Dear Gayle and interested Histonetters,

We are responding primarily to Gayle's comments made yesterday regarding 
the lack of "squeezability" of the dropper bottles provided in our AEC 
substrate kit. But, in reading through some of the subsequent replies 
posted on the Histonet, it seems that investigators choose to by-pass the 
dropper part of the reagent bottles for a variety of reasons; can't 
squeeze the bottle, greater control of drop volume, consistency/accuracy 
of each reagent quantity, use of hardware tools or razor blades may be 
involved, and simply to enjoy the thrill of pipetting. Whatever the 
reason, as long as the recommended volume ratios are followed using 
either a different dropper bottle or pipette tips, reliable and 
repeatable results will be obtained. 

The hard-to-squeeze aspect of the bottles appears to come from the square 
shoulder design. Since plastics is not Vector's thing and the bottles are 
made elsewhere, we are currently addressing the bottle design with the 
manufacturer and are looking at round shouldered bottles and more 
ergonomically correct, soft-sided substitutes. However, it does take time 
to look at the possibilities. As soon as the quality control personnel 
fully recover from their bout of hand cramps from testing alternatives, 
we'll get them right back on it.

Sincerely,


Technical Services

Vector Laboratories
30 Ingold Road
Burlingame, CA 94010

Tel:  (650) 697-3600
Fax:  (650) 697-0339
E-mail:  vector@vectorlabs.com
Website:  http://www.vectorlabs.com