Hello Al:
I am unsure what results you expect the survey to bring. If users have "perfect 
knowledge" (using the term like an economist) they would still chose to use 
different brands and different sizes. Our free economy supplies (mostly) 
according to perceived needs. This is costly in terms of manufacturing and 
marketing but gives the user greatest choice to find the best product for a 
particular need.
Several manufacturers supply several types of blades each. Driven to an 
extreme, this may be wasteful and little real difference between six or more 
blades may result, but there are major difference of blades with different 
profiles and thickness'

Meat-cleaver or microtome blade: the thinner blade allows for a shorter taper 
and a sharper angle. All other things being equal, a thinner blade will be 
sharper and a thicker will be more durable.
Assuming equally good holders, a low profile blade, is more likely to shudder 
or otherwise move when challenged by a tough specimen, than is a high profile 
knife. Not surprisingly a lot of people chose thicker, high profiles blades for 
cryostat sectioning and thinner low profile blades for sectioning at 3 or less 
micrometers.

Different knives are better at particular jobs and accordingly most large labs 
would have both, high and low profile blade holders.

Certainly, some histos would like a compromise medium profile knife, but would 
they like to pay another $1000 for a holder and accept still higher unit cost 
of those blades?

Disclaimer: PST supplies Sturkey High and Low Profile Blades and Holders.
Cheers
Jim Darley
ProSciTech                 Microscopy PLUS
PO Box 111, Thuringowa  QLD  4817  Australia
Ph +61 7 4774 0370  Fax:+61 7 4789 2313  service@proscitech.com
Great microscopy catalogue, 500 Links, MSDS, User Notes
                      www.proscitech.com

On Sunday, October 10, 1999 4:24 AM, PHOBOS11@aol.com [SMTP:PHOBOS11@aol.com] 
wrote:
> Hi Everyone:
>
> I'm interested in finding out what factors are used to determine which type
> of disposable blades (hi/low profile) are selected for use in a laboratory.
> I have talked to many histologists and the reasons are still unclear. The
> selection seems to be more personal preference rather than technical.  I hope
>
> responses to the following questions will help me figure out which one to
> choose.
>
>
>
> Do you use high or low profile blades?
>
> If you use both, what is the ratio of high to low?
>
> On a 1 to 5 scale (5 being very likely), would you be willing to
> switch to a high or low profile blade if a better product was available?
>
> Which one do you consider to be the best on the market today?
>
> Why?
>
> Would a medium profile blade be a good compromise if one was available (1-5
> scale)?
>
> Why?
>
>
> Thanks,
>
> Al