Woild be useful if mindstream folks do some comparison against trident and ghl in term of monthly costs... they might end up being cheaper than the test if you take in to account the monthly subscription includes everything as oppose to buy reagents and doing annual maintenance in trident or other, not to mention the number of test mindstream does...might be a good deal.
Some marketing positioning is needed to explain to customera.
I did a quick comparison between the MindStream and the Trident over a four-year period. FWIW: I placed an order for the MindStream since I can't get my hands on the Trident to date, but I really could make a case for either. I hoping we get some feedback from the beta tester of the MindStream in the next few weeks before my unit will ship. If we don't I might consider that suspect, and cancel my order.
Here's the cost breakdown over a four year period for the base hardware, manufactures recommended service, and reagents. I picked four years since I don't know the cost to service the MindStream yet at the five-year mark.
Neptune Trident
Base Unit Cost = $600
Service - every 18-24 months is less than $100 for a self-service kit or $150-$200 for a factory job. = Self service $200 - Factory $300 to $400
Reagents for four years = $1080 (I confirmed the calibration standard ships with the reagents so you should recalibrate every two months according to Neptune's FAQ)
Four Year Total Cost = $1880 to $2,080
MindStream
Base Unit Cost = $1,000
Service - Every five years = $0
Subscription Disk = $34.95 per month or $1677 for four years
Four Year Total Cost = $2,677
Looking from this angle, I agree the basic cost comparison looks bad for MindStream, but there are other factors I would consider. If we assume the perfect world again and the accuracy between the devices is close, the question we should be asking is... Are you willing to pay $149.25 to $199.25 per year for the additional seven parameters, 15-minute sample intervals, no calibration required ever, and no wastewater or clogged tubes to deal with?
The comparison above also assumes the person already owns an Apex base unit... If not, add an additional $400 for the head unit to control the Trident. Here's what that would look like just for fun.
Neptune Trident + Apex Head Unit
Apex Head Unit = $400
Base Unit Cost = $600
Service - every 18-24 months is less than $100 for a self-service kit or $150-$200 for a factory job. = Self service $200 - Factory $300 to $400
Reagents for four years = $1080 (I confirmed the calibration standard ships with the reagents so you should recalibrate every two months according to Neptune's FAQ)
Four Year Total Cost = $2,280 to $2,480
Now the price delta is only $49.25 - $99.25 per year.
I'm sure MindStream already figured that out and maybe that's why it's priced the way it is. I guess time will tell if their successful with these decisions.
