What are some of the things you should look for when buying forensic equipment? We’ve listed three things to consider.
When you purchase a piece of forensic equipment like a prescan enhancer pad or a drug testing kit, you want to make sure that you are getting a high quality product. At the same time, you don’t want to spend more than you need to for these items. Below are three things you should consider when purchasing forensic equipment from any retailer:
Reliability: This is the most basic piece of information you need to find out before purchasing any forensic supplies. If a product cannot deliver a reliable reading on a consistent basis, then it has no use in serious forensic activities. Most leading crimescene equipment has been tested by independent laboratories and has an extremely high rate of reliability. Ask about the testing that a piece of forensic equipment has gone through and be aggressive in demanding specific data to prove a manufacturer’s claims of quality.
Durability: Purchasing forensic equipment is expensive, so you don’t want to buy a product which is going to break easily under the most basic stress. Some products will come with a guarantee of replacement or repair if it breaks within a certain amount of time during normal use. Don’t spend money on a fuming chamber only to have to buy a new one when it develops a crack a few months later – this can cost your lab money and slow down important testing! The same holds true for more disposable forensic items – you want a fingerprint ink strip that will give you months of tests and not run out of ink quickly or dry out if left open for a few minutes.
Affordability: Many people think that you have to pay top dollar to get reliable forensic equipment. The truth is that this simply isn’t the case. Whether you are buying basic, disposable items like fingerprinting record forms or more technical and complex items like evidence casting kits, there are many companies like ID Technologies which provide products that are of the highest quality at prices significantly less than larger brands. Knowing what to look for will help you determine which companies are true bargains and which ones are selling inferior products.