Engineering Guide · Vendor-Neutral

Hamilton VisiFerm vs PreSens: Which Optical DO Sensor for Your Bioreactor?

Published April 21, 2026 · 10 min read · Specs re-verified October 4, 2026
Hamilton VisiFerm insertable probe versus PreSens sensor spot — side-by-side comparison Arc Tx Hamilton VisiFerm Insertable probe · CIP/SIP · stainless and glass 12 mm · PG13.5 thread · 120-425 mm shaft VS Spot Reader PreSens SP-PSt3 Non-invasive spot · shake flask → SU bag Read through vessel wall via fiber optic Both use optical luminescence quenching — same physics, different form factors
Figure 1: Hamilton VisiFerm (left) inserts an optical probe into the vessel through a standard port. PreSens (right) glues a sensor spot inside the vessel wall and reads it externally with a fiber optic. Both use luminescence quenching; form factor drives the scale/modality fit.
Quick Verdict

Choose Hamilton VisiFerm for reusable stainless steel and glass bioreactors with a PG13.5 port. The VisiFerm DO Arc probe has its transmitter in the head and sends 4-20 mA and Modbus RTU straight to the control system. Choose PreSens for non-invasive monitoring of shake flasks, multiwell plates, glass vessels and OEM-integrated single-use systems, where its sensor spots are read through the transparent wall. Both use the same optical luminescence physics, so pick by vessel type, not measurement principle.

Key differences at a glance

Side-by-side comparison

Factor Hamilton VisiFerm PreSens
Measurement principle Optical luminescence quenching (luminescent dye) Optical luminescence quenching (luminescent dye)
Form factor Insertable 12 mm probe; the DO Arc version has an integrated Arc transmitter Sensor spot inside the vessel, read by an external fibre-optic meter; also dipping probes and flow-through cells
Invasive? Yes. The probe inserts through a standard PG13.5 port No. Spots are read through the transparent vessel wall
Where it fits Any vessel with a PG13.5 port and room for a 120-425 mm shaft Transparent vessels: shake flasks, multiwell plates, glass vessels, OEM single-use bags
Range and response (flagship sensor) VisiFerm DO Arc: 4 ppb to 25 ppm; t98 < 30 s at 25 °C (ODO Cap H0) SP-PSt3: 0-45 mg/L, detection limit 15 ppb, t90 < 40 s dissolved. SP-PSt6 (trace): 0-1.8 mg/L, 1 ppb
Sterilisation Autoclave to 130 °C, SIP to 140 °C, CIP (reusable); single-use element gamma-sterilised with the bag YAU glass-backed spots autoclavable at 130 °C (about 50 cycles, per PreSens); NAU foil spots not autoclavable; steam, EtO or gamma listed for PSt3
Calibration workflow Two-point (zero and air); can be done in the lab before installation because the Arc head stores it Two-point specified; no re-calibration for up to 100,000 points (manual); some ready-to-use formats come pre-calibrated
Output signals DO Arc: 4-20 mA and Modbus RTU (RS-485); Bluetooth through an Arc Wi adapter. VisiFerm mA: 2-wire 4-20 mA with HART USB on lab meters, Bluetooth on the SFR vario, RS232/RS485 (Modbus RTU) and 4-20 mA on the EOM-O2-FOM OEM module
Capital cost (per channel) Quote required; one probe per channel, transmitter built in Quote required; consumable spot per vessel plus a meter shared across channels
Typical deployment Reusable stainless steel and glass bioreactors; single-use via VisiFerm DO SU Arc Lab-scale screening, non-invasive monitoring, OEM single-use components
Best for Reusable stainless steel, mAb fed-batch, microbial, commercial Single-use bags, shake flasks, µbioreactors, OEM integration

Sources, checked October 4, 2026: Hamilton VisiFerm DO Arc 120 H0 specification sheet, VisiFerm mA page and single-use Arc Module and VisiFerm SU page; PreSens SP-PSt3-YAU datasheet, PSt3/PSt6 sensor spot manual, sterilisation FAQ and EOM-O2-FOM module page. Neither vendor publishes list prices. Your vendor’s current datasheet takes precedence.

Datasheet snapshot (verified vendor specifications)
  • Hamilton VisiFerm DO Arc (ODO Cap H0): range 4 ppb to 25 ppm (0 to 300 %-sat); accuracy at 25 °C ±0.05 %-vol at 1 %-vol and ±0.2 %-vol at 21 %-vol; drift < 1 % per week; t98 < 30 s at 25 °C; operating temperature −10 to 140 °C, with no DO reading above 85 °C; autoclavable to 130 °C, SIP to 140 °C; 4-20 mA plus RS-485 Modbus.
  • PreSens SP-PSt3-YAU: range 0 to 100 % O2 (0 to 45 mg/L), detection limit 15 ppb; accuracy ±0.4 % O2 at 20.9 % O2; drift < 0.03 % O2 over 30 days at 0 % O2; t90 < 40 s in liquid; measurement temperature 0 to 50 °C; autoclavable at 130 °C and 1.5 atm, about 50 autoclave cycles per PreSens; no re-calibration needed for up to 100,000 measurement points.

Sources: VisiFerm DO Arc 120 H0 specification sheet; PreSens SP-PSt3-YAU datasheet, PSt3/PSt6 sensor spot manual and sterilisation FAQ. Note that the two response times use different end points (t98 vs t90). See our VisiFerm DO Arc literature review and PreSens SP-PSt3 / SP-PSt6 literature review for the underlying peer-reviewed evidence.

Hamilton VisiFerm explained

The VisiFerm family is Hamilton’s optical dissolved oxygen probe line, an alternative to amperometric (polarographic) sensors in bioprocess applications. The core sensor is a luminescent dye layer in a replaceable ODO Cap at the probe tip; light excites the dye, and the luminescence, which is quenched by collisions with oxygen molecules, is converted to ppm, %-vol or % air saturation. Hamilton’s differentiator on the VisiFerm DO Arc is the Arc transmitter integrated into the probe head, which removes the separate transmitter box and simplifies integration with control systems.

How it works

The probe is a 12 mm stainless steel shaft with a PG13.5 thread. Hamilton’s VisiFerm DO manual lists 120, 225, 325 and 425 mm versions of the DO Arc (the 225 mm is 215 mm in reality) and a 160 mm length for the non-Arc VisiFerm DO. It fits bioreactor ports built for 12 mm PG13.5 sensors, which are common on bioreactors. On the VisiFerm DO Arc the electronics live in the probe head, which provides a programmable 4-20 mA output and RS-485 Modbus RTU directly, with no external transmitter. Bluetooth is added with an Arc Wi adapter between the head and the cable, and HART is available on the separate 2-wire VisiFerm mA for hazardous areas. For single-use bioreactor bags, the VisiFerm DO SU Arc is a reusable reader that clips onto a gamma-sterilised sensor element pre-installed in the bag and never contacts the medium.

When VisiFerm wins

VisiFerm fits three segments best. Reusable stainless steel and glass bioreactors from bench to production, where the 4-20 mA and Modbus RTU outputs connect to most control systems without a transmitter. Fed-batch mAb manufacturing, where an optical probe avoids electrolyte changes and polarisation, and Hamilton states that the latest VisiFerm mA with ODO Cap H3 or H4 needs up to 80% less calibration (a vendor claim). Microbial fermentation where in-place sterilisation matters: the sensor is rated for SIP up to 140 °C and counts its SIP and CIP cycles, and the ODO Cap is the replaceable wear part. Hamilton does not publish a guaranteed number of SIP cycles per cap.

PreSens explained

PreSens Precision Sensing is a German optical-sensor specialist focused on non-invasive, small-scale, and OEM-integrated oxygen, pH and CO2 measurement. Its best-known oxygen products are the SP-PSt3 and SP-PSt6 sensor spots (covered in our peer-reviewed PreSens SP-PSt3 / SP-PSt6 review): small dye-coated discs, commonly 5 mm in diameter, glued to the inside of a transparent vessel wall. An external fibre-optic cable carries excitation light through the wall, reads the returning luminescence, and the meter reports oxygen with no physical intrusion into the vessel. PSt3 covers 0 to 100 % O2; PSt6 is the trace version for 0 to 4.2 % O2.

How it works

Each sensor spot carries the luminescent dye on a support: polyester foil for the non-autoclavable NAU spots, 1 mm glass for the autoclavable YAU spots. When glued to a glass or clear plastic wall, the dye is in contact with the culture but the reading instrument stays outside. PreSens meters include the handheld Fibox 4 and Fibox 4 trace, the USB-powered 4-channel OXY-4 SMA, the SFR vario shake flask reader (Bluetooth to a PC) and the SDR SensorDish Reader for 6- and 24-well plates; for integration there are OXYBase and EOM-O2 OEM modules with RS232/RS485 and, on the EOM-O2-FOM, a 4-20 mA output. PreSens specifies a two-point calibration for its spots, and its manual states that no re-calibration is needed for up to 100,000 measurement points; some formats, such as ready-to-use sensor flasks and OEM bag sensors, come pre-calibrated. PreSens says its YAU oxygen spots withstand about 50 autoclave cycles, and its datasheet also lists EtO and gamma sterilisation.

When PreSens wins

PreSens fits best where non-invasiveness is the deciding factor. Single-use systems: PreSens sells single-use oxygen and pH sensors and flow-through cells to OEMs, and describes projects where sensors were integrated into disposable bags with factory calibration. Bag vendors do not always name their sensor supplier, so check rather than assume. Shake flask and plate screening, where an invasive probe is impractical: the SFR vario reads spots in ready-to-use shake flasks inside the incubator, and the SDR SensorDish Reader reads a 24-well plate. OEM integration in academic or specialty bioreactors: PreSens sells sensor spots plus electronics to equipment builders who embed the sensor in their own vessel designs.

Pros and cons

Hamilton VisiFerm

Advantages

  • Integrated Arc transmitter on the DO Arc, so no separate hardware box is needed
  • Same 12 mm PG13.5 probe from bench to production vessels, in 120-425 mm lengths
  • Rated for autoclaving to 130 °C, SIP to 140 °C and CIP, with SIP and CIP counters in the sensor
  • Low-oxygen range down to 4 ppb on the DO Arc
  • Direct control-system integration: 4-20 mA and Modbus RTU (DO Arc), or 4-20 mA with HART (VisiFerm mA)

Disadvantages

  • Invasive — requires a PG13.5 port and takes up a port slot
  • Not a good fit for shake flasks, microtiter plates, or µbioreactors
  • Higher per-channel cost than PreSens spots at high parallelism
  • Requires traditional 2-point calibration workflow pre-run
  • Single-use version needs Hamilton’s sensor element pre-installed in the bag, so the bag supplier must support it

PreSens

Advantages

  • Non-invasive — no sterile breach, no port required
  • No re-calibration needed for up to 100,000 measurement points, per PreSens; some formats come pre-calibrated
  • Single-use sensors and flow-through cells offered to OEMs for integration into bags
  • Cost scales well: one meter reads several channels (four on the OXY-4 SMA, a 24-well plate on the SDR)
  • Fits shake flasks, microtiter plates, and microfluidics where probes cannot

Disadvantages

  • Cannot read through opaque stainless steel walls
  • Lab and OEM focus; few products aimed at large stainless steel production vessels
  • Autoclavable YAU spots are rated for about 50 autoclave cycles, per PreSens
  • Spot requires proper adhesion — surface prep matters for accuracy
  • Reader positioning and alignment must be repeatable for consistent readings
  • Fewer DCS-native output options than Hamilton's Arc ecosystem

Which should you choose?

The choice is driven almost entirely by vessel type and scale. Four scenarios cover most bioprocess decisions.

Reusable stainless steel bioreactor

Bench, pilot or production stainless steel (or glass) vessels with PG13.5 ports and CIP/SIP. The Arc transmitter connects to your control system directly.

Choose Hamilton VisiFerm

Single-use bag bioreactor

Single-use systems such as Sartorius Biostat STR, Thermo Fisher HyPerforma or Cytiva Xcellerex. Use the optical DO sensor your bag supplier has qualified: the vendor’s own pre-installed sensor, a non-invasive spot, or a Hamilton VisiFerm DO SU Arc element, depending on the bag.

Choose a non-invasive spot or the bag’s qualified sensor

Shake flask / µbioreactor screening

Shake flasks, 6- and 24-well plates, small glass vessels and microfluidic cultures. An invasive probe is not practical.

Choose PreSens

Microbial fermentation (E. coli, Pichia) — stainless

High oxygen uptake rates, repeated SIP, standard bioreactor ports. VisiFerm’s SIP rating and direct control-system outputs are the better fit.

Choose Hamilton VisiFerm

Real-world use cases

Four representative setups and why each team converged on their choice.

CHO mAb fed-batch · 2,000 L SS
Hamilton VisiFerm DO Arc

Example setup: VisiFerm DO Arc 225 in a PG13.5 port, 4-20 mA or Modbus RTU wired directly to the DCS. Two-point calibration in the lab with ArcAir before installation, re-calibration interval set by the site’s own data. One spare probe per vessel kept calibrated.

AAV / HEK293 · 200 L SU bag
Optical spot (bag-integrated)

Example setup: a 200 L single-use bag with a gamma-sterilised optical DO sensor pre-installed by the bag supplier and read from outside the bag. Calibration data supplied with the bag, so no in-bag two-point calibration is needed. Check which sensor and reader your bag supplier has qualified.

Shake flask and plate screening
PreSens SFR vario and SDR

Example setup: ready-to-use shake flasks with integrated oxygen and pH spots, each read by an SFR vario inside the shaking incubator and sent to a PC over Bluetooth; small-volume screens in 24-well SensorDish plates on an SDR reader. Insertable probes would need a port in every flask, which is not practical at this density.

E. coli 500 L microbial · SS
Hamilton VisiFerm DO Arc 425

Example setup: 425 mm insertion length to reach the liquid in a tall vessel. SIP before each batch within the sensor’s 140 °C rating. The Arc head reports 4-20 mA to the existing PLC with no transmitter box.

Not sure which DO sensor fits your scale and modality?

Answer a few quick questions and get a ranked list of dissolved oxygen sensor recommendations tailored to your process — covering reusable probes, single-use bag spots, and shake-flask optical options.

Open the Sensor Selection Tool

Cost and lifecycle considerations

The cost comparison is channel-count sensitive

For a single bioreactor, one VisiFerm probe does everything. At high parallelism, PreSens gains because one meter reads several spots and each extra channel is only a consumable spot. Neither vendor publishes list prices, so we do not quote a crossover point; get both quotes at your channel count.

A single 2,000 L stainless steel mAb fed-batch bioreactor needs one DO probe. A VisiFerm DO Arc fits the standard port and needs no transmitter. PreSens in this vessel would need a dipping probe in a port adapter plus a meter, which adds hardware without adding capability.

A shake-flask screening rig is the opposite case. Insertable probes would need a port in every flask. With PreSens, each flask carries a spot and the readers are shared or sit in the incubator, so the per-flask cost is mainly the spot.

Cost scenario Hamilton VisiFerm PreSens
1 stainless steel bioreactor (single channel)One probe, no transmitterDipping probe, port adapter and meter
1 single-use bag (per batch, bag-integrated)Reusable VisiFerm DO SU Arc reader plus Hamilton element in the bagSpot in the bag plus a reusable reader
Many parallel shake flasks or wellsNot practical (port per flask)Spot per vessel plus shared or per-flask readers
Calibration labourTwo-point calibration, which Arc lets you do in the labTwo-point calibration, or none for pre-calibrated formats

Hardware rows follow the vendor documents cited under the side-by-side table. Prices are not published by either vendor and are not shown.

Product families and direct competitors

Both vendors offer wide product lines; here is the one-line positioning of each, plus the main direct competitors to consider. The same physics-vs-form-factor debate reappears one probe port over: see our optical vs electrochemical pH sensor comparison for the pH-side version of this trade-off.

Hamilton DO family

PreSens O2 family

Direct competitors (consider these too)

Frequently asked questions

Are Hamilton VisiFerm and PreSens directly comparable?
Both use the same measurement principle, oxygen-dependent quenching of a luminescent dye, but deliver it in very different form factors. Hamilton VisiFerm is an insertable 12 mm probe with a PG13.5 thread; the VisiFerm DO Arc version has the transmitter built into the sensor head (Arc technology). PreSens is best known for sensor spots fixed inside a transparent vessel wall and read from outside through the wall with a fibre-optic cable, and it also sells dipping probes and flow-through cells. They overlap mainly in lab-scale glass vessels that have a probe port. In stainless steel vessels with standard ports the insertable probe is the practical choice, while in shake flasks, multiwell plates and other closed transparent vessels the non-invasive spot is.
Does Hamilton VisiFerm use the same optical principle as PreSens?
Yes. Both rely on luminescence quenching: a dye excited by light emits luminescence whose intensity and decay time fall when oxygen molecules collide with it. The two vendors use different proprietary dye chemistries and optics, but the physics is the same. That is why both share the advantages over polarographic sensors (no electrolyte, no polarisation time, no oxygen consumption) and why their accuracy near air saturation is of the same order: ±0.2 %-vol at 21 %-vol for VisiFerm DO Arc and ±0.4 % O2 at 20.9 % O2 for the PreSens PSt3 spot.
Can Hamilton VisiFerm fit into a single-use bag?
Yes, through the VisiFerm DO SU Arc. A gamma-sterilised optical sensor element is pre-installed in the single-use bag, and the reusable VisiFerm DO SU Arc reader is attached from outside. It never touches the medium, so it needs no sterilisation, and it gives single-use users the same Modbus RTU interface, plus a 4-20 mA signal, as other Arc sensors. Bag vendors also offer their own pre-installed optical DO sensors, Mettler Toledo sells the InSUS 607 single-use optical DO sensor, and PreSens sells single-use oxygen sensors and flow-through cells to OEMs for integration into bags. Bag vendors do not always say whose sensor chemistry they use, so check the bag specification rather than assuming a supplier.
Does PreSens make large-scale bioreactor probes?
PreSens focuses on lab-scale and non-invasive measurement (sensor spots, shake flasks, multiwell plates, flow-through cells) and on OEM components. It does sell oxygen dipping probes, and it describes an autoclavable probe developed for ports on production-scale bioreactors as an OEM project. Insertable probes designed for PG13.5 ports, such as Hamilton VisiFerm and Mettler Toledo's InPro 6860i optical DO sensor, are built for that job on large stainless steel vessels (the polarographic InPro 6950i covers trace DO in the Mettler range). PreSens is the stronger fit when you need non-invasive measurement, parallel small-scale screening, or OEM sensors for disposable vessels.
Which is more common in cGMP commercial manufacturing?
Neither vendor publishes installed-base figures, so we cannot rank them. What the product ranges show is a split by vessel type. VisiFerm is an insertable probe for reusable stainless steel and glass bioreactors, connecting by 4-20 mA and Modbus RTU (Arc) or, in hazardous areas, by 4-20 mA with HART (VisiFerm mA). PreSens products are used mostly in lab-scale and non-invasive formats and as OEM components inside single-use systems. In a GMP setting the choice is driven by vessel type and by which sensor the bioreactor or bag supplier has qualified.
Can I retrofit a PreSens spot into a stainless steel bioreactor?
Not practically. PreSens sensor spots are designed to be fixed to the inside wall of a transparent vessel (glass or clear plastic) and read through the wall. Stainless steel is opaque, so the fibre cannot see the spot. For a stainless steel bioreactor you would use a PreSens oxygen dipping probe, such as the DP-PSt3 read by a meter like the OXY-4 SMA, in a suitable port adapter. At that point an insertable probe such as Hamilton VisiFerm is usually the simpler choice, because it fits a standard PG13.5 port and connects directly to the control system.
What are the typical calibration intervals for each sensor?
Hamilton VisiFerm is calibrated with a two-point procedure (zero in nitrogen, span in air). Because Arc sensors store their own calibration, this can be done in the lab before the sensor is installed and sterilised. Hamilton states that its latest VisiFerm mA with ODO Cap H3 or H4 needs up to 80% less calibration; that is a vendor claim, and Hamilton does not publish a fixed re-calibration interval. PreSens specifies a two-point calibration for PSt3 and PSt6 spots (oxygen-free plus air-saturated, or 1 to 2 % O2 for PSt6), and its spot manual states that no re-calibration is needed for up to 100,000 measurement points. Some PreSens formats come pre-calibrated: the Fibox 4 trace calibrates a sensor by barcode scan, the SFR vario reads pre-calibrated spots in ready-to-use flasks, and PreSens has set up factory calibration for OEM sensors in disposable bags.
Which is cheaper per channel?
Neither vendor publishes list prices, so we do not quote numbers. The cost structure differs. A VisiFerm DO Arc is one probe per channel with the transmitter built in, so cost scales with the number of vessels. A PreSens set-up is a consumable spot per vessel plus a meter that serves one or more channels (the OXY-4 SMA reads four), so the first channel carries the meter cost and each extra channel is cheaper. For a single stainless steel bioreactor an insertable probe is usually the simpler route; for many parallel flasks or wells, spots and a shared reader usually cost less. Ask both vendors for a quote at your channel count.

Resources and references

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Further reading