apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

As a scientist/engineer, I'm humored that it takes designers/furniture stores to convince people that labware is beautiful and useful, not that this stuff is pyrex or anything. Maybe I'm a bit resentful because the same fools that buy this lab-inspired stuff are the same ones that would think I'm a nerd. Anyway, I'm surprised Jonathan wouldn't give a link for buying from the real deal, the lab equipment companies, who have a thousand more sizes and choices of a better quality product. And while we're at it, why don't we line our kitchen space with some deep black lab surface that's resistant to chemicals? That's my dream kitchen surface, and though that really might make me a nerd, I think it's better-looking than some of the expensive, austere surfaces some people are willing to pay for these days and it totally beats some of your cheesier surfaces. Oh, by the way, I see all those photos of bright colored goods on such blogs as these, but never do I see those vibrant colored tops of those plastic test tube deals (magenta! green! orange! yellow!). Has no one ever danced through the aisles of a stockroom or been to the vendor shows? I laugh at you, and my friends laugh at you, if you buy this fake stuff.

Great info Michelle but if you know some sites to buy the real deal lets have them

Michele, having a similar bent of mind, i have been looking high and low for lab equipment everywhere.

When I moved I called some companies who constructed school chemical labs and asked them if they would consider putting my kitchen countertop with the countertops that they use in labs and they outrightly refused.

I am fairly new in this country and would love to find lab equipment to even cook in my kitchen.

it is easy to say find some store which sells lab equipment. Can you direct us to any such sources

We use beakers as our everyday drinking glasses. I called a local labware supply place and they were happy to sell me a small quantity. They hold up great. (Love the counter-top idea.)

Click my name for an online resource. There are many others, but this place seemed to have decent prices/selections.

There's also the American Science & Surplus site for student grade reasonably priced borosilicate lab glassware:

http://www.sciplus.com/

Michelle: we like to think of ourselves as design/decor nerds, so don't laught at us too hard, like the jocks that ruined our shoebox decor dioramas back in school :D

I've looked around, and it appears most of the distributors of labware sell only to universities, companies, and science teachers. However, I feel like it's much easier to get this stuff than, say, those pieces of furniture from other countries that they're always posting on AT. I think the companies might be hesitant to sell for regular use because of their sale of chemicals and because of certain regulations about use of plastic/glass (i.e. safe for food use). Some websites seemed less stringent, though. Here are some sources that I know of:

McMaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com) puts out a huge catalog and has shop furniture and mechanical stuff (but no glassware). You can get medium- and heavy-duty steel machine tables on wheels in a number of sizes in the $100-300 range as well as raw materials, fasteners, etc. I don't think you need to be from an organization to order, but I guess you'd have to try and see.

Corning (www.corning.com/lifesciences/US-Canada/en) makes great glassware, but you have to buy from distributors, such as Sigma-Aldrich (www.sigmaaldrich.com) who mainly sell to labs.

VWR (vwrlabshop.com) has those colorful, plastic centrifuge tubes I was talking about earlier and other plastic and glass products. You can even get a lab coat. It seems rather simple to buy products here.

I found a place based in Georgia called Lab Depot Inc (www.labdepotinc.com) which looks like it sells to anyone. It carries glass, etc.

Amazon's beginning to sell industrial products, but mainly raw materials and mechanical stuff. My Mech.E. friend gets many goods on eBay, and I've seen some auctions for beakers. If you buy from eBay, I suggest only buy unused items because you never know what chemicals someone put into the glass/plastic.

Another option: get a scientist friend who can snag you a flask.

By the way, these are cool timers:
http://vwrlabshop.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_0013486
http://vwrlabshop.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_0013482

I have the beaker from Target and love it. I purchased it because it worked for the shelf in my entryway, and because I love the bold red graphic on the glass, it's unexpected, and pretty. Number one reason I picked it up, it reminds me of my father. Growing up, he had a full lab in our home and he was always down there experimenting. He had tons of beakers, all shapes and sizes.

Holly

but none of those places will have Vintage lab equiptment which is what stores like Empiric offer....