10 ways ViVitro Pulse Duplicator and HiCycle compare to equipment built in-house

People often ask, “Why buy a ViVitro Pulse Duplicator or HiCycle when I could build something myself?  How do they compare to equipment built in-house ?” My initial reaction is always similar to that of Dominik Obrist, Chair University of Bern, ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research, Cardiovascular Engineering: “It’s more complicated than you think.”  Dominik speaks from experience.

“Complicated” is actually short hand for “takes time, requires expertise, and ends up costing more.”  Here is my top 10 list of reasons why you should outsource the purchase of Pulse Duplicator and Durability testing equipment instead of doing it yourself:

1. Ease of Use – First of all ViVitro Pulse Duplicator or HiCycle equipment will hands down be more user friendly and easier to use than any in-house system. This is especially important if you are trying to get fast, repeatable, and consistent results from technicians or students. Simplicity is an inherent design criteria from the device mounting, to the data acquisition system, and software.
2. Reliability – When you need results in a hurry you can depend on our equipment.  Our Pulse Duplicator and HiCycle products work day in day out in countries around the world and have a proven track record of reliability. If in the unlikely event you manage to damage the equipment, see my next point…
3. Repairs- When ViVitro Pulse Duplicator or HiCycle equipment breaks you can immediately call on extra resources to get the issue resolved right away.  For example, we inventory parts that can be easily dropped in if anything fails.  Will a homemade Pulse Duplicator or Durability Tester system give you that peace of mind? Download our Maintenance Brochure
4. Reputation – When you report results from a ViVitro Pulse Duplicator or HiCycle system, regulators, reviewers and academics around the world know exactly what that means and how it was measured. If you do the same with your own system you will likely receive a plethora of questions trying to understand how your measurements were conducted.  Check out our citations page for a sampling of publications that use our equipment.
5. Qualification – Many users struggle to validate that their in-house equipment is working properly. With ViVitro you can call in expertise to make sure your installed system is working to spec. Download our Qualification Brochure
6. Training – If you have user turnover (be it employee or student), you can call in experts or access online information to get their replacements up and running right away. We invest in a variety of user manuals and training materials which in-house systems will not have. Download our Training Brochure
7. Cost – Researchers sometimes believe that a simple home built Pulse Duplicator or Durability Tester system could be made for less.  First, factor in the time someone will spend developing their own test equipment instead of focusing on advancing their device. Combine that with the one-off machining costs for a “prototype”, and add overhead costs (which are often neglected) like documentation, user manuals etc.  ViVitro Pulse Duplicator and HiCycle equipment quickly become a very cost effective way to accelerate your development.
8. Flexibility – If your needs change, ViVitro Pulse Duplicator and HiCycle equipment have a variety of accessories to grow with your development. Our platform of testers makes it easy to transition your device from pulsatile testing to durability testing and back. The look and feel of ViVitro Pulse Duplicator and HiCycle equipment and software is consistent from product to product. Once you know how to use one, it is intuitive to work another.  If you grow and need more capacity it can be order by phone or email.
9. Consistency – If you ever require independent results from an ISO 17025 accredited test lab, you can come back to ViVitro to evaluate your device with no surprises due to equipment differences.
10. Looks- As an engineer, my opinions on esthetics are somewhat suspect, but ViVitro systems look professional and impressive to visitors and investors. Home built systems often place no emphasis on appearance and deliver limited visual credibility.

Rob Fraser
Lab Manager, MSc.
ViVitro Labs Inc