Y'all,
Does anyone have experience with the Jade Inlet system? I'd like to try one, but I don't want to waste $500 if it poorly designed, not rugged, etc.

I haven't used the Jade, but have used the Merlin with good results. Very reproducible RTs and they last for several hundred injections. I'd recomend them.

Years back we tried the Jade valve with some dirty extracts and the performance was not what we had hoped.

The Merlin is best with split injections at a relatively high split ratio. I have used them this way successfully. A leakage rate of several mL/min from the Merlin microseal is considered normal (info from the insert in the Merlin packaging), so it is not as good for splitless injection in forward pressure regulated mode. The Merlin works well for some applications, but not for others.

We tried the Jade valve several years ago. We were using direct injection and got poor retention time reproducibility. We were told leakage from the valve was typical and could be variable, depending on the seating of the valve after injection. At high inlet flow rates (split) this is not a problem. At low inlet flow rates, it can cause significant variability in retention times.

The Jade is basically garbage and so is the Merlin. My MDL's were all over the place using a Merlin. Stick with a septa and changing it often

I've used Merlin for several years and achieved extremely good results. A large improvement over septa. I would say that my septa were garbage. Have never used Jade.

To LABMANAGER: The Jade and Merlin are not basically garbage. From my experience with the Merlin, and Russ's experience with the Jade, both will work if the inlet is operated at high flow (high split ratio) conditions.

Just because the product does not work for your application does not mean it does not work for other applications or ia junk. I am not a big fan of these seals, and the first thing I used to do when I got a new GC-MS system was to throw the Merlin into the bottom drawer with other things I never intended to use. Some people use them regularly and love them, so they do work in some specialized applications.

Thanks for all your input. I have used the Merlin quite successfully myself. I definitely agree that it is application specific. I have used the Merlin with pulsed splitless injection. I believe this helps overcome the leak. But, again, it depends on solvent, volume, temp., pressure, etc.