VanGuard Column Protection Products by Waters

"Effective, easy to use, saves money by extending life of the column. Customer support of Waters is great."

"You're not going to hook up your very expensive HPLC column without a guard column are you? So you've go to buy the (also expensive) guard columns and the bafflingly expensive guard column holder too. Suddenly buying a $700 column turns into a $1,100 shopping trip."

"It was easy to use the vanguard once the directions for its installation were followed. I like this product. However, I wish the product was less expensive."

"It is very easy to connect it with other vendor's columns and has a good quality to reduce matrix background . It is a routine guard column used in my method development and application."

"Highly effective in achieving reproducible results. Easy to use. Protects our valuable “expensive” analytical column."

"It is good item but we feel it is expensive a little bit because we need to exchange it frequently. "

"Product is very good. We have lot of applications with this product. This is a startup company so we may need lot of products from you in future."

"We use VanGuard Pre-columns for our Acuquity UPLC BEH C18 and UPLC HSS T3 columns. The pre-column is great. It is easy to install and has long lifetime. We are satisfied with VanGuard pre-columns. It is worth the money you spend."

"The column protection was easy to use. The column protection is an affordable and easy way to protect analytical columns."

"It was very effective and I enjoyed the quick shipment"

"These VanGuard column protectors are extremely easy to use; no parts to assemble or leaking issues."

"I needed a column to survive tough experimental conditions which include high pressure and ice cold temperatures. BEH VanGuard columns suited my application best. I have been using these columns since a year. The results are impressive and reproducible. I am satisfied with my purchase."

"The Vanguard guard columns are quite simply the easiest guard column to use. It's simply a matter of unscrewing the old one and screwing the new one in. There is no room for error in replacing these! Other styles have difficult housings to line up the cartridge in that can lead to leaking, but not the Vanguard. It's also fantastic at prolonging the life of the analytical columns. Simply amazing product!"

"I was very happy with the results. The LC was very reproducible."

"The purpose of the product is to protect expensive UPLC columns from damage due to contaminants in samples. I have used VanGuard precolumns for C18 and HILIC columns. They have done the job. I typically go through 3 precolumns before I replace the analytical column. Example: I recently had a precolumn/column that was producing high pressure. When I replaced the precolumn, the column behaved as if it was new. I was very happy. The precolumns are easy to install. Waters (especially the service technicians) have always been very helpful in answering my questions. I also appreciate the academic discounts since I work at a University and money is tight."

"We purchased an ACQUITY UPLC HSS T3 Column, (100Å, 1.8 μm, 2.1 mm X 150 mm) along with the VanGuard guard columns. Primarily we work with plant samples for metabolomics so the matrix is dirty with a lot of sticky compounds including lipids and polymeric tannins. Over the past 10 years we have used other reverse-phase columns and chemistry from Phenomenex, Agilent, Waters and Thermo. HSS T3 beats all others columns that we have tried in terms of peak shape, resolution, and in better retention of polar compounds, which makes post processing of the metabolomic data much easier. The column easily lasted >1500 injections with Vanguard cartridges being changed every 500 injection or so. These columns are a bit expensive but the quality is worth the price, and the vanguard protection is definitely a good investment for extended column life when working with dirty sample matrix. We currently are trying the new CORTECS T3 from waters (~1000 injections). It has been through pretty rough treatment in terms of sample matrix; so far so good! We definitely recommend both these products for untargeted metabolomics experiments."

"I appreciate the after sales service. Thank you for the customer support."

"I have always been a proponent of using guard columns to extent the life of analytical columns. The only criticism of the vangaurd product is the little black washer that holds the ferrule in place prior to installation. If you are careful with this product, and the washer is removed to son, it is very easy to loose the ferrule by dropping it on the floor. The vangaurd system work great once installed!"

"It is easy to use and i get reproducible results. I get sharp and narrow peaks."

"We did achieve high quality in the peaks as we used this guard coluymn for the plasma samples."

"The guard columns are easy to use and are robust. They have worked well for our analysis needs."

"Working with natural products, we were very worried about lifetime fouling or damage of our HPLC columns. So far, the Vanguard cartridges have been extremely successful in avoiding any loss of function in the columns!"

"POS: necessary in Waters column protection; very good performance in reproducible results; very easy to use. NEG: easily blocked and fast breakdown; kind of a high price."

"We use VanGuard columns and we will never change. They protect the column and preserve the life of the column so well. We are able run thousands of injections thanks to the protection it provides."

"It is very easy to use this product. The retention time of target peaks slightly changed compared to the run without VanGuard Pre-Column, so the modification of the method was not necessary. As a first time user, I hope that Waters could provide one or two additional Ferrules with the kit, because the Ferrules was loose on the new product, and easily got lost during the installation for a new user. I just started using this products for the purpose to extend the life time of main column during the 'dirty' analysis. So far, the analysis results are satisfying."

"VanGuard columns have been the standard in our lab for targeted and untargeted lipidomics. Our chromatography is highly reproducible and very stable thanks to these products. As an academic lab that must keep an eye on our budget, we use these columns as long as possible - getting several hundred of injections before replacing them. The performance of these columns is very consistent - they don't gradually fail it seems to be all or nothing. As soon as we see any peak broadening (usually doubling) we know the precolumn has gone bad. This makes maintenance very easy."

"Good results when the guard is new however, gets clogged in relatively short period of time and starts to increase pressure"

"It is very easy to use connect & go. Peaks comes out much cleaner then without it. Worth the money."

"The column was highly recommended by our chemist as a top rated product"

"We use Van Guard columns regularly and they are easy to assemble. "

"I did not use the product I only purchased product for our research assistants. But they said the product was good."

"We used to go through guard cartridges every 200 runs or so. The Vanguard pre-column is amazing at protecting and preserving the life of the analytical column. We have run more than 2000 runs on the same analytical column and have only changed our Vanguard pre-column one time. Amazing! Slightly expensive."

"We have just started to use it. No problems and we hope to protect the column longer"

"Very effective in salt removal and peptide capture"

"Replacing these is cheaper than replacing columns, however, I find that integration with the downstream column is problematic. It takes sometimes hours to seat the VanGuard column into the the subsequent analysis column without the system leaking. Sometimes it is just easier to install a new VanGuard. I have taken to not using one unless I know the sample is going to be problematic. Paying $400 for one new functional VanGuard every six months is the same price as replacing the column once a year."

"While the product performed as expected, the devices are too costly. A component of the samples cause a pressure increase. The pre-columns saved the main column. However I had to change several of these pre-columns. I was not able to clean them."

"The product is very easy to use and the scientist obtained better resolved results with the use of the guard column and extended the longevity of the column."

"This product does the job but is very expensive. Saves Columns."

"The product seems to work well. This product is supposed to protect the column and it appears so far that the column has not been damaged. I am not sure if there any way to see if the guard is working or not."

"VanGuard precolumns are really easy to install and use in the Acquity UPLC system. I have 4 different column chemistries installed on my instrument and use a different precolumn for each. I've never encountered any issues with these. Each time a precolumn is installed chromatography is reproducible and reliable."

"We currently use this guard column for a dilute-and-shoot urinary metabolites method. It has improved our column lifetime up to nearly double with very minimal impact on retention time or resolution changes. It is easy to use and tighten onto the analytical column, the worst part being the small ferrules and collets that can easily fall off. There is a rubber stopper in place, but including an extra ferrule and collet with the pack of 3 guard columns would be nice, just in case. Additionally, wrenches must be used to tighten the column, which is fine, but eventually creating some sort of hand-tightening mechanism would be ideal, because it is sometimes difficult to be sure you haven't under or over-tightened the guard column. Batch-to-batch variability has been minimal - some guard columns go faster than others, but this is most likely due to sample cleanliness."

"The adaptation of the holder to the system was flawless. There was no substantial peak shifting or drift due to the holder and guard cartridge and the system traps all the material that would otherwise get caught onto the column, thus the column life has increased 2 fold at least, cutting back on costs tremendously. The quick change capability of the system also allows for minimal down time."

"VanGuard columns have been instrumental in finishing my thesis. The products are well made, easy to use and reliable. The Waters customer service representatives are always helpful. Great product and company."

"Above average performance compared to other similar products"

"Its crazy not to use guard columns, and so we buy them. The Vanguard format is pretty good, still wrestling with two wrenches to get them together, but seem to be leak tight and robust once they're on. Too expensive for a consumable, but cheaper than a trashed column."

"Very easy to use. Saves column from degradation/clogging."

"We have used Waters columns from last 8 years and never had any issue with performance or results. Great product and customer services."

"The installation is easy and there are Youtube videos that help you install it however occasionally I see abump on my first eluting peak and it could be due to the installation. I have seen this with myself installing it and other technicians. This discouraged us to keep buying it. It is an expensive item, I think we are better off just replacing our C18 column. If we could figure out the issue with the bump, I might consider buying the item again. I liked that it helped with peak tailing."

"Column guard is easy to use and occupies less space than the old model."

"Yes, I did achieve high quality. I was using plasma samples and it was really helpful to use the vanguard with the plasma samples. It is very user friendly and I will definitely recommend this to anybody."

"Performed as well as it did for the developer of the method."

"The analysis of intracellular metabolites is complex and messy. However, the data generated is extremely important and the quality of the data is paramount. Strain engineers rely on the information to make decisions on which strains to bring forward, and fermentation engineers rely on the data to best optimize fermentation conditions to maximize titers of high value products. The addition of the Van Guard column to our analysis has allowed us to maximize the robustness, precision and accuracy of the analysis, while limiting the deleterious affects that matrix compounds have on the retention time and on the cleanliness of the MS detector."

"I believe the results given for this particular column protector were useful for the method redevelopment in which it was used. Purchsaing the column protector and column from Waters was very easy as the Waters reps and website are useful and in my opinion, very user friendly."

"The VanGuard Column Guard worked well for our application in that it extended the lifetime of our analytical column. Without it, we would have seen peak degradation and retention time shifts much sooner. The VanGuard Guard Columns are very easy to use and install with the included instructions. As always, these things tend to be very expensive and eat into the cost of a run, but overall the value is there."

"The guard was highly effective at decreasing our intra-assay noise. It eliminated any contaminants not removed from deproteination of samples."

"The guards work well to protect the column. Installing a new guard can be a bit tricky, the parts that are loose before attaching are easy to lose if you are not careful. The cost has jumped significantly in the last few years. They are not cost-effective when running conditions are harsh."

"VanGuard columns (RP C18 and Hilic chemistries) effectively increase analytical column lifetimes by about 4X, allowing us to perform ~500 injections on an analytical column. In that time, we consume 2-4 VanGuard columns."

"This product is simple to use and works very well, allowing us to run large numbers of relatively dirty samples safely without risking our columns. I do not particularly like the current design in 2 pieces and I feel the previous model was superior."

"Good columns and easy to use. Safeguards the main column effectively. Lifetime could be improved."

"The VanGuard column guards are an exceptional product. They've increased my column life from 8-10k analysis to over 18k, essentially doubling its life. The price is excellent, the customer service is also top notch. I also like to run a clean sample, I run SPE and along with my VanGuard precolumn, my instrument is protected from buildup and possible contaminants."

"The effectiveness of the product is very good, this product is very easy to use and setup, recommended to anyone."

"I used it as an in-line desalting column for peptide analysis on a Thermofisher HPLC system. It works fine for that purpose. MS signal improved."

"Easy to use, accurate results and validations, price is worth for the use."

"Column protection products are very useful for samples with significant residual matrix, even after the use of small micron filtration. They are especially useful for UPLC, where column frits are much smaller than in traditional HPLC."

"Very easy to use, plug and play type of guard, we use it to trap peptides after on-column pepsin digestion before separation on an analytical column. The guard also serves as a tool to desalt prior to mass spectrometric analysis. Very reliable and reproducible results. Great value for the money!"

"Direct-to-column attachment makes it easier to use than many competitors. Guard columns are easy to change."

"The guard column makes scientific sense and is valuable for column protection"

"Results were of high quality and reproducible over multiple tests. Not the cheapest but worth the money."

"Very reliable product to use. Easy to care for and pricing is very good for quality."

"We have found that the VanGuard column pre-columns extend the life of our columns tremendously. They are very easy to install, and definitely worth the money since we get so many more injections on a column."

"We have had great success with this product. Having the chemistry match the chemistry of the column is critical for our analyses. We have had no issues whatsoever with the product."

"The column is very easy to use and there is a straightforward method for using it. The separation we have seen is repeatable and enhances resolution. When asking for resin within the column to translate it to a nanoESI I did not get the help I wanted."

"Overall the guard column is a good thing considering the price for UPLC column. It does not add to back pressure and analyte retention. The only draw back is that it is the only place we get a leak. The analyst should have a good tools operation knowledge since two wrenches are required to tighten up the pre-column. We routinely use them."

"It was easy to install and has worked well so far."

"Easy to use, good quality for money, I like this product ."

"Van Guard columns are durable in the environment that we are using them in. They are consistent and reliable."