🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <czsC6ML4L.Hxo@netcom.com> czs@netcom.com (Christian Smith) writes:
>
>
>
>What surprised me was that most of these items will eventually
>be scrapped and are in effect worthless.  Is this because labs
>in general have plenty of money for new equipment or is it 
>cheaper in the long run to buy new equipment under warranty?
>Please clear up the mystery for me.
>

   I suspect that many people are going to write you to find out where they
can get the cheap stuff. :-)

   Academic labs at least do not have a surplus money problem. I can think
of several reasons why lab equipment would be abandoned. First is that it6
isn't needed anymore. This would be true for specialized equipment. When you
no longer need it, it is of absolutely no use to you, and has zero value.
  Second is space. If you find you are cramped (who isn't?), the first thing
to go will be big things like incubators if you don't need them.
  Third would be that the stuff is cheap. Specially if a lab is moving. You
may find it better to buy new stuff than to haul around the old. Moving a
vortexer across the country may cost more than buying a new one. Small things
are easy to box up and discard if you don't think you have a need for it.
  Fourth is that the stuff doesn't quite work well enough. It may work, but not
quite up to snuff. 
  Fifth is expense. The electron microscope you mentioned would cost a ton to
keep under a service contract. And since it is a major investment, it is better
to get rid of it than to let it sit and gather dust.

DanZ

-- 
This article is for entertainment purposes only. Any facts, opinions,
narratives or ideas contained herein are not necessarily true, and do
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In article <czsC6ML4L.Hxo@netcom.com> czs@netcom.com (Christian Smith) writes:
>
>
>In the process of looking for used equipment to put together a small
>microbiology lab I have come across a lot of interesting stuff.  Items
>like incubators, centrifuges, vortexers, micropipetters as well as
>very sophisticated diagnostic equipment.  I've also come across large 
>environmental test chambers and even a scanning electron microscope. 
>Many of these items were new surplus while many others were used but
>still in very good shape.  I think most items were acquired from 
>liquidations.    

>What surprised me was that most of these items will eventually
>be scrapped and are in effect worthless.  Is this because labs
>in general have plenty of money for new equipment or is it 
>cheaper in the long run to buy new equipment under warranty?
>Please clear up the mystery for me.

Whether this cache your talking about is in a commercial concern or at a 
university I'm betting that the answer is the same: bureaucratic stupidity.
Squandered resources are squandered resources, regardless of the excuse.
Here at SUNY Stony Brook, equipment that could easily be put to use elsewhere 
is either scrapped or made impossible to get at.  The rational seems to be 
that this is state property and the only concern is that it not end up 
being used by someone not in the SUNY system (shudder).  If its used PC 
equipment it is placed in the basement of an easily accessible campus 
building in a room whose door is routinely jimmied open by undergraduates who 
cart the good stuff away.  At least its being put to use.

By the way, where is this stuff you found?  I'll bet its not allowed to 
leave the premises, right?

Mike

I would be interested in any information on auctions of biological
scientific equipment in the northern California area.  I've got a garage
full of stuff not being used I got at real good prices, and I'm always
looking for more!

In article <1sh34e$sj2@max.physics.sunysb.edu>, mhollowa@ic.sunysb.edu (Michael Holloway) writes:
> 
> Whether this cache your talking about is in a commercial concern or at a 
> university I'm betting that the answer is the same: bureaucratic stupidity.
> Squandered resources are squandered resources, regardless of the excuse.
> Here at SUNY Stony Brook, equipment that could easily be put to use elsewhere 
> is either scrapped or made impossible to get at.  The rational seems to be 
> that this is state property and the only concern is that it not end up 
> being used by someone not in the SUNY system (shudder).  If its used PC 
> equipment it is placed in the basement of an easily accessible campus 
> building in a room whose door is routinely jimmied open by undergraduates who 
> cart the good stuff away.  At least its being put to use.

Hm.  At Iowa State, where I did my PhD, we had REAP - resource equipment
allocation program, I think.  It was a couple of fairly large rooms that
equipment that was operable but old (or could be made operable) were housed
in, under the care of a fellow who had the magic tinkering touch... grad
students, temps, beginning researchers -- anyone who needed a piece
of equipment could borrow it.  And probably get lessons in using it.
REAP is also the home of all the equipment manuals and schematics we
could scrounge... also quite useful!

Kay Klier  Biology Dept  UNI

	TEST.  Please ignore.