he bought new from a lab supply company. TBG's lab is full of new things. It is not as common to find new equipment on auctions. Also, most of the auction sites don't have exactly what you need exactly when you need it. They are also addictive because you have to keep checking every day for new listings. Also, there is no guarantee you will win. Bidding is a pain in the ass, especially for those sites not offering proxy bidding. TBG figures even though his setup is very expensive, it is going to make him more money than he put into it so all is good. Also, using new stuff your lab looks cleaner and more professional. Most of the auction hotplate/stirrers are the old models, and are rusted, stained, or dented. The nice ones always have very competitive bidding which sometimes exceeds the retail price! Swim does get new glassware on auctions, sometimes they sell NIB stuff. Also, swim has a 14/20 Kontes Kem-Kit. Cost him almost $400, but it would have taken months to find each individual part on auction sites. Add to that the fact that glassware on auction sites rarely have 14/20 glassware. It is more time efficient and convenient to just order it. Swim hates rusty shit. Rusty clamps, rusty hotplate/stirrers, rusty gas cylinders, rusty regulators, rusty lab stands, and rusty vacuum pumps annoy the shit out of him. Even in academic labs these are very common.
The working man is a sucker