Who are best manufacturers of training equipment for labs?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around identifying the best manufacturers of training equipment for fundamental physics labs, including mechanics, electricity and magnetism, geometrical, and thermodynamics labs. Participants share their experiences and recommendations regarding various suppliers and brands.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest checking out specific suppliers like Pasco Scientific, Sargent Welch, and Fisher Scientific, particularly in the USA.
  • Others mention that the best supplier may vary depending on the country and highlight Leybold as a notable German brand.
  • Pasco and Vernier are noted as popular choices in the US for sensing equipment and interfaces, though they can be expensive.
  • One participant emphasizes the importance of ordering enough setups and spare parts to avoid mismatched equipment over time.
  • Another participant shares their experience with specific brands like Fluke, Klinger, and Newport, indicating a mix of manufacturers for their lab setups.
  • Concerns about the high costs of German brands compared to US manufacturers are raised, along with inquiries about other suppliers like Flinn and Carolina.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express various opinions on the best manufacturers, indicating no consensus on a single "best" supplier. Multiple competing views remain regarding preferences and experiences with different brands.

Contextual Notes

Some participants mention the dependence on specific lab requirements and the varying costs associated with different suppliers, highlighting that the discussion is influenced by individual experiences and regional availability.

Dorea
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We're going to equip our fundamental physics labs:
- Mechanics lab
- Electricity and magnetism lab
- Geometrical lab
- Thermodynamics lab

Which brand is qualified in your experience?
 
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The "best" supplier for you may depend on which country you're in. For introductory (first- and second-year university level) labs, we (in the USA) usually check Pasco Scientific first, because we're familiar with them. Other companies include Sargent Welch and Fisher Scientific.
 
Hey, Pasco seems cool.
@jtbell, It's not important which country, they usually work globally.

I also found Leybold (LD) that seems a great German brand.

Any company else?
 
Pasco and Vernier are among the most popular in the US. Both make a wide range of sensing equipment and interfaces. Of course, it can be very expensive to buy these sets (many thousands of dollars for a lab setup). And it can also depend on the exact labs you plan to do. Some schools rely on pre-made lab assignments, many others write their own.
 
Dorea said:
We're going to equip our fundamental physics labs:
- Mechanics lab
- Electricity and magnetism lab
- Geometrical lab
- Thermodynamics lab

Which brand is qualified in your experience?

We use mostly Pasco equipment, but we also have setups from Sargent scientific (e/m experiment); most of our multimeters/oscilloscopes are from Fluke (née Keithley); we also use some setups from Klinger (http://www.klingereducational.com/, mostly the Leybold X-ray stuff) and Newport (spectroscopy setups).

From my perspective, the most important thing is to make sure you order enough setups to last you for many years (don't forget spare parts!), otherwise as time goes on you have a bunch of mismatched setups and an ongoing repair issue.
 
Because of my scrupulosity, I'm working on the setups/items for several months! For example We finally chose a projectile launcher from Phewe brand with enough spare parts. I love http://vnr.st/v125/ but it's kind of an automate device, it calculates anythings!
p2131100_30.jpg

We're still working on others!
eri said:
Pasco and Vernier ..., Of course, it can be very expensive to buy these sets
I got two quotations from Leybold and Phywe, these germans are really more expensive than those US producers.

Andy Resnick said:
We use mostly Pasco equipment, but we also have setups from Sargent scientific (e/m experiment); most of our multimeters/oscilloscopes are from Fluke (née Keithley); we also use some setups from Klinger (http://www.klingereducational.com/, mostly the Leybold X-ray stuff) and Newport (spectroscopy setups).
We decided to purchase best stuff from different manufacturers.
Have you ever heard from http://www.flinnsci.com and http://www.carolina.com/physical-earth-sciences/mechanics/10722.ct?mCat=10680 ?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Dorea said:
<snip>We decided to purchase best stuff from different manufacturers.
Have you ever heard from Flinn and Carolina?

I have not- thanks for the links!
 

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