I bought 4 of these guys today
Testo 0563 3372 71 #1 Commercial/Industrial Combustion Analyzer Kit, 23 to 113 Degree F Range: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific paid $2000 each direct from the rep, but they deliver them and teach the guys all the new stuff, plus my old fyre rite pros will sell on ebay for $500 or so a piece... Also picked up 2 new pipe threaders for $4600 each and by the end of the week I will probably spend another $25K in recovery machines, vacuum pumps, torch kits, misc. testers and tools, ect.. I have to go through everything every 4 or 5 years and make sure the equipment is costing more to maintain than it would to replace it and sell the existing stuff before it is worthless... Technology changes too, my flir TI's are brand new and already they don't make that model any longer... at $6K each you think they would keep a model more than 3 years..
A lot of the stuff gets replaced before 5 years since the guys like to drop $5,000 core drills off roofs, run over drills and toolboxes like they get points for it and don't even get me started on company phones, this is the last year of that sh!t, 8 $200+ phones this year, I stopped the insurance on them since they charge you $100 anyway and it takes forever to get the phone back...
We are having a long talk at this years xmass party before I hand out the bonuses, and either 2014 shows change or my payroll roster will... But anyway, I get grumpy when I have to spend money on equipment, it used to be fun when it was a $500 drill or $200 set of gauges, but now that it averages $20K a year, I get a pit in my stomach....