Best Lab General Purpose Incubators of 2025

Brian Howie Avatar
Brian Howie
Last Updated: Jan 4, 2025

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Lab general purpose incubators are essential equipment for any laboratory that requires a controlled environment for the growth and maintenance of cell cultures and microorganisms. These incubators come in various sizes and models with different features, such as temperature and humidity control, automatic alarms, and programmable settings. They are ideal for applications in microbiology, biotechnology, and life science research. With their reliable and consistent performance, lab general purpose incubators provide a stable environment for cell growth and research experiments, ensuring accurate and reproducible results.

At a Glance: Our Top Picks

25L TROPOW Digital Incubator Cover #TOP 1
25L TROPOW Digital Incubator
ftb score rating icon 9.8
IVYX Scientific 5L Incubator Cover #TOP 2
IVYX Scientific 5L Incubator
ftb score rating icon 9.7
Thermo Scientific Heratherm IMC18 Incubator Cover #TOP 3
Thermo Scientific Heratherm IMC18 Incubator
ftb score rating icon 9.5

Top 10 Lab General Purpose Incubators

#TOP 1

25L TROPOW Digital Incubator

TROPOW
PIS_014139MLbY
Black
25L TROPOW Digital Incubator Cover
25L Scientific Incubator, Heating & Cooling Digital Incubator Laboratory, Precise Temperature Control from 10 to 60°C (72°F to 140°F), Lab Incubator with Handle, AC and DC Power, Black

The TROPOW Incubator is an ideal solution for precise temperature management. With its dual power options, you can use it at home or on the go, ensuring uninterrupted operation during travel. The LED display allows you to monitor temperatures ranging from 10°C to 60°C, maintaining a stable environment for your experiments. Its lightweight design and handy carry handle make it easy to transport, while the transparent PVC door lets you keep an eye on the incubation process without opening it. This versatility makes it suitable for various applications, from laboratory use to growing seeds or incubating reptiles.

What We Like
Dual power options
Precise temperature control
Portable and lightweight
Clear visibility
#TOP 2

IVYX Scientific 5L Incubator

IVYX-INCUB5L
white
IVYX Scientific 5L Incubator Cover
IVYX Scientific 5L Incubator - Precise Temperature Control from 0°C to +55°C, 12V DC / 110V AC

The IVYX 5L Incubator by IVYX Scientific is a versatile lab general purpose incubator that offers precise temperature control from 0°C to +55°C. With its small footprint and 5L capacity, it is perfect for a variety of science projects, including growing yeast for sourdough bread making. The incubator can be set as a refrigerator or warm incubator, providing convenience for different experiments. Its precise temperature control in increments of 1°C ensures accurate and consistent results. Additionally, the IVYX 5L Incubator can both heat and cool, allowing it to cool down ~23°C below ambient temperature or heat up to 55°C. With its portable design and included 110V power cord and 12V car adapter, it can be used on the go, making it a convenient choice for scientists and researchers.

What We Like
Versatile
Precise temperature control
Can both heat and cool
#TOP 3

Thermo Scientific Heratherm IMC18 Incubator

Thermo Scientific
50125590
Thermo Scientific Heratherm IMC18 Incubator Cover
Thermo Scientific Heratherm 50125590 Model IMC18 Compact Microbiological Laboratory Incubator, Mechanical Convection, 17 to 40 Degree C Temperature Range, 0.65 Cubic Foot/18L Capacity, 100 to 240V, with US Plug

The Thermo Scientific IMC18 Incubator is designed to maintain a steady temperature for your samples, ensuring reliable results. With a temperature range of 17 to 40 degrees Celsius, it provides flexibility for various applications. The precise temperature uniformity of ± 1.5 degrees Celsius at 37 degrees Celsius guarantees that your samples are kept in optimal conditions. An LED display allows you to easily monitor the current temperature, while an audible alarm alerts you if there are any deviations. The glass door lets you check on your samples without opening the incubator, and the internal light enhances visibility for your convenience.

What We Like
Compact design
Temperature stability
Easy sample monitoring
Audible alarm feature
#TOP 4

TROPOW 20L Lab Incubator

TROPOW
EfSNuFYS_u1UzxH6vTY-MAd4i
Blue, White
TROPOW 20L Lab Incubator Cover
Lab Incubator 20L, RT 0-65℃ Egg Incubator PID Temperature Control Scientific Digital Incubator, 12V/110V Microbiological Laboratory Incubator for Culture Seed, Small Reptiles

The TROPOW Lab Incubator is designed for precise temperature management, featuring intelligent PID control that ensures stable conditions, ideal for hatching small animals or cultivating microorganisms. With its efficient hot air circulation system, the incubator promotes uniform heating, which is crucial for consistent results. The high-quality construction, made from durable materials, provides a solid and reliable environment for your specimens. Additionally, the double silicone sealing strips effectively minimize temperature fluctuations, enhancing the overall performance and reliability of the incubator.

What We Like
Precise temperature control
Uniform heating system
Durable construction materials
Minimized temperature fluctuations
#TOP 5

IVYX Scientific 25L Incubator

IVYX Scientific 25L Incubator Cover
IVYX Scientific 25L Incubator - Precise Temperature Control from 2 to 60°C, 12V/110V

The IVYX Incubator 25L offers versatile functionality, allowing you to use it as either a refrigerator or a warm incubator. This is particularly beneficial for projects like growing yeast for sourdough bread. With precise temperature control ranging from 2°C to 60°C, you can easily maintain the desired environment for your experiments. The incubator also has the capability to cool down to about 20°C below room temperature or heat up to 60°C, providing flexibility for various scientific needs. Its compact design makes it easy to fit in small spaces while still offering a generous 25L capacity.

What We Like
Versatile temperature settings
Compact and portable design
Precise temperature control
Dual heating and cooling
#TOP 6

Towallmark 20L Lab Incubator

HGFD-20
Blue, White
Towallmark 20L Lab Incubator Cover
Towallmark 20L Lab Incubator Precise Temperature Control 0-65℃, Scientific Digital Incubator Constant-Temperature Microbiological Laboratory Incubator for Culture Seed Germination Medical Science

The Towallmark Lab Incubator offers exceptional features for precise temperature control, ensuring your experiments remain stable and reliable. With its advanced PID control system, you can trust that temperatures will be accurately maintained, which is crucial for successful microbiological work. The hot air circulation system enhances internal temperature uniformity, allowing for consistent results across your samples. Plus, the double-glazed observation window lets you easily monitor changes without opening the door, preserving the internal environment. This incubator is perfect for a variety of applications in health care, biochemistry, and agricultural sciences.

What We Like
Durable construction
Precise temperature control
Improved temperature uniformity
Convenient observation window
#TOP 7

VEVOR Lab Incubator 20L Bacteria Incubator

AF001
VEVOR Lab Incubator 20L Bacteria Incubator Cover
VEVOR Lab Incubator 20L Bacteria Incubator RT-65℃ Scientific Digital Incubator PID Temperature Control Microbiological Laboratory Incubator for Bacterial Culture Seed Germination Medical Science

The VEVOR Lab Incubator is a high-quality scientific digital incubator designed for bacterial culture, seed germination, and medical science. Its excellent quality is evident in its construction, with a steel plate exterior and a 304 stainless steel inner tank. The adjustable shelf bracket and transparent window ensure safety and temperature consistency. The incubator features intelligent PID control, combining fuzzy theory with the traditional PID method for fast and stable control. The digital display makes it easy to read. With its thermal convection system, the incubator ensures uniform temperature inside and excellent heating effect, capable of heating samples up to 65°C. Its double sealing strips provide proper sealing and reduce temperature changes caused by heat loss. Suitable for various applications, this incubator is ideal for bacterial and microorganism cultivation in agricultural and animal husbandry research, scientific research, universities, and colleges.

What We Like
High-quality construction
Intelligent PID control
Thermal convection system
#TOP 8

Quincy Lab 12-140 Incubator

Quincy Lab
12-140
2.0 Cubic Feet
Quincy Lab 12-140 Incubator Cover
Quincy Lab12-140 Acrylic Door Analog Incubator, Gravity Convection, 2.0 Cubic Feet, Amb.+2C-62C, 115V

The Quincy Lab Incubator is designed to provide precise temperature control for your laboratory needs. Its bimetal controller ensures temperature accuracy within ±0.75°C, allowing you to maintain the exact conditions required for your experiments. The high-quality aluminum interior and durable powder-coated steel exterior offer a robust environment for your samples. With its resistive-tubular heating elements and natural gravity convection, this incubator promotes even heat distribution, which is essential for reliable results. The acrylic door allows for easy monitoring without disrupting the internal environment, making your workflow more efficient.

What We Like
Precise temperature control
Durable construction
Even heat distribution
Easy monitoring
#TOP 9

VEVOR 6L PID Lab Incubator

303-00A
WHITE
VEVOR 6L PID Lab Incubator Cover
VEVOR Lab Incubator, 6L, PID Temperature Control 0-65℃, Scientific Digital Incubator, Constant-Temperature Microbiological Laboratory Incubator for Lab Cell Culture Seed Germination Medical Science

The VEVOR Lab Incubator is designed to meet your laboratory needs with its 6L capacity, making it easy to transport and providing ample space for various biological cultures. With intelligent PID temperature control, you can make precise temperature adjustments, ensuring that your samples are kept at the perfect conditions. The thermal convection system promotes even heating throughout the chamber, which is essential for consistent results in your experiments. Additionally, its durable construction with cold-rolled steel and stainless steel ensures that it can withstand the rigors of a lab environment, making it a reliable choice for your scientific endeavors.

What We Like
Portable 6L capacity
Precise temperature control
Even temperature distribution
Durable construction
#TOP 10

TROPOW 20L Lab Incubator

TROPOW
ICUB_2024B
White, Blue
TROPOW 20L Lab Incubator Cover
Lab Incubator 20L, Lab Incubators & Accessories RT 5-70℃, Lab Incubator Microbiology, Laboratory Incubator PID Temperature Control Medical Incubator for Science Lab Culture Seed, Scientific Digital

The TROPOW Lab Incubator features intelligent PID temperature control, ensuring that you maintain precise and stable temperatures during your experiments. This helps you achieve reliable results, as you can adjust settings easily with its multifunction control panel. Additionally, the incubator utilizes a hot air circulation system, promoting uniform temperature distribution throughout the space. The durable construction, made from high-quality steel and stainless steel, enhances longevity and resists corrosion. Lastly, the double-glazed observation window allows you to monitor internal conditions without opening the door, ensuring consistency in your experiments.

What We Like
Precise temperature control
Uniform temperature distribution
Durable and corrosion-resistant
Easy monitoring with window
Buying Guide Image

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What are the different types of laboratory incubators?

There are various types of laboratory incubators, including bottle roller/tube roller, CO2 incubator/cell culture incubator, dry bath incubator/dry block heater, hybridization incubator, hypoxia incubator/hyperoxia incubators, hypoxic chamber, incubators and microbiology incubators, and laboratory bioreactors and fermenters.

2. What is the difference between a lab oven and a lab incubator?

A lab oven is used for applications like drying, material testing, curing, and heated storage, providing uniform temperature throughout the chamber. In contrast, a lab incubator provides a temperature-controlled environment specifically for supporting the growth of microbiological cultures.

3. What laboratory section mostly uses incubator?

The microbiology lab is the primary section that extensively uses incubators. These temperature-controlled chambers are crucial for growing and maintaining microbial cultures.

4. What is the primary reason that a laboratory incubator requires regular cleaning and sanitizing?

Regular cleaning and sanitizing of a laboratory incubator are necessary to minimize contaminants and dirt. Opening the incubator door can introduce contaminants, so cleaning the lab at least once or twice a month helps maintain a clean environment. It is important to clean and disinfect other lab equipment like biological safety cabinets (BSCs), water baths, centrifuges, and microscopes as well.

5. What are the three main types of incubators?

The three main types of incubators are poultry incubators, infant incubators, and bacteriological incubators.

6. Can a laboratory oven be used as an incubator?

No, a laboratory oven and an incubator are designed for different uses in the lab. A laboratory oven provides uniform temperature for applications like drying and storage, while an incubator creates a controlled environment specifically for the growth of microbiological cultures.

7. What are the two most common types of artificial incubators?

The two most common types of artificial incubators are forced-air incubators and still-air incubators. Forced-air incubators have fans for internal air circulation and can have large capacities. Still-air incubators are usually smaller and do not have fans for air circulation.

8. What are 5 uses of incubator in laboratory?

Incubators in the laboratory are used for various purposes, including growing cell cultures, reproducing germ colonies for germ count in the food industry, determining biochemical oxygen demand in wastewater monitoring, reproducing microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, yeast, and viruses, and more.

9. What is the protocol for incubator sterilization?

The protocol for incubator sterilization involves dry heat sterilization at 180°C for 4 hours. This process can effectively kill a wide range of microorganisms, including toughened endospores. Some incubators feature a dry heat decontamination cycle that maintains a temperature of 180°C for two hours.

Editor's Notes

During our lab general purpose incubator research, we found 24 lab general purpose incubator products and shortlisted 10 quality products. We collected and analyzed 3,219 customer reviews through our big data system to write the lab general purpose incubators list. We found that most customers choose lab general purpose incubators with an average price of $253.92.

The lab general purpose incubators are available for purchase. We have researched hundreds of brands and picked the top brands of lab general purpose incubators, including TROPOW, IVYX Scientific, Thermo Scientific, Towallmark, VEVOR. The seller of top 1 product has received honest feedback from 286 consumers with an average rating of 3.7.

Written by
Brian Howie Avatar

Brian Howie is a content writer and senior industrial designer. After graduation from Westminster College, he has been engaged in product design and manufacturing for 18 years. Brian Howie has always found great pleasure in designing industrial products and sharing his ideas and experience online.