I ordered these because I was considering buying a PhoneSoap (a phone sterilizer through UV-C light exposure) and I wanted to make sure that the device worked, and that my phone needed such a measure: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071KGVLBB/ Overall, these Agar Plates performed exactly as I needed them to. They were not perfect, but they were easy to purchase, and they helped me get the answer I needed. (That yes, the device works; and yes, my phone really needs it.) These were shipped and arrived very quickly, with Prime Delivery. The first thing that struck me, especially after reading the reviews, but also when receiving the package, is that Evviva Sciences seems to be a very diligent company. They seem aware of the occasional problem with the plates, but they appear eager to make it right. As a busy customer, I'd rather there be no problem at all, rather than a graceful customer service—but a graceful customer service is definitely a pro. My agar plates were well poured, no bubble as some other reviewers have commented. I did notice, and was perturbed/thrown off by some moisture or appearance of moisture. I wasn't quite clear what it was due to. In the end, I think my plates did not seem to have contamination problems (the results were what was expected; and they were repeated with another phone). Here is what I will say to conclude the review: These agar plates come with a one-sided sheet of short, easy to follow instructions. In particular, the guide recommended creating a "positive control": Swab some place you know definitely has a lot of bacteria, to have one plate where you expect to see bacterial growth, so you can see whether your environment is hostile to bacterial growth (for instance, if your environment is too cold, or if you accidentally poured sterilizing bleach in the plates, etc.). At any rate, this was a great recommendation. Overall this was an affordable way to make sure I was not getting conned by a marketing fad, as far as the phone sanitizer was concerned. I assume these would be similarly useful for a science fair project, or to test bacterial growth around the house. --- Please, if you have found this review useful, consider marking it as "Helpful." Amazon is great when you get to see reviews from actual shoppers—as opposed to paid writers and fake bots—and posting photos of the products and marking each other's actual reviews as "Helpful" is part of the way we help make sure reviews remain useful. Thanks! -- JL Read more

I have a Master's in Microbiology. I am retired and was looking for agar plates to work with my grandchildren. They were package great and look wonderful. We have not yet done our experiments. I was glad to see the notification about bacteria from our bodies needing to grow at body temperature 37 degrees centigrade or 98.6. I have puzzled over what I would use for an incubator at home , and realized that I have raised baby chicks and they need this temperature when they first hatch. So if you have a chick incubator that would work. But I am going to try a smallish cardboard box about 18 x 20 inches with an old fashion light bulb, of course you want a thermometer inside to check your temperatures. My only other recommendation would be to make your own bacteriological loop which enables you to remove small fungal or bacterial colonies without cross contamination. Great for projects for science fairs etc. I think it would be interesting if they included some easy experiments for kids to try. It is very very easy to contaminate plates from the air and others items. Sterile technique is important to learn. In the old days , before flow hoods, just a clear plastic box , helped keep outside contamination from plates. a small slit in front for hands and arms. You all have seen flow hoods in the movies. Make sure you have stain , slides and a microscope to extend learning . Read more

Worked great for my child's science project! Read more

I bought this for my daughters 5th Grade sceince project. She wanted to find out which was the cleanest surface in the house. I ordered the Agar kit and it came within two days with Prime (love Prime!). We unpacked the box and it is ready to go. Everything is sealed in sterile containers. My daughter opened the packages and swabbed ten different surfaces around the house. We put the plates in the warmest place in the house, which happen to be the loft and left them there for 7 days. We checked them on day 3 and day 7. The results were really quick and amazing. You could tell the amount of bacteria from each surface on the plates. My daughter was amazed and disgusted at the same time which is what science is all about right! This kit is great. There is a web link that's included and a leaflet with lots of other ideas. My daugter was already coming up with different ideas for things to swab. Mouthwash versus no mouthwash, lysol versus no lysol, the list is endless, Great Product just follow the insructions that are included and you shouldn't go wrong. Read more

Used this kit to demonstrate the amount of bacteria on phones and tablets and the efficacy of various cleaning methods. Worked quite well for this purpose. Read more