MUHWA Mini-PROTEAN Combs — 1.0mm, 10-Well, 5/Pack
When you pour a polyacrylamide gel, the comb defines everything about your experiment: how many samples you can run, how much volume each well holds, and whether your bands come out straight or smile-shaped. A comb that's fractionally too thin for the spacer plates leaks acrylamide between the comb teeth and the glass — you get uneven well bottoms and your bands start at different positions. A comb that's too thick is hard to insert and pulls the gel out when you remove it.
These combs are 1.0mm thick, matching the standard 1.0mm Mini-PROTEAN spacer plate system. Ten wells — that's five samples plus a ladder run in duplicate, or nine samples and one lane for molecular weight marker. The well width is approximately 5mm, which accepts up to 30µL of sample per well when using a 1.0mm gel. If you're loading 10µL, the well isn't too wide — the sample still forms a tight band when it enters the stacking gel.
Why comb thickness matters
The comb thickness must match your spacer plate thickness exactly: 0.75mm combs for 0.75mm plates, 1.0mm for 1.0mm, 1.5mm for 1.5mm. Using a 1.0mm comb in 1.5mm plates creates a gap at the sides of each well — your samples leak sideways and merge into neighboring wells. Using a 1.5mm comb in 1.0mm plates is simply impossible — the comb won't slide in. When ordering replacement combs, check your existing plates before clicking buy. Most Mini-PROTEAN systems ship with 1.0mm plates by default, but some labs switch to 0.75mm for higher-resolution gels.
Material and cleaning
Polycarbonate. It's rigid enough to form clean well shapes but flexible enough to remove from polymerized gel without tearing. After each use, rinse the comb with distilled water and wipe with a lint-free tissue. Acrylamide solution dries into a white film that accumulates between the teeth over time — every few uses, soak the comb in warm water with mild detergent for 15 minutes and gently brush between the teeth with a soft toothbrush. Don't use acetone or strong organic solvents on polycarbonate — it'll craze and cloud the plastic.
Specifications
| Thickness | 1.0mm |
| Wells | 10 |
| Well volume | ~30µL per well (1.0mm gel) |
| Material | Polycarbonate |
| Compatibility | Mini-PROTEAN and equivalent 1.0mm systems |
| Pack size | 5 combs |
A practical note on gel pouring
Insert the comb immediately after pouring the stacking gel — don't wait. If the resolving gel is already polymerized below and you wait even 30 seconds before inserting the comb, the stacking gel surface starts to polymerize and you'll get a bumpy well floor. Insert the comb at a slight angle starting from one side to avoid trapping air bubbles under the teeth. If you see a bubble trapped against a tooth, gently tilt the comb to release it — bubbles at the well bottom create uneven sample entry and distorted bands.
