Book excerpt: A practical guide to the sensible selection and procurement of basic laboratory equipment and consumables when resources are limited. Arguing that buyers get the best deal when they know as much, if not more, than the seller, the book sets out a wealth of guidelines and advice in the form of checklists, flowcharts, model forms and letters, equipment specifications, performance tests, and abundant tips and warnings. Information is addressed to laboratory staff who use, maintain, and repair equipment as well as to those who make purchasing decisions. Details range from tests for determining whether equipment lives up to its advertised claims, through a table showing the expected life of essential spare parts for a refrigerator, to tips for avoiding the tricks of high pressure selling. Throughout, the authors use a lively and engaging style to give readers the competence - and confidence - needed to make wise purchasing decisions. The book has eight chapters presented in three parts. Part one, on choosing and buying laboratory equipment, opens with a step-by-step guide to the factors to consider when making purchasing decisions. Particular attention is given to the role of quotations and the questions that should be asked when deciding which offer is best. Chapter two, on the buying business, explains the importance of suitability, reliability, timely delivery, and cost in the procurement process. Chapter three addresses common consumer problems, offering advice on when to lodge complaints and how to secure reimbursements for faulty equipment. Subsequent chapters outline the do's and don'ts of equipment care, describe the precautions to take when purchasing second-hand equipment, and offer guidance on the selection of minor equipment and consumables. The most extensive chapter, printed on yellow pages, is a 62-page buyer's guide to the selection of sixteen major equipment items for intermediate and peripheral laboratories. For each, information includes a quick reference guide indicating the questions to consider when making decisions, technical specifications and requirements, including spare parts, methods for testing performance, and a model form for assessing quotations. Part two covers energy sources and requirements, safeguards against power disturbances, and problems that may arise with specific energy sources, such as hand power, combustion powered generators, batteries, and solar energy systems. Additional reference tools are provided in the final part, which includes detailed examples of equipment data specification sheets; sample forms for ordering equipment, reporting problems, and securing quotations; advice on how to anticipate and avoid problems with donated equipment; precautions when ordering and transporting chemicals, reagents, stains, and dehydrated media; addresses of equipment manufacturers; and a list of non-profit and low profit suppliers of both second-hand and new equipment.