I apologize in advance that my post is not in the professional section, but I wanted to get this out to as many viewers as possible and the pro section does not see as much traffic. Today I was informed by Texas Electrolysis Supply that Laurier probes (IBP and otherwise) are no longer available. Due to the passing of the owner, Laurier Instruments is closed permanently. When I phoned Laurier, they informed me that when the owner died, the technology to manufacture the probes died with him. Since I knew very little about alternatives, I spent all morning in a panic. My practice is based on flash thermolysis, so I depend on IBPs to deliver the results my clients expect. After talking with electrologists scattered throughout the US and Seana Richmond in Canada, I have decided to go with Pro-Tec insulated probes.
Historically, electrology has been a cottage industry. With the exception of Instantron, most of the family owned companies have vanished when an owner dies or decides to retire. In the case of A. R. Hinkel, they simply gave up. The bottom line is that electrologists have fewer choices.