Eppendorf Research Plus Starter Pack, Reference Pipettes, Process Instruments and Where to Find the Pipette Pen

I'm a lab operations specialist. For almost five years, I've been the person who gets called when something has to ship yesterday - 200+ rush orders in that time, including same-day turnarounds for clinical labs whose runs would have been canceled. This article answers the Eppendorf questions I hear most.

I'll keep it practical. You can jump to any question that matters.

What's Actually in the Eppendorf Research Plus Pipette Starter Pack?

In the standard configuration, the starter pack ships with three single-channel Research Plus pipettes. In my experience, that usually means the 0.5-10 µL, 10-100 µL, and 100-1000 µL adjustable-volume models. It also includes a carousel stand and a few boxes of epT.I.P.S. tips. Specific contents vary by region and distributor, so check the listing before you order.

I used to think starter packs were just a way to push inventory. Then I priced out the components separately. With an authorized distributor quote from January 2025, the pack cost somewhere around 15-20% less than buying the same pieces individually. That's not a guarantee - prices change - but it's enough to make me recommend the pack to new labs.

One note: If you're starting a lab with only one volume range, buy individually. Don't buy the starter pack just to get a discount.

Eppendorf Research Plus vs. Eppendorf Reference Pipettes: Which Should I Choose?

This is the question I get more than any other. The short answer: it depends on how you're using them.

Both Research Plus and Reference are built to ISO 8655 tolerances, so you're not sacrificing basic accuracy with either one. The difference is feel and material. The Research Plus is lighter, with a softer spring and a more ergonomic handling. It's a great everyday pipette for aqueous solutions and high-throughput protocols. The Reference is heavier and more robust. It has a mechanical volume lock, a single-motion tip ejector, and handles harsh chemicals or organic solvents a bit better.

Seeing them side by side for a year made me realize the real difference isn't accuracy. It's durability and chemical resistance. We've had Reference pipettes last six years without a repair. I've also seen a Research Plus come back from a shared bench with a cracked ejector. That's not a scientific study, but it matches what Eppendorf's materials imply.

My practical rule: If you do mostly repetitive aqueous pipetting, buy Research Plus. If you work with solvents, let multiple people use a shared pipette, or want something that can take a few knocks, buy Reference. I'm not a fan of buying Reference for a dedicated single-user lab that only handles water and buffers - spend the difference on tips.

Should I Buy the Starter Pack or Individual Pipettes?

I went back and forth on this for a week when we outfitted our satellite lab. The starter pack gave us one consistent set of pipettes, a stand, and tips. Buying individually let us pick the exact volume ranges we wanted, but we'd have needed to source a stand and tips separately.

Ultimately, we chose the pack because for a shared lab, having identical pipettes mattered more than customizing each range. Even after submitting the PO, I kept second-guessing. What if the carousel stand was cheap? It wasn't. What if the tips didn't fit? They did.

If you need unusual ranges - say, a 0.1-2.5 µL pipette for qPCR plus a 500-5000 µL pipette for media - buy them individually. For a standard molecular biology lab, the starter pack is the better first purchase.

Are Eppendorf Process Instruments Only for Large Biotech Plants?

No. The process instruments line - BioFlo and SciVario, for example - used to feel like it was built for big production facilities. But in the last few years, Eppendorf has brought that down to benchtop scale. A BioFlo 120 fits in a lab that isn't full of stainless steel.

What was best practice in 2020 may not apply in 2025. The fundamentals haven't changed: cell culture still needs tight pH, oxygen, and temperature control. But now you can do it on a smaller scale without a dedicated automation engineer on site.

If you're a small lab wondering whether process instruments are relevant, don't assume they're out of reach. Start with a benchtop bioreactor, understand your probes, and make sure your lab has a way to verify temperature readings. Which brings me to the next question.

Does Eppendorf Make a Thermometer?

Not exactly the way people expect. Eppendorf makes equipment that controls temperature - ThermoMixer, incubators, thermostats - and temperature probes for some process instruments. But they don't make a standalone lab thermometer that you'd use to check a fridge or a water bath.

I'm not a metrologist, so I can't tell you exactly which calibrated probe to buy for your QA program. What I can tell you from an operations perspective is this: if you need a certified thermometer, buy a certified reference thermometer from a metrology supplier. If you need to verify that an Eppendorf heating device is holding temperature, use Eppendorf's temperature check service, or an external calibration lab.

This worked for us, but our situation was a mid-size lab with a centralized equipment inventory. If you're in a small lab, just buy a good certified thermometer and get it recalibrated on schedule.

How Do I Get an Eppendorf Pipette Pen?

I get this one surprisingly often. The pipette pen is a promotional item, not a normal SKU. It doesn't live in Eppendorf's product catalog.

In my experience, the realistic ways to get one are:

• Ask your Eppendorf sales rep or authorized distributor. They often have pens in their swag bag.
• Stop by an Eppendorf booth at a trade show or a lab demo day.
• Watch for promos - sometimes a distributor bundles the pen with a starter pack or a calibration order.

I want to say some starter packs have included a pen, but don't quote me on that. It might have been a distributor-specific promotion. If a reseller advertises a free pen with purchase, get it in writing. Per FTC advertising guidelines (ftc.gov), promotional claims have to be truthful. In plain terms: if they promise the pen, hold them to it.

And don't pay a random third-party seller for a 'genuine Eppendorf pen.' I've seen counterfeit swag show up in online marketplaces. Not worth it.

What Do I Do If a Pipette Fails a Day Before a Critical Run?

This is where I stop sounding like a lab supply blogger and start acting like the person who takes the phone call.

If a pipette leaks or drops accuracy checks 36 hours before a run:

1. Don't assume the pipette is broken. Test it with a fresh tip first. A worn tip can mimic a leak.
2. Check whether an in-lab spare can be calibrated in time. A basic functional check may be enough if you document it.
3. Call an authorized distributor, not a generic reseller. Ask if they can overnight a calibrated pipette with a certificate.
4. Know the cost of waiting. If the run is going to miss a regulatory deadline, a $600 pipette plus $80 shipping is cheap.

In March 2024, 36 hours before a client's validation run, their Research Plus started leaking. We found an authorized distributor with the same volume range in stock, paid $80 for overnight shipping on top of around $600 for the pipette, and the lab started on time. If we hadn't, they were looking at a six-week delay for the next cleanroom slot.

Based on our internal data from 200+ rush jobs, most emergency pipette orders happen because someone waited until the last minute to check calibration. If you're reading this while your pipette still works, put a reminder in your calendar. Six months from now, future-you will say thanks.