Which eScience Lab Kit is better if you want to cannibalize the equipment?

First, why are there pristine eScience (or Labpaq) kits on eBay or Good Will?  College, remote or distant learning, science classes require a remote lab.  Students pay for the kit along with the class.  Later, the same students realize that they don’t need to do the labs to answer the professor’s questions or complete the lab reports.  Voila!  Fabulous kits are available at bargain prices.  Note the contents varies by instructor.

 Do I have experience cannibalizing lab kits for their equipment!  Usually, there is no instructional CD for the labs.  Sometimes, there sticker gives you a hint as to the mini-lab; usually, there is no hint.  So the real value in eScience kits lies in their contents.  

Look at the eScience Biology lab kit pictured above.  The contents include several beakers, a set of test tubes, a pair of a safety glasses (in the white box), a graduated cylinder, and miscellaneous mini-kits.  How do I know it’s a Biology kit?  The beads.  They are used to build DNA.  Is it a good value?  The graduated cylinder, beakers, glasses, and test tubes have a value of about $25.  The test tube rack is cardboard.  There might be a test tube brush in the kit, too.  If you need basic equipment, this isn’t a bad deal.  Just don’t pay more than $25 total.

This Chem kit, by contrast, is loaded.  (It’s available at eBay.). There is a pH meter, digital scale, thermometer, safety classes, a graduated cylinder, glassware, pipettes, and a set of colored pencils.  The styrofoam cup and coffee cup are for Coffee Cup Calorimetry.  Right now, the listing is $35 with $10 shipping.  

Chemistry kits are more likely to have a digital scale and a thermometer—both expensive.  Borosilicate (Pyrex) beakers or Erlenmeyer flasks, the digital scale, thermometer glass thermometer, and the pH pen are all about $9 each—making the kit worth about $45.  (You probably can use the chemicals, gloves,  and pipettes for lab, too.  I just don’t factor those in when I weigh  the value.) 

Both of these kits are prices well.  Do a little research on Amazon to gauge the price of the components in the kit before you bid.  Right now I need to walk away from both kits;  I’m reminded that I do NOT need any more glassware, labware, scales, or thermometers.  

Just one more kit comparison: Apologia Chemistry Glassware Set.  Look at the eBay listing.  A price of $25 would be a bargain; the retail price is $67.  The eBay set is $42.34 with shipping.  But, what if a thermometer or scale is broken?  You really have no recourse.  I look for bargains knowing the kit might not be complete, which doesn’t matter because I’m using the kit for the equipment.  Below the Apologia kit is another recent listing from Good Will.  It doesn’t have a thermometer or digital scale.  However, the labware is plastic (unlike Pyrex it won’t break) and there is a ring stand—a pricey lab item.