level detection, as well as full pressure monitoring. The customer service we've received has been great going from replacing parts, to application implementation advice."

"Extremely robust platform.  Excellent repeatability of pipetting.  Colony picking functions work very well.  Method writing is slightly difficult."

"The high level of sophistication of this instrument makes it very versatile but less user friendly. It would be good if these was a forum for programming."

"The ability to develop your own scripts is a huge plus. User interface is simple to work with. However, to fully utilize its capabilities, user customization is a must, which is not so trivial in a bio-pharmaceutical company."

"The Hamilton Microlab Star has fantastic hardware and the Hamilton team gave us incredible after sales service to get us up and running. We really couldn't have asked for more from them. The one downside with the Hamilton is the programming - as someone who is new to robotics it is not very intuitive or user friendly."

"Provides the required high level of dispensing accuracy and reliable operation. Capable of >10k dispenses between services. O-ring pipette seal and transfer system is the most similar to manual pipetting of any pipetting system. Variable span and tip picking 8-head extremely flexible, 96- & 384-head stamps useable with many plate types, liquid detection excellent. Wide range of optional extras allow customisation to meet ongoing/changing user requirements. Top of the range error handling options. The base language Vector is highly flexible, but requires expert programming to be best utilised. For the price, you get a mechanically excellent system that will remain flexible enough to meet your needs in the future, but you may want to consider the value of other software providers if you intend to have users developing programs, as the base language is a far cry from the icon-driven workflows used with other systems."

"Excellent accuracy and reproducibility of experiments. Learning the programming language really helps in running the instrument. Flexible, many lab uses and versatile."

"Quality engineering. Complex technology but flexible software. Great support behind the instrument."

"Excellent hardware, robust and easily maintained. Software takes some getting used to. Sequence approach is unique. No system liquid. Sterility has been maintained for less than a year with no contamination events."

"Extremely easy to use programming software. It can be used for various applications- compound management, plate preparation for screening and bulk dispensing. Service through Hamilton is always quick and very helpful."

"Very versatile- you can add or remove kit from the deck easily to configure for new methods. It is very user friendly once programmed, and a reliable piece of equipment."

"This is an excellent liquid handling platform that takes a little time to master but is well worth the effort."

"Easy to use with chemists, used for automated liquid handling. Easily programmable with basic understanding of computer programming."

"Excellent hardware and support staff."

"Software is more cumbersome and takes a lot of training and time to create methods. Once programmed and tweaked, runs great for stamping lots of plates."

"Costly tips. Hard to program but reliable. Liquid level sensing is a plus. Stacked tips on deck allows for more labware."

"Programming has a big learning curve, but the excellent customer service overcomes that. Good reliable systems."

"I experienced a steep learning curve but once I understood how to use the software I found it very flexible and robust. I've been able to use the system for a very wide range of applications."

"Great for sample transfer."

"Needs work on software, for more usability."

"Versatile, easy to operate."

"A workhorse, very reliable, accurate and efficient. Requires expert programming to use to its full potential."

"A great all purpose liquid handling system."

"A very flexible workstation with powerful software."

"These machines are very good."

"Software needs improving."

"The Starlet Liquidhandler give us the lowest CV's and ultimate control on method execution."

"Ultimate ease of use and expandability."

"Great company and product."

"Excellent, innovative product."

"We have purchased several. They are very robust."

"Very complex software, but once set up properly it offers functionality necessary to improve the process."