[Histonet] Embedding Centers

[Tim Wheelock]

Hi Everyone:

I am also in the market for a new paraffin embedding center.
I have demo-ed or site-visited the Sakura TEK5, the Leica EG1150, and 
the Thermo-Fisher HistoStar.
I was wondering if people could give me their critical opinion on these, 
or other machines.
What sorts of problems have you had with them.

I currently have a 25 year old Shandon Embedding Center. I like it a lot.
But I would like to find a machine with a specimen holding tank large 
enough to allow me to immerse 300 cassettes all at once.
This is because I infiltrate brain tissue with Tissue Path Paraplast but 
embed with Surgipath Embedding Media
So I let the cassettes sit immersed in the Surgipath  for an hour or two 
before embedding.

(Until I can buy a new processor, The Shandon's holding tank also serves 
as a third processing station, since my Shandon Hypercenter has only 2 
wax reservoirs)
I also do not feel comfortable having the cassettes sitting dry in the 
holding tank

Thanks,


Tim Wheelock
Neuropathology Laboratory
Harvard Brain Bank
McLean Hospital
Belmont, MA