Kit list
Bench essentials
The equipment, consumables and books that our methods pages and explainers mention, in one place and grouped the way a bench is set up. Each item has a short note on what it is for and which calculator or guide it goes with.
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How we choose: from the specifications, the manual and published reviews, preferring items sold or shipped by Amazon in the US, and we look at every listing again about once a month. We have not tested these items ourselves. For medical questions there is no shopping list: talk to a clinician.
Weighing and mixing solutions
For buffers, media supplements and stock solutions: weigh to the milligram, dissolve, then make up to the mark.
- Milligram scale, 50 g × 0.001 g50 g capacity · 0.001 g readability · 2 calibration weightsReads to a milligram for small reagent amounts; calibrate it with the included weights before use.Open on Amazon
- Magnetic stirrer with stir bars7 stir bars · stir bar retrieverKeeps a solution moving while salts dissolve, without a hand on the beaker.Open on Amazon
- Glass graduated cylinders, 10, 50 and 100 mL10, 50 and 100 mL · borosilicate glassBorosilicate cylinders for measuring liquid volumes more precisely than a beaker can.Open on Amazon
- Borosilicate glass beaker setborosilicate glass · Griffin low formLow-form beakers for mixing and warming solutions; not for precise measuring.Open on Amazon
- Pocket pH meter (Apera PH60)waterproof · calibration buffersA waterproof pen-style meter for checking buffers after mixing.Open on Amazon
Calculators: Molarity calculator, PPM and percent converter, Molality calculator, Osmolarity calculator
Read: Molarity vs molality vs osmolarity: what each one measures and when it matters
Pipetting and dilutions
One adjustable pipette covers most dilution work between 100 µL and 1 mL; tips and tubes are the consumables that go with it.
- Adjustable micropipette, 100 to 1000 µLsingle channel · 100 to 1000 µL · autoclavableA single-channel workhorse for the volumes most buffer and dilution work uses; pair it with matching tips.Open on Amazon
- 1000 µL universal pipette tips1000 µL · universal fit · 500 piecesTips for the 100 to 1000 µL range that fit most common pipette brands.Open on Amazon
- 1.5 mL microcentrifuge tubes1.5 mL · 500 tubes · EO sterilizedSnap-cap tubes for aliquots, small dilutions and spins.Open on Amazon
Calculators: Dilution calculator (C1V1), Serial dilution calculator
Read: How to Use a Micropipette: Steps, Checks and Common Mistakes
Counting, spinning and growing cells
The small kit behind a cell count, a quick spin and a teaching culture.
- Hand tally counter4 digits · metal bodyA mechanical clicker that keeps count while your eyes stay on the counting grid.Open on Amazon
- Mini centrifuge for microtubes and PCR stripsup to 7000 rpm · about 2680 × g · 2 rotorsA small benchtop spinner for quick spins of 0.2 to 2 mL tubes; check the × g against your protocol.Open on Amazon
- Pre-poured LB agar plate kitpre-poured LB agar · swabs includedReady plates and swabs for a first go at streaking and growing colonies, aimed at school projects.Open on Amazon
- 70 % isopropyl alcohol70 % · 32 fl ozFor wiping down benches and gloves before sterile work; 70 % works better than higher strengths because the water helps it act.Open on Amazon
Calculators: Hemocytometer calculator, Centrifuge rpm to × g calculator, Doubling time calculator
Read: A day in a cell therapy manufacturing lab, hour by hour · Stem cell technology, explained: from isolation to the freezer
Microscopes and slides
A student compound microscope and the slides to practise on.
- Student compound microscope with prepared slides40x to 1000x · LED light · 25 prepared slides includedA monocular teaching microscope covering 40x to 1000x, enough for stained cells and tissue sections.Open on Amazon
- Blank slides with cover slips50 slides · 100 cover slips · ground edgesPre-cleaned glass slides and square cover slips for making your own wet mounts.Open on Amazon
- Prepared slide set, 48 specimens48 slides · plants, animals, insectsReady-made slides of plant, animal and insect tissue for practising focus and identification.Open on Amazon
Safety basics
Eye protection, gloves and a coat: the three things every teaching and research lab asks for first.
- Anti-fog safety goggles that fit over glassesANSI Z87.1 · anti-fog · fits over glassesSealed goggles for splash work, roomy enough to wear over prescription glasses.Open on Amazon
- Powder-free nitrile glovesnitrile · powder free · box of 100Disposable gloves for handling reagents and cultures; pick your size on the listing.Open on Amazon
- Cuffed lab coatknit cuffs · 3 front pockets · unisex sizingA long-sleeved coat with knit cuffs that keep sleeves out of flames and spills.Open on Amazon
Records and lab maths
A bound notebook, ink that does not fade and a calculator that shows the whole expression.
- Hardbound lab notebook, quarter-inch grid96 pages · 0.25 in grid · sewn hard coverA sewn, hardbound notebook with grid pages that lie flat on the bench and can't be torn out quietly.Open on Amazon
- Archival pigment ink fineliners8 pens · black · assorted tip sizesWaterproof, fade-resistant pens that don't run when a buffer splashes the page.Open on Amazon
- Four-line scientific calculator (TI-30XS MultiView)4-line display · fractions and scientific notationShows the whole expression and earlier answers, which makes unit conversions easy to check.Open on Amazon
- Natural-display scientific calculator (Casio fx-991ES Plus)natural textbook display · solar and batteryWrites fractions and powers the way a textbook does; handy for checking formulas step by step.Open on Amazon
Calculators: Serial dilution calculator, Molar mass calculator
Reading: cells, genes and immunity
Narrative science books that explain the biology behind the pieces on this site.
- The Song of the Cell (Siddhartha Mukherjee)hardcoverA history of the cell and of the therapies built on it, from blood transfusion to cell therapy.Open on Amazon
- The Gene: An Intimate History (Siddhartha Mukherjee)paperbackGenetics from Mendel's peas to genome editing, told with family history running through it.Open on Amazon
- The Code Breaker (Walter Isaacson)paperbackThe story of CRISPR gene editing, told through the work of Jennifer Doudna and her rivals.Open on Amazon
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Rebecca Skloot)paperbackThe story behind the HeLa cell line and the questions of consent it raised.Open on Amazon
- The Emperor of All Maladies (Siddhartha Mukherjee)paperbackA biography of cancer and of the people who tried to treat it.Open on Amazon
- Immune (Philipp Dettmer)hardcover · illustratedAn illustrated tour of the immune system's cells and how they work together, written for readers with no biology background.Open on Amazon
- An Elegant Defense (Matt Richtel)paperbackThe science of immunity told through four people's lives, by a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter.Open on Amazon
Evidence, trials and the business of medicine
For reading studies, press releases and company claims with a sharper eye.
- The Art of Statistics (David Spiegelhalter)paperbackHow to read risks, averages and study results with care, from a Cambridge statistician who writes for general readers.Open on Amazon
- Bad Science (Ben Goldacre)paperbackA doctor's guide to weak evidence: miracle cures in the news, small studies and statistics bent out of shape.Open on Amazon
- Bad Pharma (Ben Goldacre)paperbackHow unpublished trials, weak comparisons and selective reporting shape what doctors are told about medicines.Open on Amazon
- Bad Blood (John Carreyrou)paperbackThe Theranos story: how a blood-testing startup raised money on claims its machines could not meet, and how a reporter checked them.Open on Amazon
Read: Why most drugs fail between phase 2 and approval · How biotech startups are funded, from seed round to IPO · How to read a biotech company's filings: a plain guide for investors · Translational medicine: how a lab discovery reaches the clinic
Students and teachers
A textbook, a coloring book that teaches structure and a first microscope for younger students.
- Campbell Biology (textbook)hardcoverThe standard introductory biology textbook in many US colleges and AP classes.Open on Amazon
- The Biology Coloring Book (Robert Griffin)paperbackLearn structures by colouring them in; good for anatomy and cell biology revision.Open on Amazon
- Dual LED microscope kit for childrenages 8 to 12 · top and bottom LEDA sturdy starter microscope with lights above and below, so children can look at both slides and solid objects.Open on Amazon
Read: Talking about stem cells in the classroom, with activities and discussion questions
Careers and skills
For new lab staff, career changers and anyone learning to work with data.
- At the Bench: A Laboratory Navigator (Kathy Barker, Kindle)Kindle editionA practical guide to how research labs actually run, from equipment to notebooks to etiquette.Open on Amazon
- Designing Your Life (Bill Burnett and Dave Evans)hardcoverExercises from a Stanford design course for testing a career change with small experiments before you commit to it.Open on Amazon
- Python Crash Course, 3rd edition (Eric Matthes)paperback · 3rd editionA project-based start in Python, the language most bioinformatics and lab data jobs ask for.Open on Amazon
- Bioinformatics Data Skills (Vince Buffalo)paperbackCommand line, data formats and reproducible habits for biologists moving into data work.Open on Amazon
Read: Careers in the life sciences: a map for students and career changers