The larger two tier styles of lab mixers tend to measure about fourteen by five by eight, easily fitting on most countertops under cabinets. The unit itself is very light, just over 5 pounds so it is simple to move from location to location as needed. Smaller units that hold eight test tubes will be about nine inches by five by five with a slightly smaller weight of four pounds. The larger two tier styles of lab mixers tend to measure about fourteen by five by eight, easily fitting on most countertops under cabinets. The mixing machine itself is very light, just over 5 pounds so it is simple to move from location to location as needed. Smaller units that hold eight test tubes will be about nine inches by five by five with a slightly smaller weight of four pounds.

The model and style of the laboratory mixer has a great deal to do with how many test tubes or samples can be mixed at one time. Smaller units typically offer options for 8 test tubes and 16 or more slides, while the larger double tray models could provide options for up to 30 test tubes at one time. Keep in mind that the larger units will provide greater option to use this equipment with larger samples and test while still taking up approximately the same area on a workstation or counter top. Different machines may also offer larger or smaller numbers for test tubes depending on the size of the tubes themselves. The pad, which is typically reversible, will have grooves or indentations to cushion and hold the test tubes, slides or sample containers on the laboratory mixer while it is in use. To avoid spills and possibly test tubes sliding or falling off the pad it is essential to only use the tubes the laboratory mixer was designed for. Smaller tubes typically won't cause a problem but larger tubes may not stay in the holders, resulting in the need to re-run test costing both time and money.

Most standard models of laboratory mixers have one pre-set cycle speed. This is a standard 25 rocking cycles per minute, which keeps the liquid in the test tubes, vials or on the slides moving without resulting in agitation. This is also a speed that prevent coagulation or separation of most suspensions and materials, which is the goal of keeping materials on the laboratory rocker or mixer. A multi-mix rotator can be programmed to different revolutions per minute or rpms. This can vary between 5 and 30 with options to set a reciprocating timer and changing the rotation angle from fifteen to ninety degrees.

As with most types of laboratory equipment there are always variations in size depending on the specific model. For most of the larger standard sized and types of UV spectrophotometer the dimensions include a height of 620 mm, width of 400 mm and height of 280 mm. That works out to approximately 25 by 16 by 11 inches. Other models are a smaller 19 by 16 by 6 inches in approximate measurements. Of course models with printers and additional components are often larger, but not necessarily by a huge difference. Weight will also vary by tends to range between twenty five and thirty pounds.

UV spectrophotometer, like most laboratory equipment, will have a standard one year manufacturer's warranty. These pieces of equipment are very well made and typically have very few operating issues when used under the manufacturer's recommendations in a lab or testing facility.

Most standard lab spectrophotometers require one light source, most commonly a tungsten halogen bulb, which produces one beam for operation. A UV spectrophotometer has two separate bulbs, one that is the same as the light source found in a lab spectrophotometer and one that is unique, a deuterium lamp. Although the UV spectrophotometer only uses one light source to create the information, both bulbs are used to create the range of light needed. Models of UV spectrophotometers will also have several different scanning speeds to allow testing of different types of materials in the samples. These speeds range from low to medium to high with a maximum speed of 1000nm per minute. The machines do use a similar found position cell holder as a standard cell holder but typically much smaller samples can be used in a UV spectrophotometer than in a standard lab spectrophotometer.

The most significant consideration for any piece of laboratory equipment including a UV spectrophotometer is the ease of operation. Machines that self calibrate back to zero, known as auto zero function, are a genuine time and energy saver in the lab. Not only does the staff not have to take the time to manually zero the spectrophotometer but there is never a question of the accuracy of the readout if questions about zeroing after the last use occur. This saves not only time but also vastly improves overall lab accuracy.

The accuracy of the machine is always a major consideration. Many of the new models of ultraviolet spectrophotometers have a zero drift, which means that they stay completely accurate to less than 0.002A after they are fully warmed up. In addition, they have an automatic wavelength calibration that occurs at each start up, normalizing the wavelengths through the control so readings from the sample are accurate and not affected by slight differences in the wavelength from reading to reading and day to day.