Making a choice of laboratory scale reactor for kinetic studies or catalyst tests is not an easy task above all in case of three-phase reactions. In this paper, four technologies are discussed pointing up their advantages and their drawbacks. The four technologies are packed-bed reactor in downflow or upflow modes, stirred tank reactors with crushed catalyst and stirred tank reactors with catalytic basket in batch, semi-batch or continuous modes. Finally comparisons of the technologies in terms of gas-liquid and liquid-solid mass transfers are given. Using those criteria, we observe that slurry stirred tank reactors are the best systems to test crushed catalyst. Moreover, stirred tank reactors with catalytic basket equipped with gas inducing impeller are good tools to test shaped catalysts if operating conditions are favorable to operate the turbine efficiently. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.