I was at an auction last month looking for surplus rackmount servers. I was quite surprised to find a whole section of lab equipment. I ended up winning this for $30:






It's a thermal cycler. It's used to amplify DNA segments via PCR. It didn't come with an instruction manual but I found a guide
that goes over basic use.

I noted in another thread that I was planning to build a little lab in my garage about a year from now. Until then, I will seek out other supplies. I will probably look for some kind of freezer next so I will have somewhere to keep cultures that I make/order.

I would suggest anyone looking for lab tools to consider surplus auctions. While most of these tools can be found online, the shipping cost can get really high for some of the stuff. If you live near a university, call up the biology department and ask them how they handle their surplus. Where I live, they usually have 2-4 per year.

Cool

I want one!

- Splicer

Now thats a good idea!

Lucky you. Do you know who had put it up for auction and whether they had any more?