Best hot plates for labs according to redditors

Homebrew Materials:

Vacuum Pump Oil

Vacuum Tubing

1/4" Barb x 1/4" NPT Male Hose Fitting

1/4" Male x 1/4" Female NPT Extension Hose

Vacuum Pump

Filters

Spatulas

Magnetic Stir Bar

Digital Hotplate with Magnetic Stirrer

Nitrile Gloves (Better than Latex)

Empty Capsules (Buy Separated unless you hate your life)

Capsule Machine (If you value your sanity, buy more than a 100... I hated my life doing this)

Mohr Pipets

Pipette 10ml

Mortar and Pestle (If you're doing orals, get this... Otherwise, you're playing Russian Roulette with your doses and liver)

Funnel (For pouring into small places)

Alconox (For clean your shit)

Temperature Gun (How hot is my shit?)

Graduated Cylinder (If you measure with beakers, you're a fucking idiot... And you should consider Volumetric Flasks)

Beaker Set

1 Liter Beaker (Because brewing en'masse is better)

Scale (I have a 2kg one, too)

Calibration Weight Set

Calibration Weight 100g (Because you need two for the scale linked)

Vacuum Regulator (Unless you want to filter 9001 times due to broken shit)

Oil (Any USP grade, filtered or unfitlered)

BB

BA

Butyl Stoppers

Flip Top Seals

Crimper

Vials (Unsealed)

Autoclave (Cheaper than an oven, why are you using an oven?!)

Weight Boats (Buy a million of these. They're cheap and useful)

Did I miss something? Probably. Yes.

For those of you whom would like to make one of your own you can purchase the magnetic stirrer hot plate here ($210), and the Pyrex Erlenmeyer Flask here ($15.95)! Total investment cost: $225.95.

Alternatively you can purchase this magnetic stirrer hot plate for significantly less, bringing the total cost down to $175.90.

http://www.amazon.com/Corning-Digital-Hot-Plate-120/dp/B003NV43C4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1415052177&sr=8-2&keywords=digital+hotplate

I recently sent a pretty big email list to my brother, so I'm just copy/pasting out of the email. Before you ask why I'm recommending 12 packs of the beakers, it's because they break, and you WILL break them. Buy this stuff:


Scilogex 86143101 Model MS-H280-Pro LED Circular-Top Digital Magnetic Hot Plate Stirrer with 5.3" Diameter Ceramic Coated Plate, 110V
http://amzn.com/B00AYGIFCA - I'm not sure why, but when you use this link, it takes you to a non-amazon supplier. Click the link to buy from other sellers that offer prime shipping. It's $60 cheaper.


Spinpak Magnetic Stir Bar Assortment with Pivot Ring (Pack of 6)
http://amzn.com/B002VBW72K


Glass Beakers, 50ml Pack of 12
http://amzn.com/B003K1EH0A


Glass Beakers, 100ml Pack of 12
http://amzn.com/B003K1KQKK


Edit: Also, I don't turn the heater on until I've finished adding all ingredients except nicotine, but the entire time, I'm running the stirrer. Once all ingredients excluding nicotine are in, I then set the hotplate to 80c, and run the mix for 90 minutes. If you have beakers that have a cap, use the cap to capture vapor instead of letting it escape in to the atmosphere. If you buy the beakers I linked, you'll need to cover them. I use plastic wrap with a very small rubber band (like for orthodontic braces.)

Edit 2: Before heat is applied, I'm stirring at 200 rpm. Once the solution is up to temperature, I increase to between 450 - 700 rpm depending on the viscosity of the liquid I've created. You'll have to play around with the speed until you arrive at a speed that is not causing the liquid to spin out to the sides so much that the magnetic pill is halfway out of the solution.

Edit 3: I have sacrificial magnetic pills in each of my bottles of nicotine. When I take them out of the freezer, they go directly on the stirrer. NO HEAT. Just leave the cap on and stir for a while.

Edit 4: Before you balk at the $200 price tag of the stirrer, consider this. My ADV is POET Amaretto Nite Cap. It's $22 a bottle. I go through a bottle in a little less than 3 days. This stirrer costs the same as 9 bottles. A bottle of DIY juice costs approximately $1 to make. Do the math.

This was from DL:

You guys convinced me to home brew. Especially after I just did some math on what my latest $2k purchase would get me.

Putting together the list, will be refining as I learn more.

• [Autoclave](http://www.amazon.com/Prestige-Classic-Electric-Autoclave- Sterilizer/dp/B002AR0NUI/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hpc_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0E5AJ7PQ2CHM1083QMPT) -- $899
  
• 2 x Autoclave Gasket -- $120
  
• Hormone powder
  
• Filtered Cottonseed USP Oil 4 Liter -- $255
  
• Benzyl Benzoate USP 1 Liter -- $60.75
  
• Benzyl Alcohol USP 1 Liter -- $45
  
• 3ml TERUMO Luer Lock Syringe w/o Needle (Qty. 50) -- $8
  
• 1 x 10ml EXEL Luer Lock Syringe w/o Needle (Qty. 50) -- $15.25
  
• 5 x B-D 25g x 1.5' (Qty. 10) -- $11
  
• 5 x B-D Needles 18g 1.5 (Qty 10) -- $11
  
• Alcohol prep pads/wipes
  
• Accurate scale to hundredths place
  
• Calibration weight
  
• 2 x Corning Pyrex 3 Piece Glass Graduated Low Form Griffin Beaker Set, 50ml, 100ml, 250ml -- $29.90
  
• 4 x PYREX Griffin Low Form 400mL Beaker Graduated Ea -- $34
  
• 4 x Beaker - PYREX GLASS 10ml -- $22.72
  
• 2 x SEOH Class A Volumetric Flask Borosilicate Glass 250ML -- $29.90
  
• 2 x Beaker Filters -- 150ml Nalgene MF75 Bottle Top Filter - 33mm neck (Qty. 12) -- $145
  
• Vacuum Pump -- 1.5 CFM Portable -- $275
  
• Melting Point Checker
  
• Sterile .20um syringe filter (For Tren) -- $162.88
  
• Crimper
  
• Vials
  
• Caps
  
• Glass stir rod
  
• Agar plates
  
• Latex gloves
  
• Alconox Detergent Cleaning Concentrate 4 lb. Container -- $30.30
  
• Scilogex 86143101 Model MS-H280-Pro BlueSpin LED Circular-Top Digital Magnetic Hotplate Stirrer with Ceramic Coated Plate, 100/240V -- $200
  
• 2 x Bel-Art Scienceware 371100138 PTFE Octagon Spinbar Magnetic Stirrer Bar, with Integral Pivot Ring, White, 1" Length, 3/8" Diameter -- $13
  
• 3 x jugs isopropyl alcohol
  
• Propolyene Gylcol 300
  
• Lockable Medical Storage Box -- $44.50
  
• Horizontal Laminar Flow Hood 48" x 24" -- $1,900
  
  
  Which Bottle Top Filter?
  ---------------------------------
  
• Millipore Hydrophilic PVDF Stericup-GV Bottletop Filter Unit, Radio-Sterilized, 0.22µm Pore Size -- $225
  
  Or
  
  
• 2 x Beaker Filters -- 150ml Nalgene MF75 Bottle Top Filter - 33mm neck (Qty. 12) -- $145
  
  
  Which Pipettor?
  ---------------------------------
  
• VWR Ergonomic High-Performance Pipettor -- $267.02
  
  or
  
  
• BRAND seripettor* pro Bottletop Dispenser - 1-10 mL -- #296.30
  
  Money is not an object. I'm not the type to do things cheaply or in a half-assed way. Lets set up the dream home brew lab now. I'll post pictures.
  
  What to buy?
  
  

The home version is to raise the temps to between 75-80c and sustain it there, while mixing, for an extended period of time, and allowing it to cool to near room temp before bottling.

I use one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Scilogex-86143101-MS-H280-Pro-Circular-Top-Magnetic/dp/B00AYGIFCA

Once temperature is reached: https://i.imgur.com/4NWmbeN.jpg

Four hours later: http://i.imgur.com/wsUfL3f.jpg

As you can see the color has changed significantly, and to the extent one would expect with a well "steeped" juice.

It also remedies some of the unpleasant volatiles by allowing them to escape as gas coming off the flask.

I believe that a heated plate is essential in the speed steeping process (which I assume is what you're going for) in which case I doubt you're going to find one under $100. I believe this one is the go-to for most people here. There are some "lightly used" ones on amazon as well for a few bucks cheaper.

We used Corning PC420D's when we first started. Jake from Nude Nicotine recommended it to me a while back. It does a good job.

We stopped using ours as we grew out of it and we still have 2 of them. Not sure if you're looking for a used one, but they're in great condition if you want to save a few bucks. Not really trying to sell it(haven't listed it anywhere), but it's sitting there unused.

You can get them for $380 shipped on amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Corning-6795-420D-PC-420D-Stirring-Pyroceram/dp/B004DGIC0W

May be able to find them cheaper elsewhere

Stuff you'll need (Prime links given)

$200 digital hotplate: amzn.com/B00AYGIFCA

$13.50 large flask: amzn.com/B00BERGESK

$9 rubber stopper to fit flask: amzn.com/B00ES3UE9C (can be had for $.50 at Fred Meyers or lab stores)

$17.49 for a hose to run from faucet to condenser: amzn.com/B000KI7VN6

$16.72 for the condenser: amzn.com/1450567898

$13.03 for a stand to hold the condenser: amzn.com/B00657N7TS

Misc you likely already have around:

Large pot or dish that can hold the flask

Cleaning sponge or rag

1/2 gallon vegetable oil

Total cost: $269.74 and maybe $20 for the misc stuff if you lack it

Preparation: This needs to be done in a temperature controlled room; the method uses slight variations in temperature to isolate out the individual chemicals, so any fluctuation in the room will hinder this. You will need to be near a sink with a running faucet. Be prepared for this method to take 24 plus hours.

Method:

1. Place your large pot on top of the hot plate, and place your sponge or rag in the center of the pot. This will prevent a hot spot where the flask touches the pan.
   
   
2. Fill your flask with the herb or extract you will be isolating (use extract, the results are much purer!), and place it on the sponge in the pot. Stopper the flask.
   
   
3. Attach a hose from the stopper to the top of the condenser. Attach a hose from the faucet to the coolant intake on the condenser. Attach a hose from the coolant exhaust and let it dangle in your sink.
   
   
4. Fill the pan with 1-2 inches of oil. Not enough for the flask to float, but enough for the oil level to be above the level of your herb or extract in the flask.
   
   
5. Start running cold water through the condenser, and start heating the oil. To get a list of the required temps, lookup each cannabinoid on Chemblink (or wikipedia), and look for the evaporation temp listed. Start with the lowest temp and work your way up.
   
   
6. Once the oil has reached the temp you specified, let the system run for at least 4 hours. You will begin to see resin buildup inside of the condenser. This is your isolate. Once you are satisfied that no more isolate is building up: run hot water through the condenser so the isolate melts and runs out of the condenser.
   
   
7. Go up a heat level and repeat 5-6.
   
   As I said, this really only works for THC-like cannabinoids, you won't get any terps with this method without much more expensive equipment (theyll just evaporate away), and the overall loss is great enough that its unlikely youll be able to get an isolate of CBG or THCV, since they are such a small percentage of the cannabinoids, but you should have no problem getting pure THC and even CBD, assuming your starter strain has more than a percent of it. Once you have isolates you can isomerize and do other fun stuff as well.
   
   That said, pure THC isnt fun at all, but its a great learning experience, and you can also use the same setup to distill essential oils or liquor, which is a slightly different process but uses the same equipment (though you can sub the digital hotplate for a cheaper electric range for those purposes)

Hmm. Your thoughts on this for steeping?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AYGIFCA/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1CD90EEBCVSXZ&coliid=I30SA4FL051ZQR

I just bought this fella about 15 minutes ago. I'm so F-ing excited!!

http://www.amazon.com/Scilogex-86143101-MS-H280-Pro-Circular-Top-Magnetic/dp/B00AYGIFCA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1418151533&sr=8-3&keywords=heated+magnetic+stirrer

Post removed for having amazon referral links. Please ensure that nothing with "refRID" is allowed.

For example:

http://www.amazon.com/Scilogex-86143101-MS-H280-Pro-BlueSpin-Circular-Top/dp/B00AYGIFCA

Not sure what you need but there is this. Wide range of prices depending on what you want.