Evaluating Your Research Equipment's Cost of Ownership

Ask Yourself: Do up front savings outweigh the cost of ownership savings?

When buying a new car, do you solely consider the sticker price before purchasing? Analyze the full cost of ownership when comparing prices—a gas guzzling lemon may look cheap on the price tag, but you know the extra fuel will quickly dwarf your initial savings. A gas hog costs more to operate and causes more damage to the environment. The same level of scrutiny should go into purchasing your microbiological research equipment.

In this paper we review how lifespan, reliability, technical support, maintenance costs and workflow efficiency factor in to calculating the cost of ownership of your research equipment.