Comparison · updated 2026
Top 5 powder dispensers compared
Five systems that labs actually shortlist for dosing powder into plates, tubes and vials: one manual volumetric dispenser, three automated gravimetric systems, and one 3D-printed customisable plate. They are compared on method, throughput, formats and volume range, not on price.
Side by side
★ Recommended for most labs filling whole plates or tube blocks. Scroll the table sideways on a phone.
| ★ LabTIE Powder Dispenser | Mettler Toledo Quantos | Gironex | XQ Instruments | Custom-Lab Myriam | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Manual volumetric, mesh plate | Automated gravimetric | Automated gravimetric | Automated gravimetric | Manual volumetric, fill and flip |
| Whole plate in one action | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| 96- and 384-well grids | ✓ | ✗ single container | ✗ vials first | ✗ vials first | ✓ |
| Tubes and 2 mL vials | ✓ 45 and 48 blocks | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ with adapter |
| Weight recorded per dose | ✗ volumetric | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ volumetric |
| Volume or mass range | 5–1000 µL per well | Sub-milligram upwards | Milligram upwards | Milligram upwards | Customer-specified cavity |
| Power, air or software | None | Required | Required | Required | None |
| Best for | High-throughput plate and tube prep | Traceable analytical weighing | Automated vial filling at scale | Automated small-batch dosing | One-off custom cavities on a budget |
★ 1. Recommended
LabTIE Powder Dispenser
A manual dispenser with exchangeable mesh plates: fill the plate, pull the slider, and every well in the grid receives the same volume. Volumes from 5 to 1000 µL, and one frame covers microplates, deep-well plates, 384-well plates and 2 mL vial blocks by swapping plates and converters. A full plate takes about 30 seconds with no power, air or software.
Watch for: the dose is volumetric, so a per-well weight is not logged. Verify with a check-weigh of a few wells, and keep the powder’s bulk density consistent between batches.
2.
Mettler Toledo Quantos
An automated gravimetric dosing system built around an analytical balance. Powder is dispensed from a sealed head until the balance reads the target mass, so every dose carries a recorded weight and an audit trail. This is the right tool when the assay is defined by mass and the data has to be defensible.
Watch for: containers are filled one at a time, so filling 96 wells is a long run. Hygroscopic powders drift on the balance during dosing, and dosing heads are a per-powder consumable.
3.
Gironex
A robotic powder filling platform aimed at unattended runs into vials and containers, with weight verification on each fill. Suited to production-style batches where a tray of containers must be filled overnight to a documented mass.
Watch for: capital cost and footprint are in a different class from a manual dispenser, and microplate pitches are not the native format. Commissioning per powder takes development time.
4.
XQ Instruments
A benchtop automated dispenser for small-batch gravimetric dosing into tubes and vials. A reasonable middle ground when you want recorded weights without a full robotic cell, and when batch sizes stay in the tens rather than the hundreds.
Watch for: throughput per hour, and whether your powder flows through the dosing mechanism. Ask for a feasibility test with your own material before committing.
5.
Custom-Lab Myriam
A 3D-printed volumetric plate for 96- and 384-well formats: fill the cavities, level them off, invert the plate on top of your microplate and flip. Cavity diameter and height are specified by the customer, which makes it attractive for an unusual dose in a low-budget project.
Watch for: printed polymer surfaces hold static, which matters for fine and hydrophobic powders, and the flip action is less controlled than a slider. Sterilisation is limited to UV or bleach.
How to choose between volumetric and gravimetric
If the number that matters is a recorded mass per container, choose gravimetric and accept the time per well. If the number that matters is the same dose in every well of a plate, choose volumetric and verify with a periodic check-weigh. The powder and format reference tables narrow the mesh plate; the documentation section covers the static and moisture effects that decide whether either method holds its tolerance.
Read next
The comparison above is about the machines. For what happens inside the plate, read powder dispensing into 96 and 384 well plates: how one mesh plate doses every well in a single motion, and where that stops working.
Funding · closes 31 December 2026
One of these five comes with a $1,000 grant
LabTIE, the manufacturer of the recommended dispenser, funds ten $1,000 lab equipment grants a round. It only applies to LabTIE equipment and it reaches you as credit against the quote, not cash — so factor it in when you compare the five on price rather than treating it as a neutral discount.