I would like to respond to the postings of comments that you have received on this subject. I did not originally reply because I have a bias towards Coulter. I feel some issues raised in the postings could be misinterpretted. 1) It seems like Mac users like BD, and PC users like Coulter. It is just the nature of the beast. Any software program can be learned. The best way to test user friendliness is to have a side by side demonstration. 2)Service. All instruments go down. I believe this can be based on an individual basis as far as representation. Some people are more personable and know their stuff better then others. Again, luck of the draw. I have worked with the XLs since they have been first released (Helene Paxton had the original released XL and I was in her lab). If you follow the recommended cleaning procedure and do not get lazy you will have less problems. The XL is nice because it has two sets of sample probes- one on the automated carousel and one on the manual side. It is like having an automatic backup if there is a plugging issue(as long as it is not in the flow cell itself- which is extremely rare unless you do not filter your tissue samples!). The XL has also been field tested for 4 years. The Calibur was shown at ISAC in Lake Placid going on three years ago. What is the actual ratio of field XLs to Caliburs? I believe that Coulter does have a larger share of automated field instrumentation. 3)The second laser. Is it necesary to your needs? How many more significant monoclonal combinations can be made with APC? I have found the most experiments can be easily done with just the 488 Argon. If you need more then that, then you should look into purchasing a FacsVantage or an Elite. 4) Coulter's original software did not have easy listmode analysis. Some comments that you received were from people still using this earlier version. Coulter's SYSTEM II SOFTWARE is much more flexible with listmode files. You CAN create listmode reports and very easily batch samples. It now has three levels of autogating. There is color analysis, this can be used in realtime for live backgating. They are now showing the windows based sofftware (Expo). It has many nice features but I cannot comment on this for I have not had an opportunity to use it for more then 5 minutes. >From my understanding it should be released in the imminent future. Again, you need an on-site demonstration of the software. 5)I have found that the XL is a good walk away instrument for real time analysis of basic HIV panels (CD3,4,8,19,56). You may have to replay 1 patient listmode for every 25 of realtime results. This is a very good ratio, actually I have run many carousels through with good real time results. For reticulocytes, you can't beat it! Again, automation is related to sample type and application. It is much easier to automate basic subset markers then it is for an entire graft evaluation panel- no matter which company. The XL has a bar code reader and a worklist, I believe the Calibur has a worklist but no barcode reader. 6)Applications. The XL is very flexible. I have found it very easy to set up and modify experiments. It is excellent for immunophenotyping, DNA analysis, and reticulocytes. These are the primary applications that I have used the XL for but there are many more. Coulter has a product called FlowCount. This gives you the flexibility to do flow absolute counts on practically any monoclonal combination you can think of. You may want to get more specifics on this product if you are interested in absolute counts. Also, Coulter now markets all Immunotech products- this gives you flexibility and buying power if you enter into a reagent rental or lease agreement. 7) The XL is PC based and should be able to be readily networked to your LIS system. 8) Prep. I love the Multi-Q-Prep. It is great for immunophenotyping. It is compatible with both Coulter and BD instrumentation. It saves tons of tech time. 9) Listen to everything, but when it comes to making an actual decision you should definately have a side by side demonstration. During this demonstration run sample types and applications that you will be routinely performing. Run the samples on both instruments. Then you decide which instrument best suites your needs. Hope it helps. Joe.
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