CHEF-vs-ROFE

[Tony Sanchez]

I am looking into purchasing a PFGE setup.  In the literature there seems to be a 
preference for CHEF.  Is there any basis for this preference, or is it just due to 
familiarity with Bio-Rad and word of mouth.  Has anyone used ROFE?  In 
Methods in Molecular Biology Vol. 12  there is a chapter on ROFE, and it appears 
to be superior to CHEF in my opinion.  It has more field angles and the same or 
better resolution.  It has the advantage of a larger gel (20 x 20 cm) and a small 
footprint (only 25 x 40 cm).  It also does not need a refrig. or cold room.  The main 
draw back I can figure out is that the mechanical rotator is not precise with a short 
pulse time (a few seconds or less).  Does an have any experience using ROFE?  Are 
there other manufactures than Biometra?  How reliable is the rotator?  

Tony
==============================================================
Tony Sanchez
University of Florida  Dept. Ophthalmology  1600 SW Archer Road
JHMHC #100284  Gainesville, FL 32610
Phone (904)392-2720      Fax (904) 392-7839           tsanchez at eye1.eye.ufl.edu