Table 1 Comparison between the Compresstome VF-300 and the Vibratome 3000

Presence of light source

No

Yes

Construction

Flimsy

Solid

Cutting speed

Fast ~5 sections/minute

Slow ~0.8 sections/minute

Number of blocks that can be cut at the same time

One

Four

Chilling capability

Frozen buffer cubes added to the buffer tank

Dry ice or ice placed in the outer chamber

Sectioning difficulties due to blade dislodging embedded tissue

Rare

Frequent

Maximum section size

~0.64 cm²

~0.25 cm²