Shimadzu Parts & Service Alternatives
In response to several recent requests, we will provide some excellent alternatives to
the parts that you could purchase and the service that you could receive from Shimadzu.
Keep in mind that Shimadzu currently charges $160 per hour (US dollars) for all service
work and that doesn't even include travel to your worksite which is also billed at $160/hr
or fraction thereof. And don't forget to factor in the high cost of parts and supplies (if
Shimadzu has them in stock). Perkin-Elmer is offering field repair service on all
scientific instruments regardless of who the original manufacturer is. If you usually call
Shimadzu..... scratch that and consider these worthy alternatives:
Bulb Direct, Inc.
Specialty bulbs for scientific instruments
1-800-772-5267
www.bulbdirect.com
Capitol Vacuum division
GC-MS vacuum pump spare parts & repair services
1-800-237-3933
www.capvac.com
Hi Scientific Services, Inc.
UV-VIS lamps (warranted for 1000 hrs - inquire how many hours Shimadzu warrants its
lamps for?) for LC-6A, LC-7A & LC-10A HPLC detectors
1-800-344-4752
www.hi-scientific.com
Optimize Technologies
HPLC pump parts for LC-600, LC-6A, LC-8A, LC-9A & LC-10A series and ESA Model 580
pumps
1-800-669-9015
www.optimizetech.com
Perkin-Elmer Corporation
Providing professional field repair service for all scientific instruments
irrespective of the original vendor name (at selected large facilities only)
1-800-762-8288
www.perkin-elmer.com
Scientific Instrument Services
Mass Spectrometer filament(s) and heater(s) repair
908-788-5550
www.sisweb.com
Selberg Instrument Service
LC-6A/B and LC-10A HPLC systems
816-224-2094
TC Scientific Services Ltd. (in the UK)
Shimadzu/Kratos surface analysis equipment repair
01925 231872 (telephone)
www.u-net.com/~tctech
Western Analytical Products, Inc.
UV-VIS lamps for LC-6A, LC-7A & LC-10A HPLC detectors
UV-VIS lamps for UV-160, UV-1201, UV-2100 & UV-3100 spectrophotometers
1-800-556-4017
www.westernanalytical.com
Service Companies
www.labx.com
We would welcome any suggestions from parts suppliers and service companies who cater to
customers that have Shimadzu equipment. You don't need to purchase a costly Shimadzu
service contract and you certainly don't need two additional years of Shimadzu's service
protection. Chances are very good that if you have problems with any equipment, most of
these problems will become apparent within the first couple of months of ownership
(numerous independent reports support this theory). So don't let Shimadzu sell you two
years of costly insurance (i.e. service protection) willy nilly. That's an awful price to
pay for some piece of mind!
According to a report in Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine (2/96), "some 80% of
service contracts, which guarantee repairs if a product breaks during a specific period of
time, go UNUSED. They often duplicate the warranty. And if the company goes out of
business, your contract may be worthless. Now you can add another shortcoming to the list:
sometimes the service contract itself breaks down." Have you ever been charged for
repairs while your Shimadzu product was still under warranty.... email us!
Maintenance agreements and/or service contracts are "cash cows" for the
organizations that offer them. In addition to high pressure sales techniques, some
companies pray on your fears by trying to sell you (the customer) something that you may
never need or use! Just request that Shimadzu provide a five (5) year warranty on the
instrument that you might be considering for purchase. Please note that some of Shimadzu's
competitors offer five year warranties gratis.... inquire why Shimadzu doesn't do
the same?
How many times have you placed an order for replacement bulbs or thermal printer paper for
your spectrophotometer, TOC analyzer or integrator only to learn that the requested items
were on backorder because they were out of stock at Shimadzu.... email us!
Expect Less Value and More Disappointment from Shimadzu
This page was last 
12/31/00