Does anyone have any feedback on these? I think I read some negatives things on here about accuracy. Anyone done any back to back testing with a credible lab?
I have not used one, they should work.
It really depends what you are intending throwing at it.
The FTIR solutions are great if you’re looking at flower, but because they need training to recognise new products, they suck for R&D
The orange photonics uses liquid chromatography & UV detection, so it should be able to handle most samples you throw at it. It won’t show you the chromatogram, so it is also limited in utility compared to a GC or HPLC.
3 Likes
I have one.
It’s only real use for me is identifying THCa to THC conversion or THC/CBD ratio. Potency testing is close enough - 10% or so - but I’d suggest asking yourself what you want it to do. It’s not an independent 3rd party. No pesticides, etc. It’s a great unit if you want to impress someone with an on the spot flower potency test, extracts a little less, anything else forget it.
If I was running packs around again, it’d have been fucking awesome to whip out and run a sample in front of someone.
All in all it’s a cool unit, but potency tests mean very little to me anymore. YMMV.
1 Like
Why do they suck for R&D ?
I was thinking about getting one to test my CBD potency after processing. I will still have to send off to the lab to get a COA but ideally would like real time results of my finished product.
1 Like
FTIR sucks for R&D
Orange Photonics: not FTIR.
== vote FOR Orange Photonics.
Maybe go find the in house analytics thread
I have been responsible for the returning of several of these machines I do not think the company likes me very much.
They are not accurate, decent paper weights though.
However I did talk to a fella down in North Carolina that claims to have worked with them extensively on improving their accuracy. I cannot personally attest to this but they may have changed a few things.
From my experience the return policy has been legit so just make sure you can always return it after you sample flower and concentrates etc.
Can you elaborate a bit more? You tested flower with it and a certified lab and it was off? By what magnitude?
As someone who operates many HPLC systems in the space and possesses a couple OP boxes, I wouldn’t use the consider the OP more than a qualitative tool. Ideal for sourcing biomass from farmers, making determination of harvest times, and determining ratios of cannabinoids. Not ideal to implement into your processing component.
Besides, you can get a robust HPLC (refurbished) that will provide accurate and fast potency readouts for about $26K. Not much more than the OP.
3 Likes
what @weedchemist said. It has been okay for test flower but anything else it is useless
2 Likes
I don’t think that Orange Photonics uses HPLC, only FTIR? I looked very briefly through the thread so I apologize if this was already answered. I may be incorrect as well. In which case, please advise.
No. It’s an hplc.
Just not a particularly useful one.
Don’t trust some random @cyclopath on the internet?
1 Like
Hey Gents,
TLDR SHORT VERSION
Legal market: kinda insufficient but awesomely neat!
Traditional Market: powerhouse negotiation tool that is massively ROI positive.
PS ive got one and i dont need it anymore cuz i got a shimadzu.
Ive got an OP unit right now. Ive used it extensively and would highly recommend it for field use. In house we now have full HPLC capability and work with multiple parter labs for analytics.
Where this unit really shines in during in field negotiations.
Having this unit with me allowed me to establish a pricing matrix prior to arrival on site. Upon arrival I present my matrix and explain the machine usually sharing a youtube video or email documenting the relevance of the device. Ive offered free testing to farmers on their flowers prior to trim and biomass discussions as both an additional value add for them and as a way of helping to establish reasonable expectations for biomass potency.
Since most all farmers in their hearts believe they are growing the best weed around its important to establish some analytical reference for product quality. The OP unit made price negotiations either VERY QUICK or VERY EASY. Customers upon seeing lower number than they hoped for and already having my pricing matrix either immediately kill the deal (time saved) or immediately get more realistic about their material quality.
I think this unit has limited usefulness in the modern permitted marketplace due to the precision of current buyers and the financial dangers associated with any testing errors. However in more traditional spaces where little to no analytical references are available this thing is a god send.
The math I used to convince myself of the purchase was proved out several times over.
If Im buying 1000 lbs of trim a week and can negotiate an average cost saving of $10/lb on just 1/2 the work i do this machine will pay for itself nearly double every month. I was able to recover the entire costs of the machine in my first month quite easily as i was able to move farms much further than $10/lb as much as 30-50$/lb making this one of the best investments ive made.
The machine is a little finicky some important tips.
-It takes a moment (about 8 mins) be ready to make small talk
-no air bubbles in the lines (will cause a test to fail)
-there are often failed tests that require you to reprocess the samples. (these still use up the purchased kits)
-order more test kits than you think you need (cuz a few will fail)
-The test tube shake wont hold up unless they got better ones. Mine always died and i always did em by hand. (great for making jokes and entertaining farmers while they wait 8 mins for results)
If anyone is interested in the unit i’ve got im willing to part with it. Id also be happy to make a good deal as shes clearly made me my money back and its all gravy from here.
2 Likes
Regarding remote onsite testing, would the basic HPLC in the Orange Photonics be a better bet than NIR kit like the GemmaCert and Sage Analytics - Beacon? My instincts would think OP better for remote testing of bud over NIR, then moving into an analytical lab for confirmation tests and extract tests. With GemmaCert mentioning ISO17025 - https://gemmacert.com/product/technology/ - are they referring to the method being ISO accredited? Any other suggestions for remote testing outside of an analytical lab with GC or HPLC?
[Sage Analytics - The Beacon.pdf|attachment]
(upload://Akz6XKo5Kd2FYOeJGAryX1EANPH.pdf) (1.7 MB)
[GemmaCert Spec.pdf|attachment]
(upload://6nraVjOoQXP9EoLTKTXcPWIAZxM.pdf) (161.1 KB)
[Orange Photonics.pdf|attachment]
(upload://swJH6oaro2bAdUPhBiWCSCKJ84K.pdf) (1.3 MB)
GemmaCert Spec.pdf (161.1 KB)
Sage Analytics - The Beacon.pdf (1.7 MB)
Orange photonics is not an hplc, it is a uv-lsd detector.
1 Like
The consumable costs on Orange suck, but i’m not sure how they compare to running an hplc.
Most lab hplc setups have both uv-lsd and mass spec for verification testing to double verify the molecules and their percentages. Having one half of that in the field is very valuable but not 100 percent accurate.
1 Like
So should we get one or nah
What are your goals? Do you want it for testing trim for yield before you buy it? Yes, buy one. Do you want it for hemp compliance testing? I personally wouldn’t trust it as anything more than an indicator, the accuracy simply isn’t there.