OHAUS is the broadest single brand Australian Scientific carries, at 285 products ranging from a $35 accessory to a $17,393 dual-range analytical balance. It is worth knowing the range is not only weighing: alongside the balances sit Frontier centrifuges, hotplate stirrers, overhead stirrers, dry block heaters, incubating shakers and vortex mixers.
The OHAUS range
Analytical and precision balances
The Explorer Series sits at the top, including dual-range models such as the EX225D at 120 g × 0.01 mg and 220 g × 0.1 mg, with an Explorer Semi-Micro range for the finest work. The Pioneer Series covers 82 g × 0.01 mg through to 220 g × 0.001 g, and the Adventurer Series offers 120 g and 220 g at 0.1 mg.
Portable and compact balances
The Compass CX Series reads 1,200 g × 0.1 g and the Compass CR Series 2,200 g × 1 g, with the Navigator Series for education and field use. See all portable OHAUS balances.
Centrifuges
The Frontier range runs from a $590 mini centrifuge to high-speed micro models: the FC2516 reaches 16,500 rpm (19,080 × g) and the FC5515 reaches 15,200 rpm (21,953 × g), while multi-purpose models such as the FC2706 and FC5707 cover 6,000–6,800 rpm for general laboratory separation. Browse centrifuges, or the 45 rotors for the Frontier 5000 Series and Frontier 2000 Series, plus tube adapters.
Hotplates and stirrers
Hotplates and hotplate stirrers cover 15 L capacity at maximum temperatures of 380 °C and 500 °C with stirring to 1,600 rpm, available as units or as kits with a temperature probe. Overhead stirrers and their accessories handle larger or more viscous volumes.
Heating, shaking and mixing
Dry block heaters are available in analogue and digital single-block versions, alongside incubating and incubating cooling shakers and vortex mixers in fixed-speed and analogue models.
Frequently asked questions
Which OHAUS balance series should I choose?
Work down from the readability you need. Explorer is the analytical and semi-micro range, reading to 0.01 mg, for research and tight-tolerance quality control. Pioneer spans analytical and precision work from 0.01 mg to 0.001 g and suits most general laboratories. Adventurer sits at 0.1 mg for routine analytical weighing. Compass and Navigator are portable balances at 0.1 g and 1 g for field, classroom and general-purpose use.
Do OHAUS centrifuges come with a rotor?
The micro models do. The FC2516, for example, is supplied with a 24 × 1.5 ml or 2 ml rotor. Beyond that, rotors are selected to suit the tubes you run, which is why 45 rotors are stocked across the Frontier 5000 and 2000 Series along with tube adapters. Check the individual product listing for what is included before ordering a rotor separately.
What speed and g-force do the Frontier centrifuges reach?
It depends on the class. High-speed micro centrifuges reach 16,500 rpm and 19,080 × g (FC2516) or 15,200 rpm and 21,953 × g (FC5515). Multi-purpose models run to around 6,000–6,800 rpm at 3,660–4,445 × g, and the mini centrifuge reaches 6,000 rpm at 2,000 × g. Match the g-force to your protocol rather than the rpm, since g-force depends on rotor radius as well as speed.
What is the difference between a hotplate and a hotplate stirrer?
A hotplate heats only; a hotplate stirrer adds a magnetic stirrer so the sample is heated and mixed at once. Both are stocked at 15 L capacity, with maximum temperatures of 380 °C or 500 °C and stirring to 1,600 rpm. Kits that include a temperature probe allow the plate to control to the sample temperature rather than the plate surface temperature.
What readability do OHAUS analytical balances offer?
Down to 0.01 mg on Explorer and Pioneer dual-range models, 0.1 mg across Adventurer and the larger Explorer and Pioneer capacities, and 0.001 g on precision models such as the PX223. Dual-range balances give the finer readability over a reduced capacity and the coarser readability across the full range, which is useful when one balance has to cover two kinds of work.
Is OHAUS only a balance brand?
No, and this is the most common misconception about the range. Of the 285 OHAUS products stocked here, roughly half are balances; the remainder are centrifuges and rotors, hotplates and stirrers, dry block heaters, incubating shakers and vortex mixers. If you are specifying a laboratory, it is often possible to source the bench equipment and the weighing from the one brand.
