Trends and Technology: Fall 2004

ONLINE Greatlabdeals.com is a site of potential interest to laboratories that are seeking discounted equipment. I have not ordered from this site, nor can I vouch for it, but it appears to be a customer-friendly site, with many opportunities for smaller, private laboratories or hospital laboratories on tight budgets. BestLabDeals is an e-commerce site at which clinical laboratory scientists, researchers, educators, safety and industrial professionals, and others can purchase laboratory equipment and supplies at low prices, “typically 50 to 70% less than retail”, according to the site. “Inventory is made up of brand-name overstocked, gently used, or cosmetically challenged merchandise” from leading industry manufacturers, they note. My search of the ten available clinical analyzers showed this to be true—names like Kodak, Nova Biomedical, and Dade appeared. The product descriptions don't say (or I didn't see easily) whether the items are new and marked down or previously used. Items are categorized on a left-side frame alphabetically, e.g., analyzers, clinical. Typically available are instruments, equipment, supplies, workstations, and chemicals used by research laboratories; diagnostic instruments, test materials, and related products for clinical laboratories; monitoring apparatus, protective clothing, and other materials for controlled environments and occupational health and safety applications; and teaching aids for science education. Online purchasing is available with a shopping cart mechanism. The site lists its bricks-and-mortar location as a 32,000-square-foot facility in Raleigh, NC. The company welcomes appointments: phone number is (919) 661-8030.

NEW PRODUCTS To enhance general competence and user skills for Mettler Toledo products, the company has…