[duskwuff]

> $100 for a somewhat specialized, durable medical device...

And one which is treated as a status symbol, at that. Part of the reason a good stethoscope costs more is because it looks nicer, not just because it works better.

[harvey9]

You can get a basic littman for not much. I could afford one when I was a rookie EMT and I've still got the same one many years later.