About the induction coil sterilizers. They sell the core of the units right on amazon for cheap, even a 1000w flyback version for only $15, just need the power supply, foot pedal, and the coil. Works good for scalpels, but from my understanding, some people couldn't get the needles to heat up. Like, some are made from cheaper alloys, so you might have to buy separate needle tips that work. Not exactly the greatest idea, but cool for a fun project down the road.
I was previously worried about sterilizing needle constantly, but this past time I just opened new needles and made water darts, then I hit my jars with them, starting with broke Boi tek lids first, then through injection ports. No flame sterilization at all. Out of 18 jars, I have 4 contaminated. 2 of which were the Bisporous jars, which was 50% being that I did 4 Bisp. And the print for that one appears to be contaminated, because trich broke out immediately in 1 of the 2 bisporous jars.
No contamination from the Z strain spore print, no transfer needed from spore swabbing 2 jars.
No contamination I can see from Lucy either, and it has been colonizing painfully slow compared to Z.
McKennaii print appears to be DOA or sterile, I previously did some agar in the spring, and 4 this time, no growth of anykind in any of the jars. Believe it or not, my best genetics have come from ebay, Z-strain, Lucy, Dancing Tiger, and Fiji, in trying to remember if i got my bisporous print from there or Sporeworks. My sporeworks syringes have all been pretty disappointing, but really I don't like MS syringes anyway, and prefer prints. Sporestore is probably the worst place to order from.
Further info on this inoculation, I started with 3 brand new unopened 10cc(12actually) syringes, and unopened needles in the SAB. The water was boiled and a 50cc syringe with a blunt needle big enough to suck up mycelium was used to cycle boiling water several times, before being filled and immediately capped (i cant remember if i saw this tek on 90 second mycology or Home Mycology), and placed in the SAB glove box where I allowed it to cool. Before the hot water syringe was placed in box I had everything waiting on it, including alcohol soaked rag.
A box of 100 needles was like $20, and syringes aren't really very expensive, and aren't completely necessary, can just make several hot water darts, so I figured at least with the needles, they're so cheap I may as not scrimp there. Trying to fool with lighters in a box is a pain in the ass, and not to mention if you have really wiped and sprayed a lot of alcohol good luck on getting a decent flame when there isn't enough oxygen left in the box, I figured I'd just open new needles if it touched something to possibly get contaminated. I'd say it worked out pretty well, probably even less contamination that when I'd be fooling with trying to make sure I had the needle glowing, and then try to poke it through the 3rd or 4th injection port and watch it bend to a 45. I also process my jars with foil on the lid so it's never open until in the box, and a couple of the jars foil on top had a couple small holes, which could be the contaminated z strain jars.
