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Whatman BugStopper® & BugStopper® 10 Venting Closures**
vs
Thomson AirOtop® Enhanced Flask Seals
Analysts now use the Enhanced AirOtop® seals (Thomson P/N 899421, 899823, 899424, & 899425) as their preferred flask seal instead of the BugStopper® (Whatman P/N 6713-3010 & 6713-3100) & BugStopper® 10 (Whatman P/N 6713-6010 & 6713-3100) from Whatman for many reasons. The BugStopper® & BugStopper® 10 are reusable parts with a higher cost. The AirOtop® seals are designed as a single use disposable seal. Enhanced AirOtop® Seals offer simple, disposable, sterile High Air Exchange seals that fit all shake flasks. The Enhanced AirOtop® Seal's properties include a .2um sterile barrier with a long-term resealable membrane for use with Ultra Yield and other brand flasks. Testing has been conducted on multiple customer samples with great results on up to 7 days of cellular growth. The testing included Protista (Algae), E.coli and other microbes resulting in improved growth.
Why do they work?
Enhanced AirOtop® Seals may be applied as a clean sterile barrier that allows samples to vent while preventing contamination from condensation and airborne particles such as phage, mold, spores, and dust. Enhanced AirOtop® Seals replace plastic & metal flask caps, aluminum foil, cotton plugs, and cheesecloth. Enhanced AirOtop® Seals are a convenient seal, and available in multiple sizes to cover all different flasks. When used in combination with the patented Ultra Yield Flasks they form a simple "Disposable Bioreactor" at a fraction of the price. For maximum aeration results try an Ultra Yield Flask with an Enhanced AirOtop® Seal; they were designed to work together.
Cost:
The BugStopper® & BugStopper® 10 initial cost is higher than the cost of disposable AirOtop® seals. The reusable Whatman BugStopper® has added costs in labor of cleaning, running the autoclave, and inspecting for viability over time. Our AirOtop seals are single use, disposable, ready to use, and available in a variety of sizes. Please see our compatibility cart below to see the AirOtop® seal for the flask(s) you are using.
Disposable vs Reusable:
The reusable Whatman BugStoppers® with added cost of running sterilization may need replacement. The Thomson AirOtop® seal is a disposable product, sterile and ready to use right out of the pack. Just peel the AirOtop® seal and stick the seal right onto the top of the flask. No waiting for the autoclave to finish or worrying if others may have left soap (or worse) on the cap.
Aeration:
The BugStopper® has an air opening of 21mm while the BugStopper® 10 has an opening of 22mm. Our AirOtop® seals do not restrict the opening of the flask, and the releasable adhesive is on the outer periphery. We have designed the AirOtop® seal to reduce restriction at the opening of your flask whether one uses our Ultra Yield flask or others.
Sampling While Growing:
Our AirOtop® seals are designed for easy one handed use while sampling or adding ITPG during growth.
In Conclusion
The Whatman BugStopper® and BugStopper® 10 venting closures are not disposable. The Thomson Enhanced AirOtop® Flask Seals offer a disposable, cost effective system. With Thomson Enhanced AirOtop® Flask Seals there is no need to sterilize your seals: just peel and apply. Please see our general information or our other comparisons to Cheese Cloth, Foil, Screw Cap, Metal Cap, Foam Plug, Paper Towel, and MilliWrap. You can see that our AirOtop® seals are an economical, simple to use, and time saving solution for sealing your flasks.
Whatman BugStopper® & BugStopper® 10 Vent Closures vs
Thomson Enhanced AirOtop® Flask Seal
Compatibility Chart
| Whatman | Thomson AirOtop® Flask Seals |
|---|---|
| BugStopper® (P/N 6713-6010 & 6713-6100) | 899421 or 899423 |
| BugStopper® 10 (P/N 6713-3010 & 6713-3100) | 899424 or 899425 |
Common Flask to Thomson Enhanced AirOtop® Flask Seal
Compatibility Chart
CORNING®
| AirOtop | 125mL | 250mL | 500mL | 1L | 2L* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 899421 | check | check | |||
| 899423 | check | ||||
| 899424 | check | ||||
| 899425 | check |
NALGENE-NUNC®
| AirOtop | 125mL | 250mL | 500mL | 1L | 2L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 899421 | check | check | |||
| 899423 | check | check | check | ||
| 899424 | |||||
| 899425 |
OTHER DISPOSABLE
| AirOtop | 125mL | 250mL | 500mL | 1L | 2L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 899421 | check | check | check | ||
| 899423 | check | check | |||
| 899424 | |||||
| 899425 |
*BugStopper and Whatman are registered trademarks of Whatman International Limited, which is a subsidiary of GE. Milliwrap is a registered trademark of Millipore, a division of EMD. AirOtop is a registered trademark of Scientific Plastic Products, Inc.. Thomson Instrument Company is not affiliated with Whatman International Limited or its BugStopper and Whatman marks. Thomson Instrument Company is not affiliated with Corning Corning Life Sciences, Nalgene-Nunc or any of their products
