A review of the P10N Pipetman Neo pipette

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A review of the P10N Pipetman Neo pipette

Summary: I was initially excited to replace my old 10 ul Pipetman (P10) single-channel pipette with a new Pipetman Neo (P10N). As claimed by the manufacturer (Gilson), the new pipette did require less wrist force for pipetting and purging. Unfortunately, Gilson has added a new tip ejection adaptor that significantly widens the end of the pipette shaft and makes it much easier to bump the side of the tube when pipetting into larger tubes (e.g. 14 ml falcon), which is an easy way to contaminate a sample. This new tip ejector was also added to the low volume classic Pipetman pipettes. Because of this new wide ejector, I can no longer recommend the P2, P10, P2N, or P10N Pipetmans from Gilson.

Article created: Jan 21, 2008
Article by: Jeremiah Faith

The Pipetman Neo P10N
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All of my single-channel pipettes in the lab are from the classic pipetman P series. I have a P2, P10, P20, P100, P200, and P1000. When my P10 broke, I decided to upgrade to the new version of the manual pipetman: the Pipetman Neo P10N.

Why I've chosen Pipetman in the past

I've always liked Pipetman's, because they're sturdy, simple, and consistent. I've used some single-channel pipettors from Eppendorf, and I didn't like they way the clicked every time I adjusted the volume one increment. Compared to other pipettes I've used (e.g. those from Biohit), the pipetmans do require a little more wrist effort to purge the tip and eject it; however, I've never been too concerned with wrist injuries.

Positive Features of the P10N

When I was searching for a replacement pipetman, I noticed their Neo update. It's virtually the same pipette as the classic Pipetman P series, except they've reduced pipetting and purging forces by 30-50%. I like that I can have essentially the same pipette that I'm used to while saving my wrist a little wear and tear. After using the pipette for a couple months now, I certainly find that my new P10N requires noticeably less force than my classic pipetmans.

Why I won't choose Pipetman for low-volume pipetting in the future

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What I don't like about this new pipette is the new tip ejection adaptor. The old shaft with thin metal tip ejector has been modified with a thick plastic tip ejector that slides over the end of the pipette. The dual-position adaptor was added to allow use of DL10 and D10 tips; you reposition the adaptor by sliding it off and turning it 180 degrees to allow you to eject one type of tip or the other.

The new tip ejection adaptor is ok for 1.5 ml tubes
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The easiest way to contaminate any sample is to touch the side of the sample tube with the pipette shaft (i.e. the part without a tip on it). Although most experimentalists clean their pipettes from time-to-time, they tip is almost always going to be much cleaner than the pipette shaft. The new adaptor Gilson has added to their P10 and P2 pipetmans is quite wide and drastically increases the probability that you'll bump the side of your tube with the pipette shaft. The adaptor isn't too bad when working with standard 1.5 ml (eppy) tubes. But with larger volume tubes like 14 ml falcons or 15 ml centrifuge tubes, it is very difficult to not bump the side of the tube.

On larger tubes (e.g. 14 ml falcon) it is very difficult to not bump the side of the tube with the new wide tip ejector (compare with original ejector on the right)
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When I initially noticed the adaptor, I thought it was real drag and figured I'd just switch back to the classic P10. Unfortunately, the adaptor is now used for the low volume (2 ul, 10 ul) Neo and classic pipetmans (i.e. P2, P10, P2N, and P10N). I think it's time for me to move on to a new brand for my low volume single-channel pipetting.