Worm Breeder's Gazette 12(4): 2 (October 1, 1992)
These abstracts should not be cited in bibliographies. Material contained herein should be treated as personal communication and should be cited as such only with the consent of the author.
After tabulating the results of the Worm Plate Survey. we have come up with some interesting results. Most notably. the high variability in prices that labs are paying for their plates, even for the exact same plates from the same supplier, and the fact that most plates are marked up considerably over the actual cost. The replies can be separated into 4 categories:
Labs that get plates from Fisher ($29-$58). but wish they had non-vented plates
Labs that get non-vented plates via Applied Scientific (~$38)
Labs that get plates from Falcon (vented) or Nunc (non-vented) and pay much more
Most labs' plates were "slipable" or "semi-stackable", but all labs wanted plates that stack well for easy manual pouring, seeding, carrying, and using. Everyone wanted plates with shallow lids such that the bottoms can be lifted out of the tops for inverted use. Some labs expressed an interest in plates slightly smaller than "60 mm". That number is in quotes because all of the companies' plates have bottoms smaller than 60 mm (e.g. Fisher -54 x 14 mm).
We have negotiated with the plastic companies that really make the plates for Fisher, Applied Scientific, etc. (that actually just resell them to you). I have come to the conclusion that we can provide you with better worm plates, the same worm plates cheaper, or in most cases better worm plates cheaper. This is true for every lab. The bottom line is that we can get you top quality non-vented "60 mm" plates (like Applied Scientific's, except fully stackable) for about $29 per 500 case INCLUDING shipping depending on your usage and how many cases you can receive at one time. Several labs have found the non-vented plates last longer without drying out or getting contaminated, compared with normal vented plates, so you should save that way, too. We offer full service shipping (e.g. standing orders and same-day telephone orders, free. Similarly low prices are available on 100 mm and 150 mm plates that exceed industry standards for flatness (reducing media usage) and clarity. The 100 mm are about $27 per 500 case plus shipping; The 150 mm dishes (good for DNA & RNA preps and library platings, with more than 2.25x the surface area of 100 mm dishes) are made thicker and deeper than industry standards and are about $21.50 per 100 case plus shipping. The shipping charge is very low for labs, or groups of labs in one city, that can take delivery of many cases in a single shipment. You can even suggest that your stockroom order plates from us. Call us for an exact price quote depending on your usage and how many cases you can receive at one time. In any case, we'll work things out to save you money. In the future, we can offer inexpensive 35 mm dishes if the community at large can order about 2000 cases per year, so let me know about your needs for other sizes.
The response was very mixed about pre-poured plates. We may set that up later, but for now we can help the most by saving you lots on empty petri dishes (and later, maybe media .supplies). We are happy to send out free samples so you can examine the dishes. If we haven't contacted you yet, just give us a call.
Respondents: 38 (including 5 anonymous)
"Winners": Horvitz = 550, Meyer = 400, Thomas = 400, Greenwald = 300 200-299 cases 8 labs 100-199 cases 7 labs 4-99 cases 19 labs
Highest price per case: US = 118.75, Canada = $117 (non-vented)
Lowest price per case: US = $29, Canada = $25 (vented)
Farthest away response: Malta!
No responses from MRC or anyone else in Europe or Asia. It is possible that we can save money and/or provide better plates for these labs, including, shipping, too. Let us know.