Top 10 Sterilizer and Autoclave Machines for Dental Offices.

How to Choose a Sterilizer

These ten listings were already on the page. They are not ten sizes of one autoclave. Six are steam sterilizers: the A-dec / W&H Lexa, Tuttnauer Valueklave 1730 and EZ11Plus, Midmark M11 and M9, and SciCan STATCLAVE G4. The STATIM 2000 G4 is SciCan’s cassette steam sterilizer, not a round chamber. Steri-Dent 300 and the Wayne S1000 are dry-heat ovens. The L&R SweepZone 310R is an ultrasonic cleaner. It does not belong in a sterilizer ranking, and it stays here only so the row is labeled as what it is.

An opening table compared Tuttnauer 2540M, EZ9, 3870EA, 2340M, SciCan Statim 5000, Bravo, and a Pelton & Crane unit. Those machines are not these ten. Chamber inches from that table are not copied onto the M11 or the M9. Dealer price bands, Glassdoor scores, and “5 out of 5” review counts are omitted.

Buying criteria that change the load, not the brochure

• Steam, dry heat, or not a sterilizer — Lexa, both Tuttnauers, both Midmarks, STATCLAVE, and the STATIM use steam. Steri-Dent and Wayne use dry heat, with no steam and no pressure. SweepZone uses cavitation in a tank. A dry-heat cycle is not a wrapped steam cycle with the door relabeled.
• The number has to belong to that machine — Lexa states an 11-inch diameter and 7.4 gallons. STATCLAVE states an 11-inch chamber. The STATIM states 6 minutes unwrapped and 14 minutes wrapped. Valueklave states 11 minutes from a hot start, and the same section also states 2×2×2, 44 × 33 × 24 inches, and 3 pounds. Those three figures cannot describe one compact sterilizer. They are not used.
• How it dries — Lexa, STATCLAVE, and EZ11Plus say closed-door drying. M11 and M9 say automatic-open door drying. Dry heat never had a steam-wet load to dry. The STATIM names Dri-Tec on a removable cassette.
• Where the water comes from — Lexa says single-use water that is not reused. STATCLAVE and the STATIM say fresh water every cycle. Valueklave, M11, and M9 describe a reservoir you drain. Instruments that go in pouches or cassettes — handpieces, burs — still need the cycle the manufacturer wrote for that load.

Machine	What the row is	Figure this section states	Watch-out
Lexa	Steam, closed-door drying	11 in diameter, 7.4 gal (28 L); 19.3 × 17 × 23.3 in; 105.8 lb empty	Overview says W&H. The manufacturer block says A-dec. Six preset cycles and three custom.
Valueklave 1730	Steam	11 minutes from a hot start; front drain; dual safety thermostat	2×2×2, 44 × 33 × 24 in, and 3 lb disagree with each other. Omitted.
SweepZone 310R	Ultrasonic cleaner	3.25 gal; 39.4 × 22.9 × 15.2 in; 26 lb	Cleaning is not sterilization.
M11 UltraClave	Steam, door opens to dry	External 45.2 × 45.2 × 45.7 cm; 99 lb; steam-flush air removal	No chamber diameter in this product section.
STATCLAVE G4	Steam with pre- and post-vacuum	11 in chamber; wrapped load as little as 38 min for 3.5 lb; 135.8 lb	The page says “2nd Class.” That wording is not renamed here.
EZ11Plus	Steam, closed-door drying	17.3 × 20.9 × 24.8 in; 122 lb; ANSI/AAMI ST55 named	No chamber diameter in this section.
M9 UltraClave	Steam, door opens to dry	Cycles named: Unwrapped, Pouched, Packs, Handpieces; 73 lb	External size is 15.3 × 15.8 × 17.9 in. Chamber diameter is not stated.
STATIM 2000 G4	Cassette steam	6 min unwrapped, 14 min wrapped; 16.3 × 5.9 × 19.5 in; 46 lb	Not the 7.5 × 15 in chamber in the old table. That table is a different list.
Steri-Dent 300	Dry heat	19 × 14.5 × 11 in; 27 lb; no steam or pressure	The page calls it a complement to an autoclave, not a substitute cycle.
Wayne S1000	Dry heat	Three large trays plus a needle tray; 19.25 × 14.5 × 11 in; 24 lb	“Almost twice the S500” is capacity versus that smaller Wayne, not versus the M11.

1. Lexa Sterilizer — A-dec / W&H

The Lexa section gives the clearest chamber on this page: 11-inch diameter, 7.4 gallons, also written as 279 mm and 28 liters. Overall size is 19.3 × 17 × 23.3 inches (490 × 449 × 592 mm). Empty weight is 105.8 lb (47.9 kg). Power is listed two ways: 100–125 VAC, 50/60 Hz, 12 A, or 200–240 VAC, 50/60 Hz, 10 A. The overview attributes the sterilizer to W&H. The manufacturer block names A-dec in Newberg, Oregon. Both names stay, because the page uses both.

Features named: a universal rack, six pre-programmed cycles and three custom, separate options for pouches and cassettes, an LCD, closed-door drying, dynamic air removal by repeated steam injections, single-use water that is not reused, cycle data on a thumb drive, user authentication, and a HEPA filter on the air that enters the chamber.

Who it is for: A practice that wants the Lexa’s stated chamber and closed-door drying, and that will record cycles the way this listing describes (thumb drive, user login) instead of a paper log invented later.

Tradeoff: Single-use water means you do not top off yesterday’s reservoir and call it the same cycle. Dynamic air removal is not the STATIM’s cassette. At 105.8 lb empty, this is not the countertop cassette. Confirm whether the unit you buy is badged A-dec or W&H; this page does not say they are interchangeable part-for-part.

---

2. Tuttnauer Valueklave 1730

Tuttnauer Valueklave 1730 is the small steam sterilizer on this list. The features that agree with that description: 11 minutes from a hot start, automatic shutoff, an electropolished chamber and door, a double safety lock so the door does not open while the chamber is pressurized, a drain valve on the front, and a dual safety thermostat.

The same section then prints width 44 inches, height 33 inches, depth 24 inches, and weight 3 pounds, after calling the machine “2×2×2.” A 3-pound sterilizer that is also 44 inches wide is not a specification. Those lines are dropped. No chamber diameter is printed in a form that survives that contradiction.

Who it is for: A smaller steam load when you want the 11-minute hot-start claim and the door lock and front drain this listing actually describes.

Tradeoff: “From a hot start” is not a cold-start time, and the page does not say whether that 11 minutes is wrapped or unwrapped. Do not fill the gap with the STATIM’s 6- and 14-minute lines. Dealer prices that used to sit under this model are omitted.

---

3. L&R SweepZone 310R — ultrasonic cleaner

The SweepZone 310R is an L&R ultrasonic cleaning system with a recessed design, a remote digital timer, a drain, and a mounting rim. Capacity on this page is 3.25 gallons. External size is 39.4 inches wide, 22.9 inches high, 15.2 inches deep, and 26 pounds. It is made in the U.S., and the copy says it takes large cassettes.

Nothing in the section is a sterilization temperature, a pressure, or a dry time. The tank removes debris before instruments go into one of the steam or dry-heat units above and below. The same inset unit is also on the ultrasonic cleaner page, which does not repeat this gallon figure.

Who it is for: A cabinet install that needs a 3.25-gallon ultrasonic bath, not a second autoclave.

Tradeoff: A clean cassette is not a sterile cassette. Leaving the 310R in a “top 10 sterilizers” list without this label is how a cleaner gets validated like a cycle. It should not.

---

4. Midmark M11 UltraClave

Midmark M11 is the larger of the two UltraClave listings here. The overview calls the chamber one of the largest among tabletop autoclaves and does not give the diameter. What the section does give: preprogrammed cycles, programmable exposure time, temperature, dry time, and vent, an intuitive display, automatic-open door drying, a steam-flush pressure-pulse air-removal system, an LCD alert if the door is not closed or the reservoir is low, and fill and drain on the front. External size is 45.2 cm wide, 45.2 cm high, 45.7 cm deep, and 99 pounds.

The old comparison grid assigned the M11 an 11 × 18 inch chamber, 6.5 gallons, and a warranty year. That grid’s other rows are machines that are not on this page. Those chamber numbers are not repeated as if this section had measured them.

Who it is for: A higher-volume steam load when you want Midmark’s open-door drying and front reservoir, and you will take chamber capacity from the current manual rather than from the mismatched table.

Tradeoff: Open-door drying is a different dry path from the Lexa and the STATCLAVE, which keep the door closed. Programmable vent and temperature are only useful if someone writes down the cycle you stored. This is not the M9: the M9’s external box on this page is smaller, and its section names four cycles the M11 section does not list.

---

5. SciCan STATCLAVE G4

SciCan STATCLAVE is described as a vacuum sterilizer with vacuum before the cycle, for steam penetration, and vacuum after, for drying. The page’s class words are “2nd Class.” They are left as written. The chamber is 11 inches. Closed-door drying is named. A wrapped load can be sterilized and dried in as little as 38 minutes, and the page ties that result to a 3.5 lb (1.59 kg) test load. Capacity named: up to four full-size cassettes and four exam cassettes, or up to 20 pouches with the included pouch racks. External size is 17.75 × 19.5 × 15 inches, weight 135.8 pounds.

G4 is the connectivity claim: cycle data, instructions, and maintenance notices to a smart device. Fresh water is used every cycle. Fill options named: a top reservoir, a front manual fill, and a rear automatic fill that can connect to VistaPure. That last item is a water-system option, not a sterilizer by itself.

Who it is for: Wrapped cassettes or pouches when you want the 11-inch chamber, closed-door vacuum drying, and the 38-minute figure only for a load like the 3.5 lb test the page cites.

Tradeoff: A heavier mixed load is not the test the 38 minutes came from. G4 notifications do not replace a failed chemical indicator. “2nd Class” is not expanded into a different class code the page never prints.

---

6. Tuttnauer EZ11Plus

The EZ11Plus section is about the door and the display more than the chamber. EZGlide is a self-locking door you push closed. Dynamic air removal is named. The standards line printed here is ANSI/AAMI ST55. EZFill is front water filling. EZView is a multi-color display. Drying is closed-door. A network port is on the rear. External size is 17.3 inches wide, 20.9 inches high, 24.8 inches deep, and 122 pounds.

No chamber diameter or gallon capacity appears in this section. The Valueklave’s 11-minute line is not this machine’s line. The company blurb under the EZ11Plus still talks about the Valueklave 1730. That paragraph is the wrong model and is not reused.

Who it is for: A Tuttnauer steam unit when the reasons are the self-locking door, front fill, closed-door drying, ST55 as cited, and the rear network port.

Tradeoff: Without a chamber size in the listing, “EZ11” is not a volume. Do not borrow the Lexa’s 7.4 gallons or the M11’s external centimeters. The network port is not G4, and it is not a thumb drive.

---

7. Midmark M9 UltraClave

The M9 is the other Midmark steam sterilizer here. It shares the M11’s pattern: display prompts, automatic-open door drying, programmable exposure, temperature, dry time, and vent, steam-flush pressure-pulse air removal, a low-water and door alert, and front fill and drain. This section adds four pre-programmed cycle names: Unwrapped, Pouched, Packs, and Handpieces. External size is 15.3 × 15.8 × 17.9 inches and 73 pounds.

Handpieces are a named cycle, not a suggestion that every handpiece on the handpiece list is cleared for this chamber. Follow the handpiece instructions and the cycle you actually selected. Chamber diameter is not in this section.

Who it is for: Routine pouches and packs when the M11’s larger external box is more than you need, and you want those four cycle names on the M9.

Tradeoff: Open-door drying again. A handpiece cycle on the menu does not make a turbine safe if the manufacturer wanted a different sterilizer. At 73 pounds it is lighter than the M11’s 99 and the STATCLAVE’s 135.8, and it is still not a cassette you lift off the counter in one motion.

---

8. SciCan STATIM 2000 G4

The STATIM 2000 G4 is the cassette on this list. The page says it uses a small amount of water each cycle, heats that water to steam in seconds, and has a fully removable chamber so it heats and cools faster than a stored-water chamber. Cycle times printed: 6 minutes unwrapped and 14 minutes wrapped. The display is a 3.5-inch touchscreen. Fresh steam-distilled water is used every cycle. Drying is the Dri-Tec system. External size is 16.3 inches wide, 5.9 inches high, 19.5 inches long, and 46 pounds. G4 is the same connectivity idea as on the STATCLAVE: a network path for cycle information.

The old table’s “Statim 2000” row said 7.5 × 15 inches and 3.5 gallons. A 5.9-inch-tall cassette is not a 3.5-gallon cylinder. The product section is the one used here.

Who it is for: Short unwrapped or wrapped cassette loads when the 6- and 14-minute lines, the removable chamber, and a 46-pound flat unit are the point.

Tradeoff: A cassette does not hold the STATCLAVE’s four full-size cassettes plus four exam cassettes. Unwrapped in 6 minutes is not wrapped. Distilled water each cycle is a supply item, which is why the dry-heat listings advertise that they do not buy it — and why those ovens are still a different process.

---

9. Steri-Dent 300 — dry heat

Steri-Dent 300 is a dry-heat sterilizer. The page says it kills microorganisms without moisture and will not dull sharp instruments, that it can dry moist packs, and that it can sit as a backup beside an autoclave. Dry heat here means no pressure, no steam, and no chemicals. Other lines: a mercury-free thermometer, no routine chamber cleaning of the kind a wet sterilizer needs, a rapid-start heating element, utility trays sterilized with lids on, automatic timers with a heat-hold setting, and stainless steel so it does not rust. External size is 19 × 14.5 × 11 inches and 27 pounds. The manufacturer block names CPAC Equipment.

There is no steam-flush line and no wrapped-minute line. “Will not dull” is the listing’s claim about sharps, not a measurement against the STATIM.

Who it is for: Dry heat when you want trays with lids, a heat-hold timer, and a small external box, and you already know which instruments are cleared for dry heat.

Tradeoff: A backup that does not use steam cannot run the M9’s Pouched or Handpieces cycle. Moist packs dried in this oven were not sterilized by it unless the dry-heat cycle itself was the sterilization cycle. No distilled water is a real cost difference. It is not a reason to dry-heat a load that the instrument maker limits to steam.

---

10. Wayne S1000 — dry heat

The Wayne S1000 is the other dry-heat oven. The page calls the S1000 the large-room model: three large instrument trays and a small needle tray, almost twice the usable space of the S500. Features named: precision thermostat, signal light, thermometer, rapid heat-up with a safety limit, heating elements that the copy says cannot burn out, a two-hour timer with a HOLD position, stainless steel, glass-wool insulation, a tray handle, and FDA registration. External size is 19.25 × 14.5 × 11 inches and 24 pounds.

That footprint is almost the Steri-Dent’s. The difference the page actually draws is tray count versus the Wayne S500, not a temperature the section never prints.

Who it is for: Dry heat when the reason is three large trays plus a needle tray and a two-hour timer with hold, in a box about the size of the Steri-Dent 300.

Tradeoff: FDA registered, as printed, is not a cycle printout. Glass wool is insulation, not a sterile barrier. HOLD keeps heat; it does not turn a dry-heat oven into the STATCLAVE’s vacuum dry. The S500 is not on this page, so “twice the S500” is only as good as that comparison.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is an ultrasonic cleaner on a sterilizer list?

Because it was already ranked third. The SweepZone 310R is a 3.25-gallon ultrasonic tank. It stays so the catalog is intact, and it is labeled as a cleaner. Sterilization on this page is the steam units and the two dry-heat ovens.

Which listings state a chamber size?

Lexa: 11-inch diameter and 7.4 gallons. STATCLAVE: 11-inch chamber. The STATIM states cycle minutes and a flat external size, not a gallon chamber. M11, M9, EZ11Plus, and Valueklave do not get a chamber diameter from this rewrite, because the product text does not give one that is consistent. Dry heat and the SweepZone are not steam chambers.

Why are there no prices?

The old sections used dealer ranges that moved by model and by seller, including a Valueklave block whose dimensions already failed. Price is not a cycle specification. Weights and inches that the product section states are kept.

Can dry heat replace the M11 for handpieces?

The M9 is the listing that names a Handpieces cycle, and it is steam. Steri-Dent’s own copy calls dry heat a complement to an autoclave. Use the handpiece instructions for the turbine you own. A bur in a pouch still needs the cycle written for pouches, not the nearest oven.

Read next

What goes into the cassette, and the tank that is not a cycle:

• Air and electric handpieces
• Carbide burs
• Ultrasonic cleaners