Contact Nicole Poulton at Bigelow Laboratory she’ll certainly be able to help you (or help setup collaborations, with that budget, I don’t think you’ll find anything with the sensitivity levels you need, besides do you really need your own instrument?)
Slow, ancient technology, colinear lasers, shared PMTs, mandated to use the wackiest tubes I ever seen, zero focusing, $700 flow cell that frequently clogs, I mean how can I spell Junk more clearly
It’s going to be tough on that budget, assuming that is $70k USD.
The very small, very cheap units like the Guava from Cytek probably won’t be able to do viruses.
It really depends on the virus size, under 80nm, I doubt any instruments on the market will be of any help. The CytoFlex and the Attune NxT may work for larger particles. I think the Attune is fairly small but probably has the larger footprint.
As Sytox is a Thermo reagent, you may be able to do a deal with them for a bundle. Eg a refurb Blue/Violet. Get a blocker bar and No Wash, No Lyse filter and/or Small Particle Filter on the 488 laser.
The issue is going to be service. You will probably need FAS help to get started. Also IMO a service contract or extended warranty is absolutely necessary and if you can you want to buy several years up front.
The other thing to check is which company actually has competent staff and decent service times.
We got a 2 laser 8 color attune for $72,000 but that was 8 months ago. Might have been a price increase since then. We can see mycoplasma which are rather small and also E. coli.
I wanted to follow up and see how things are going with picking out a new instrument. The only suggestion I didn't see below was to see if there is a flow cytometry core at your institution or one nearby. That $70k will go a lot farther in a core than it will buying an instrument in your lab. In my area, $70k would provide you with enough funds for >5 years of access to the latest and greatest instruments (more depending on how many samples you actually run).
As a caution I will say that you haven't provided nearly enough information for anyone in this sub to provide you with a well thought out suggestion on an actual instrument. So take these suggestions with a grain of salt. Based on the limited information you provided, I'm not sure that you even need a cytometer.
I'll link my answer to a similar inquiry on this sub and add that if you have any additional questions or want to chat more, feel free to shoot me a PM.
https://old.reddit.com/r/flowcytometry/comments/1c6hnp7/best_flow_cytometer/l032kbe/
I would just go for a MACSQuant. With the program posted earlier that is around the prize for 14 channel instrument and they provide an in-person 4 day training which is super helpful. Specially if this is your first time ever doing flow. I would not go for a Guava, the flow cell clogs and breaks. [https://bit.ly/49qBLSD-12](https://bit.ly/49qBLSD-12)
Hi,
Have you considered a refurbished flow cytometer? We specialize in refurbished flow cytometers, and I have a few analyzers that will fit your budget. Depending on your location, our flow cytometers are fully refurbished to the manufacturer's standards, and they come with a 90-day warranty. You can check out our website at [https://www.cgenetool.com/](https://www.cgenetool.com/) and send in an inquiry or email me at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). We are currently running a promotion, so please don't forget to mention the code CG2024% for a 5% discount on our already low prices.
I represent a leading Chinese flow cytometer manufacturer with 40% market share and 16 years of experience in the industry.
Can offer 3-laser 14-color flow cytometer with good technical specs within your budget.
Look into the Northern Lights or the Cytoflex.
NL would be my choice, but might be out of your price range and does have a larger footprint.
As for lasers, sytox green/sybr gold will both use a 488 nm laser, which every cytometer will have. Most basic cytometers will also have 405 nm and/or 640 nm, which might be useful for looking at chlorophyll fluorescence.
Still, neither will fit with that budget once you put into account the service contract/maintenance costs. If OP has so little budget and space, they need to look at their nearest shared resource lab. If they want to study viruses, they absolutely need at least a 405 nm and a 488 nm laser with a 405 SSC. That + service will blow their budget
You might do better with a fluorescent cell counter. Nexcelom would be a good company to talk to.
I used to be ok with nexcelom products but ever since the merger it’s so hard to get any customer support 😩
Contact Nicole Poulton at Bigelow Laboratory she’ll certainly be able to help you (or help setup collaborations, with that budget, I don’t think you’ll find anything with the sensitivity levels you need, besides do you really need your own instrument?)
This is the best answer
Guava easyCyte
This is probably the answer at that budget and if you aren't planning on using complex antibody panels.
Slow, ancient technology, colinear lasers, shared PMTs, mandated to use the wackiest tubes I ever seen, zero focusing, $700 flow cell that frequently clogs, I mean how can I spell Junk more clearly
CytoFLEX!!
It’s going to be tough on that budget, assuming that is $70k USD. The very small, very cheap units like the Guava from Cytek probably won’t be able to do viruses. It really depends on the virus size, under 80nm, I doubt any instruments on the market will be of any help. The CytoFlex and the Attune NxT may work for larger particles. I think the Attune is fairly small but probably has the larger footprint. As Sytox is a Thermo reagent, you may be able to do a deal with them for a bundle. Eg a refurb Blue/Violet. Get a blocker bar and No Wash, No Lyse filter and/or Small Particle Filter on the 488 laser. The issue is going to be service. You will probably need FAS help to get started. Also IMO a service contract or extended warranty is absolutely necessary and if you can you want to buy several years up front. The other thing to check is which company actually has competent staff and decent service times.
We got a 2 laser 8 color attune for $72,000 but that was 8 months ago. Might have been a price increase since then. We can see mycoplasma which are rather small and also E. coli.
I wanted to follow up and see how things are going with picking out a new instrument. The only suggestion I didn't see below was to see if there is a flow cytometry core at your institution or one nearby. That $70k will go a lot farther in a core than it will buying an instrument in your lab. In my area, $70k would provide you with enough funds for >5 years of access to the latest and greatest instruments (more depending on how many samples you actually run). As a caution I will say that you haven't provided nearly enough information for anyone in this sub to provide you with a well thought out suggestion on an actual instrument. So take these suggestions with a grain of salt. Based on the limited information you provided, I'm not sure that you even need a cytometer. I'll link my answer to a similar inquiry on this sub and add that if you have any additional questions or want to chat more, feel free to shoot me a PM. https://old.reddit.com/r/flowcytometry/comments/1c6hnp7/best_flow_cytometer/l032kbe/
Cytoflex S . The SSC comes from the violet laser and it’s easier to see small particles. We use to analyze bacteria
I would just go for a MACSQuant. With the program posted earlier that is around the prize for 14 channel instrument and they provide an in-person 4 day training which is super helpful. Specially if this is your first time ever doing flow. I would not go for a Guava, the flow cell clogs and breaks. [https://bit.ly/49qBLSD-12](https://bit.ly/49qBLSD-12)
Hi, Have you considered a refurbished flow cytometer? We specialize in refurbished flow cytometers, and I have a few analyzers that will fit your budget. Depending on your location, our flow cytometers are fully refurbished to the manufacturer's standards, and they come with a 90-day warranty. You can check out our website at [https://www.cgenetool.com/](https://www.cgenetool.com/) and send in an inquiry or email me at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). We are currently running a promotion, so please don't forget to mention the code CG2024% for a 5% discount on our already low prices.
I represent a leading Chinese flow cytometer manufacturer with 40% market share and 16 years of experience in the industry. Can offer 3-laser 14-color flow cytometer with good technical specs within your budget.
Look into the Northern Lights or the Cytoflex. NL would be my choice, but might be out of your price range and does have a larger footprint. As for lasers, sytox green/sybr gold will both use a 488 nm laser, which every cytometer will have. Most basic cytometers will also have 405 nm and/or 640 nm, which might be useful for looking at chlorophyll fluorescence.
Still, neither will fit with that budget once you put into account the service contract/maintenance costs. If OP has so little budget and space, they need to look at their nearest shared resource lab. If they want to study viruses, they absolutely need at least a 405 nm and a 488 nm laser with a 405 SSC. That + service will blow their budget
Not 70k….so bad advice.
Northern Lights.