Azure Imagers vs.
Bio-rad ChemiDoc™

The Azure 600 Western blotting imaging system. Sensitive detection, intuitive software. Great for our NIR, fluorescence and chemiluminescent western blot detection. Multiplexing works great! Also a superior system to document our nucleic acid gels. The whole department appreciates them (we have two).

One year ago (August 2021), we purchased an Azure 280 imaging system (AZ1280) from Azure biosystems. We wanted a low-cost yet high-performance and quantitative Western Blot imaging system, and Azure 280 was exactly what we needed. The Azure 280 is easy to use and has identical capabilities as the Azure 300, but it is just not upgradeable. However, we were offered the option to upgrade in the future (if we wanted to) by trade-in. Nathan Hemendinger, the director of Eastern North America at Azure Biosystems was courteous and very accommodating. He even offered us a free one-year extended warranty.

“We’ve been very pleased with the Azure 600 Gel Imaging System. The quality and limit of detection for both the chemiluminescence and near-IR images is outstanding. Image acquisition is straightforward and user-friendly. The after-sales support is top notch – as there have been additional software upgrades and peripheral devices that were rolled-out post purchase. We’ve been happy with the new features. Our main contact at Azure (Vic Gagne) has been amazing. What sets this system apart from some of the bigger vendors is the ease-of-use and the personalized customer support. If your lab or core facility is looking for an imaging system, I highly recommend the Azure 600 Gel Imaging System.“

“The c600 has been an essential workhorse in the lab since the day we bought it. With countless westerns and more than a fair share of nucleotide gels being imaged and analyzed using it. I greatly appreciate being able to switch quickly between applications and methods, as well as not needing proprietary software to view my data. It’s been given 4/5 stars for ease of use only because you need to know how to ask the software what you want it to show you, which can be a bit of a learning curve. Once you understand the software though you can dial in your settings much more easily than with other machines I’ve used. It also offers a more push and capture option when you’re expecting a strong response and just want to capture an image. I’ve been very happy with how their program balances weak signals and stronger signals since I’m often using the same blot for 7-10 proteins. With aftercare, Azure has been fantastic! They check in to make sure everything is going well, and to see if they can help with anything more just enough that it’s not intrusive but often enough that you don’t worry that they forgot about you.“

“Recently bought this imager after having tested Biorad, ProteinSimple, Multiple GE machines and UVP. I was looking for the imager that gave us the best image quality for our western blots, the price was not a question. I can confidently say that this imager gave us the highest image quality and had the most functionality, on top of being one of the more affordable imagers. I am very happy with this machine and would definitely recommend it.”