It may seem like a great idea to buy a cheap examination table.

You can fit it in your budget and save money to spend on something else.

Veterinary equipment gets used heavily day in and day out. Your tables will be tilted, kennel doors will be opened and closed and trolleys will be moved around your practice. Something that feels cheap will quickly cost you money if there is a fault.

How can you know what is worth saving money on and what is not? The answer starts with the total cost of ownership.

What you’ll learn:

• What a Price Tag Leaves Out
• When Small Faults Interrupt the Day
• Look Closely at Build Quality
• The Hidden Work of Cleaning
• A Better Way to Compare Quotes
• Where to Spend and Where to Save
• Wrapping It Up

What a Price Tag Leaves Out

It’s always nice to see a low price on a quote, especially if you need to equip multiple rooms.

Many vets are looking to save money where they can. According to a study from 2025 conducted in the USA, 63.8% of respondents felt that increasing costs were having an effect on their purchases. These figures are taken from survey responses and do not represent the whole industry.

The problem is that you are only being shown part of the picture when you receive a quote.

Cost of ownership takes into account everything you will spend on that piece of equipment throughout its lifetime. This may include delivery, installation, products, electricity, regular servicing and replacement. Some items may also require your team to be trained on it or you may need to adapt your room.

You are unlikely to have similar running costs for a set of shelving to an examination table with power. So take into consideration the task that your equipment will do and how often your team will be using it.

When Small Faults Interrupt the Day

If you have a trolley that has one wheel that sticks, you probably won’t stop using it as it still works. But it may slow your team down, you may have to put less weight on it or it takes up more of your day to search for another trolley that works better.

This one wheel may not seem like a big deal but can cause you to lose time each day.

Having an examination table that doesn’t perform correctly will affect your appointment times. Or perhaps your kennel door is not closing as it should, which may hinder the usage of that space. You won’t see these issues included on your initial quote but it will still take away from your day to day.

You can plan ahead to avoid this issue before you purchase your equipment. By browsing the kennels, examination tables and storage solutions at technik-veterinary.com you can build a picture of what you need your rooms to have. Ensuring that your equipment is suited to your practice and your patients.

Speak to your team about what they find annoying with their current equipment, you may be surprised what you learn.

Look Closely at Build Quality

You may look at two pieces of veterinary equipment that look exactly the same but dig deeper and find the quality of each differs.

When purchasing your veterinary equipment it’s important to check what is attached and built into the equipment. For kennels you should look at catches, hinges and how solid the doors are built. With examination tables you want to ensure it’s solid, easy to adjust and suitable for your patients.

If the equipment is built with stainless steel, it may be easier to clean around clinical areas, but just because something says it’s made of stainless steel it does not mean it’s good quality. Make sure that it is well put together, has no sharp edges and doesn’t have any awkward angles.

Ask if you are able to replace parts of the equipment if they wear out, get information about maintenance and what is covered with your warranty. Something that can be repaired is likely to last you longer than something you have to replace when something goes wrong.

Always test the equipment if you can, have your team use it and ensure it can fit through your doors, allow them to have working space and is suitable for your animals.

Better than just looking at pictures!

The Hidden Work of Cleaning

Cleaning your equipment is something that you should factor into your day, so when purchasing new equipment, think about how you can best clean it.

If your shelves are bolted to the wall, or you have many fittings exposed, this may be harder to reach and clean around. Having your equipment designed to be more accessible, with no awkward spaces to clean and removable parts can make your life easier when it’s time to clean.

Of course this alone won’t protect against cross contamination, you will still need to follow procedures and train your staff on how to clean the equipment effectively. 

In the UK, the RCVS voluntary Practice Standards Scheme also assesses hygiene and equipment in accredited practices. 

As well as making sure your equipment can be cleaned, make sure it’s suitable for the weight that it will hold and it’s safe to use. Make sure you have regular maintenance plans in place for your powered and adjustable equipment, the Health and Safety Executive also advises that work equipment be maintained in good repair.

Make sure your equipment is easy to clean, but not at the cost of usability.

A Better Way to Compare Quotes

Don’t ask for a price until you know what you want. There may be things included in one quote that aren’t in another.

Once you have created your brief send it to each supplier and compare these things:

• Does the equipment fit the space, allow you to move around, can you get the correct height and is there a max weight you can put on it?
• What is included with delivery, do you need to buy anything to start using it?
• How will you clean it, does it require servicing and do you need to replace parts?
• What’s not covered by your warranty, who do you contact when it breaks and what will happen if you rely on it day to day?
• Will the equipment last long enough for your needs?

Always know the price of your installation, don’t assume if it’s not stated.

If you were to purchase a £600 trolley twice, you would spend £1,200 on trolleys. Over the space of 6 years if you had a £950 trolley you would spend £950. This doesn’t include costs of repairs but if the equipment was to last that long, you’d save money by purchasing the more expensive trolley.

This is a made up example, but make sure you understand what would benefit you by buying something cheaper or more expensive.

Where to Spend and Where to Save

If you have more money in your budget, spend it on your needs, not extras.

Assess your practice, where would you want to spend money. If your examination table is being used all day, it may be worth investing more in that than a cupboard you have in a room you hardly use.

You can save money by keeping it simple, if you don’t need the power functions, why pay for them. You may even be able to purchase good quality used equipment, such as kennels, examination tables and cupboards. Just make sure it’s in good condition and able to be cleaned effectively.

When purchasing used equipment, be cautious of electrical and digital items. There may be missing parts, old software or no service history for the item.

Also, don’t feel you always need to replace your equipment, it may just need a small repair. Assess the situation and if it’s cost effective and fits your needs, it’s worth repairing.

Invest your money where it’s needed and save where you can.

Wrapping It Up

As mentioned above, it’s not all going to be bad if you buy cheap veterinary equipment. And buying the most expensive will not always give you the best quality.

Just know your cost of ownership, if you can compare your quotes fairly, you will be better informed on what you are spending your money on.