Thinking about saving, and saving hard, until I have enough money for a second-hand rotavap off ebay or labauction. Alongside an IR spectrophotometer, which potentially could be built, although I'd need to buy a new mobile phone to do it and get creative, a highly efficient electric-powered cryostat and some new heating mantles w/ mag stirring to replace my mag stir-er hotplate a rotavap is right at the very top of my most wanted lab equipment wish-list.
Of all that though, the rotavap is my dearest wish, as far as outfitting the lab goes, at least, when including only those things that, financially are within the realm of possibility to attain. If I could afford it, then I'd love a HPLC-MS but that is not just entering, but conquering, raping and pillaging the realm of way WAY more money than I could even hope to save for, secoond, third hand or anything else, planting the flag in said realm and finally systematically lining up and fucking every dog formerly owned by the conquered, raped, pillaged and left impaled alive on stakes, Vlad Tepesh fashion before being burnt to the bare bedrock inhabitants.
More than I can afford as in not so much the hobo getting drunk on champagne, as a hobo suddenly being gifted their own private jet and airstrip to run it from; to give a sense of scale and perspective. But the rotavap...shit would that EVER make things so much easier for me, and faster, more convenient, its the attainable material item I want the most, a good condition Buchi model, of course with vacuum takeoff and of a size sufficient to strip large volumes of solvent, at least a few liters at a time. I don't mind secondhand, I don't even mind how many owners its had at all, just so long as everything is still in perfect working order, no wear and tear on it. But even secondhand, a Buchi rotavap would still be very expensive. Going to cut back on what I eat, until I have enough for one, keeping my eye open after I've built up a few hundred quid to spend and pounce when I see something good going at auction.
phobia.