Thermo Fisher Scientific centrifugation
We personally find you the right new, used and refurbished thermo fisher scientific centrifugation instruments & equipment from verified suppliers.
Thermo Scientific centrifugation on Questpair runs from the Sorvall and Heraeus benchtop families through the higher-speed floor-standing lines, so a single maker covers both routine spins and pelleting that needs real g-force. Across 1267 listings from 20 verified suppliers and distributors, the spread reaches from bare rotors to complete refrigerated instruments. The benchtop units dominate the count, with Sorvall ST, Legend and Pico models alongside Heraeus Multifuge and Megafuge stands, and the odd high-speed Sorvall LYNX or WX further up. Rotors are listed on their own as well, swing-out and fixed-angle, which matters because a rotor is where much of the cost and most of the compatibility work sits. Buyers here span 9 countries.
Updated:
Thermo Fisher Scientific Centrifugation product list
Not the exact instrument you need?
Tell our scientists what you are after. We track it down, including off-market supply.
Not the exact instrument you need?
Tell our scientists what you are after. We track it down, including off-market supply.
Showing 1–40 of 987 listings
Show 40 more listingsBuying guide
Choosing a Thermo Fisher Scientific centrifuge
The first decision is speed class, because it is the one specification that cannot be upgraded later. A Sorvall or Heraeus benchtop handles the overwhelming majority of routine spins; reach for a LYNX floor model only when the protocol names a g-force a benchtop cannot produce. Buying more speed than the work needs means a larger, heavier, costlier instrument that still spins the same tubes.
On a used Thermo Scientific unit, the drive and the rotor carry the service history. A centrifuge rotor has a defined fatigue life measured in run cycles, and an aluminium rotor past its rated hours should be derated or retired regardless of how it looks. Ask the seller for the rotor log or at least the stamped serial and manufacture date, and check the bore and lid seal on refrigerated models for corrosion. The motor bearings and the lid interlock are the other wear points; a drive that spins up unevenly or an interlock that hesitates is expensive to put right.
Price breaks along the same speed line. The cluster near the average is used benchtop stands with one rotor; bare rotors and accessories sit below it, and refrigerated high-speed instruments with multiple rotors pull the top of the band. A rotor listed on its own is often the cheaper route to capacity if you already own a compatible chassis, which is where the compatibility trap lies. Thermo Scientific rotors are keyed to specific drives, and a Sorvall rotor will not seat in a Heraeus of the wrong generation even within the same brand. Confirm the exact drive model a rotor is rated for before buying either half separately, and verify the bucket and adapter set is complete, since missing buckets are common on used swing-out rotors and are priced as spares.
Warranty is arranged in consultation for the specific listing, and parts can be sourced via Questpair.
Sorvall, Heraeus and the LYNX line
Among the listings that specify a type, the bulk are benchtop and laboratory centrifuges, with a smaller band of high-speed and refrigerated units and a run of rotors sold separately. Thermo Scientific carries these under two historic names it absorbed, Sorvall and Heraeus, now run as one range. The benchtop centrifuge type holds the Sorvall ST and Legend X1 series together with the Heraeus Multifuge X and Megafuge families, general-purpose stands for cell culture, plate work and clinical samples. The small Sorvall Pico and Legend Micro belong to the laboratory centrifuge type, microcentrifuges for tube spins at the bench. Refrigerated benchtop centrifuges are the same stands with a compressor, the ST Plus R and Multifuge X Pro R, aimed at temperature-sensitive pellets. The high-speed centrifuge type is where the Sorvall LYNX and WX floor models sit, built for the g-forces that benchtop units cannot reach.
Where the Sorvall benchtop and the LYNX diverge
The deciding specification across this maker's models is top speed and the g-force it produces, and it splits the range cleanly. A Sorvall ST or Heraeus Megafuge benchtop tops out around 15,000 to 24,000 rpm depending on rotor, which suits cell harvesting, blood separation and plate spins. The Pico microcentrifuge reaches similar rpm in a far smaller footprint for 1.5 ml tubes. The LYNX floor model is a different class, running to roughly 100,000 g with rotors built for ultracentrifuge-adjacent work, lipoprotein and subcellular fractionation. Capacity moves the other way: benchtop units take swing-out buckets for plates and large bottles, the high-speed lines favour fixed-angle rotors in steel. Refrigeration is the third axis, since only the R-suffixed models hold a set temperature through a long run. Match the rotor to the work first, because a benchtop stand with the wrong rotor will not reach the speed its chassis implies.
Price and condition
Prices range from EUR 18 to EUR 60.600. That bottom figure is a bare rotor or an accessory, not a running instrument, and the top end is a refrigerated high-speed stand complete with rotors. The average sits at EUR 3.551. 99 percent of the listings are used.
Frequently asked questions
Which Thermo Fisher Scientific centrifuge series are there?
The listings come from the Thermo Scientific label, split across two acquired names. Sorvall covers the super-speed and floor-standing work with the Legend, Lynx and older RC ranges, while Heraeus covers the general bench with the Megafuge, Multifuge, Pico and Fresco families.
How do the Sorvall and Heraeus series differ?
Sorvall is built around force and reaches the super-speed band used for lysate clearing and gradient work, so the deciding question is maximum g rather than sample volume. Heraeus covers the general bench with swing-out buckets for plates, blood tubes and microtubes, where capacity and tube format matter more than top speed.
How much does a used Thermo Fisher Scientific centrifuge cost?
Across the catalogue prices range from EUR 18 to EUR 60.600, with an average of EUR 3.551. The low end is bare rotors and spares, the high end is complete refrigerated floor-standing instruments with their rotors, so the band covers two very different purchases.
Are refurbished centrifuges available?
Yes. 99 percent of the listings are used, and used and refurbished units are priced below new ones. Where a listing does not state the exact condition, the verified suppliers and distributors can confirm it before you commit.
Which model suits which application?
For spin-downs and nucleic acid work on small fixed-angle tubes, the Heraeus Pico or Fresco reaches high relative force. For plates, blood tubes and conical tubes on a clinical or cell-culture bench, the Megafuge or Multifuge gives swing-out buckets at a lower ceiling, and only work that genuinely needs the super-speed band calls for a Sorvall Legend, Lynx or RC unit.
What should I check before buying a used centrifuge?
Ask for the rotor's age and cycle history separately from the instrument's, since an aluminium rotor run near its rated speed for years is near replacement regardless of how the drive looks. On refrigerated models confirm the unit still holds its set temperature through a long run and that the lid interlock engages, because both failures take the whole machine out of use.
Are rotors and parts interchangeable across the series?
No. A rotor fits a defined list of chassis and no others, and a Sorvall rotor will not seat in a Heraeus drive or the reverse, so a cheap standalone rotor only saves money if it matches the instrument you already run. Confirm the exact rotor-to-drive pairing before buying either half separately, and missing bucket sets or adapters can be sourced through Questpair.
How does Thermo Fisher Scientific compare to other centrifuge makers?
What sets this maker apart internally is the two-branch structure: Sorvall for force and floor-standing work, Heraeus for bench-top capacity, both under the Thermo Scientific name. When comparing against other brands, the practical decision still comes down to the g-force and tube format your protocol names, and the Questpair catalogue lists 1267 Thermo Fisher Scientific listings from 20 verified suppliers and distributors across 9 countries to match against them.