Is Bento Lab durable enough for fieldwork, classroom, and long-term use?

Key Points

• Bento Lab is a research-quality, portable PCR workstation that’s durable and robust enough for fieldwork and classrooms.
• We support long-term use with affordable spare parts, an extended warranty, and our Reasonable Repair Promise.
• With the right care, your Bento Lab can serve you for many years, whether in a professional lab, classroom, home lab, or out in the field. Early models have lasted over five years of regular use so far, and current models feature improvements that should make them last even longer.

When buying scientific equipment, durability and robustness are important concerns. In this article, we look at how Bento Lab stands up to the stresses and strains of fieldwork and classroom use, and offer some advice to help ensure that your Bento Lab will give you good performance for many years into the future.

Is Bento Lab Durable Enough for Fieldwork?

Bento Lab is built for portability, convenience, and affordability, and has been successfully used in a wide range of challenging conditions, such as field sites, cave systems, diving boats, and research vessels.

Its durability is comparable to a well-built laptop: lightweight and easy to carry, but not waterproof, dust-proof, or drop-proof. In short, it’s sturdy enough for real-world scientific fieldwork, as long as you protect it from physical damage and water.

Before you set out for fieldwork, consider:

• Testing your fieldwork workflow with Bento Lab to ensure everything is working correctly
• Protecting it during transport in a padded case.
• Carrying spare electrodes or spare gel box if your work relies on electrophoresis.

If you’re unsure how Bento Lab will hold up in your particular field environment, please get in touch — we’re happy to advise.

Is Bento Lab Durable Enough for Classroom Use?

Bento Labs have been integrated into the teaching programs of a number of universities, such as Ulster University’s UGenie program, and the University of North Dakota’s Microbiology PCR course.

However, as with any research-quality laboratory equipment, students should be instructed in the use of Bento Lab’s different modules before they use them, and they may need to be supervised.

Before using Bento Lab for teaching, we recommend:

• Supervising students when they’re working, especially when they are using the centrifuge and gel box for the first time.
• Keeping replacement electrodes and a spare gel tank to avoid any disruption if an accident occurs.

If you have any questions about how you could use Bento Lab in a classroom environment, please get in touch.

How Long Will My Bento Lab Last?

Bento Lab production began in 2019, and units from that first run are still in active use more than five years later. Since then, we’ve continued to improve the build quality, so you can expect today’s models to last even longer.

To help you keep your Bento Lab running as long as possible, we offer:

• Affordable spare parts and user-replaceable modules.
• A free one-year warranty (extendable to two or four years).
• Our Reasonable Repair Promise, ensuring that even outside warranty, repairs will always be supported at a fair cost.

How Long Will My Gel Box Last?

Handled carefully, Bento Lab’s gel box can last as long as the main unit. However, it is more vulnerable to accidental damage, such as drops, cracks from pouring overly hot agarose when casting an agarose electrophoresis gel, or electrodes breaking during aggressive cleaning.

To avoid downtime if an accident occurs, we recommend keeping a spare gel box or electrodes on hand. Affordable replacements are available in our online store.

How Should I Care For My Bento Lab?

Regular care and protection will maximize the lifespan of your unit.

We recommend that you:

• Store your Bento Lab in a carrying case or padded box when traveling or when it’s not in use.
• Periodically check that all modules are functioning.
• Handle the gel box and electrodes with care, and keep spares available in case of accidents.
• Consider an extended warranty for extra peace of mind.
• Contact our team promptly if any issues arise—we’ll work with you to resolve them quickly.

Bento Lab is designed to last. With the right care, it can serve as a reliable partner in your teaching, research, or field projects for many years.

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If you have any questions, please get in touch!

Please let us know what other resources, advice, and tips and tricks for using Bento Lab that you would like us to produce in the future.