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Select the right liquid handling system

Selecting the right lab pipette or dispenser can be the key to success in your work. It can boost your efficiency and throughput and ensure reliable results for different pipetting use cases. Here is a quick introduction to the basics, to ensure you select the right micropipette type for your needs.

Which liquid handling system should you use?

Choosing the right liquid handling system isn’t one-size-fits-all. We'll help you how to consider your liquid type (aqueous or challenging), volume range, labware (tubes, plates, etc.), throughput needs, and workflow complexity (from simple steps to multi-liquid, multi-step protocols) to select the ideal pipette, dispenser, or automated liquid handler.

Our Pipetting System Finder: Your lab's matchmaker

Unsure about the right pipetting system for your application? Is it a standard pipette, a multi-dispenser, or perhaps even an automated liquid handler? Find out with our web app and receive recommendations for instrument and suitable consumables.

Find your match

Should you use an air-cushion pipette or a positive displacement system?

Your everyday pipette is most likely an air-cushion pipette. These are the standard choice for most routine, water-like samples. They use a pocket of air between the piston and the liquid to aspirate and dispense.

Positive displacement systems, on the other hand, feature a piston inside the tip that is in direct contact with the liquid. This makes them the better choice for challenging samples, such as highly viscous, volatile, or dense liquids. They also reduce cross-contamination and protect users and instruments from hazardous samples.

Learn more about positive displacement systems

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Should you choose a single-channel or multi-channel pipette?

If you’re mostly pipetting liquids into singular vessels, like tubes, or if you’re frequently switching between different vessel types, a single-channel pipette is a versatile option. However, if you’re looking to increase speed, comfort, and efficiency when pipetting into plates and tube strips, you should choose a multi-channel pipette. For more information to help you decide, visit our multi-channel pipettes page.

Learn more about multi-channel pipettes

When should you use an electronic instrument?

The most important general benefits of using an electronic instrument are: better ergonomics by requiring almost no operating forces, a higher precision and reproducibility and an additional efficiency gain due to various operating modes (e.g. pipetting and dispensing with only one tool).

Learn more about electronic pipettes

When should you think about an automated solution?

When thinking about which types of pipetting are most suitable for your lab, automation should definitely be considered. Automated liquid handling systems such as the  epMotion^® family are ideal to take over routine and repetitive pipetting tasks that are commonly found in many molecular biological applications. They are ideally suited whenever complex processes need to be standardized, help to reduce the risk of manual pipetting errors, increase reproducibility and free up your valuable time for other tasks.

Learn more about epMotion systems

What about liquids in the mL-range?

Looking for larger pipette volumes? In addition to Eppendorf micropipettes, we also offer:

Multi-dispensers  (Multipette) for (serial) dispensing of up to 50 mL.
Mechanical and electronic pipette controllers (Pipet Helper®, Easypet® 3) for precise dispensing with serological pipettes  (Eppendorf Serological Pipets) . 
Bottle-top dispensers  (Varispenser® 2(x))  and burets  (Top Buret) with a variety of adapters and accessories complete the portfolio in the mL range.

Tiny consumables, big impact

In every experiment, tiny details decide whether your results are groundbreaking or just “good enough.” High‑quality laboratory consumables and precision pipette tips don’t just make work easier – they protect your samples, your data, and your credibility. Discover how the right tools at the bench can dramatically improve accuracy, reproducibility, and confidence in every result.

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Visit our support center

Pipetting knowledge hub

Select the right liquid handling system

Which liquid handling system should you use?

Our Pipetting System Finder: Your lab's matchmaker

Should you use an air-cushion pipette or a positive displacement system?

Should you choose a single-channel or multi-channel pipette?

When should you use an electronic instrument?

When should you think about an automated solution?

What about liquids in the mL-range?

Tiny consumables, big impact