Hi everyone,
Looking for suggestions on the best low/mid-tier liquid handling robot. Primarily use would be uL to mL-scale pipeting, worklisting, etc. In an ideal world it could also be configured for solid phase extraction, but I think that generally pushes things up a tier.
Most of my experience is with the high-end liquid handlers and my only journey into the low-tier was full of operational issues previously. What would you recommend for reliability, customizability, and ease of use?
I was just about to post a topic much like this, so I’ll share my thoughts and ride along on yours. Our needs are pretty similar to yours - we probably only need an 8-channel independent volume head and maybe a gripper.
I’m leaning towards OpenTrons pretty heavily right now. As far as I can tell, they get similar accuracy to every other uL-mL range instrument and are extremely customizable, and their stated business model makes me feel warm and fuzzy. Biggest selling point is the price, of course - 10-20% of a (admittedly larger) higher-end unit. Downside is that you probably need some coding experience to make it do exactly what you want (though this may have changed since I looked last). But the good folks on this forum will gladly twist themselves into pretzels to help you out.
So I’m going to reach out to other companies for quotes, but I can’t imagine that Tecan, Hamilton, or Beckman could offer a comparable unit for less than 3x the price. Anybody know of other companies trying to butt in on OpenTrons’ “democratize lab robotics” market share?
A broker of those big players you mentioned could easily be under $50k for a fully loaded STAR or equivalent. However, you’ll need to be diligent with inspection and communicating expectations within the contract language so you get exactly what you require otherwise, you get what you paid for. Brokers are in the market of reselling, not repairing - but ymmv.
I dunno about OT, but also plan on the service contract adding an extra 10% of the new instrument cost in yearly maintenance. If it’s not straight from manufacturer, expect to pay an extra 10% at installation for prequalification for said service contract.
I’m curious, is the low/mid-tier designation just a euphemism for cost?
There are a lot of great lower cost options for transferring liquids.
10% is generous with rising costs. 
The OT Flex isn’t independent volume though, right? It has an 8-channel option, but that functions just like a normal 8-channel hand pipette. If you actually want independent volume you have to go Tecan/Hamilton.
If money is tight look into a used Tecan/Hamilton. As long as these instruments aren’t abused the hardware can last decades. The software (particularly OS requirements) can be a sticking point sometimes. But as long as you aren’t at big pharma you can usually squeak some older Windows installs by your IT dept.
I recently bought a Hamilton from @NuggetScientific and highly recommend Mykle and his team. There’s plenty of other small companies out there selling used equipment and most of them also provide great scripting and hardware support. I’ve also worked with a small company that bought a Tecan off eBay for running ELISAs. That was in 2016 and it’s still running.
If you need independent volume then OT is not an option. Go with Tecan or Hamilton on the used market. I provide evaluation, packup, and installation/QC services for labs that are buying used Tecans, specifically.
Seeing as it hasn’t been mentioned yet, Dynamic Devices also has a Lynx option that supports variable volume on an 8 channel, same for Analytic Jena & their Felix