We rent equipment from the school each year. Each 1st and 2nd year has two drawers in our Sim Lab containing the necessary instruments for the lab courses. We have bought articulators, surveyors, and typodonts, that's the only equipment I own. We do not buy any instruments, unless we lose something from our Sim Lab drawers. But, if something breaks, it is replaced--using the rental fee in our tuition. In the clinic, we check out instruments from the dispensary. No purchase of equipment is required.