The HIFU Buying Checklist

1. The machine itself

• Exact model number and manufacturer name
• Portable or vertical — and is the stand or case included?
• Number of handpieces included
• Electrical requirement, and does my room meet it?
• Physical footprint against the room I intend to use
• Is the machine intended for the areas I plan to treat — face only, or face and body?
• Which certificate applies to this exact model, and may I see a copy?
• May I see this specific model demonstrated, in person or on video?

2. Cartridges — the expensive section

• Full list of cartridges included, by manufacturer-stated depth
• How many distinct depths that list represents, counted against the D number on the box
• Rated shots per cartridge, per type
• Power / output rating per cartridge, per type — a padded count often means weaker cartridges
• Today's replacement price per cartridge type, in writing
• Which additional cartridges I would need for the services I intend to offer, and their price
• Lead time on a cartridge order
• Are cartridges stocked in India or imported per order?
• Is there a shelf life or expiry on cartridges bought in advance?
• Do third-party cartridges exist, and do they affect my warranty?
• If this model is discontinued, how long will cartridges remain available?

See the cartridge guide for why this section decides the deal.

3. Warranty, in writing

• Warranty period for this specific model
• Covered parts, listed by name
• Excluded parts, listed by name
• Is the handpiece covered, excluded, or on separate terms?
• Is the display covered?
• Is labour covered as well as parts?
• Who pays freight, in each direction?
• Is onsite attendance included or charged — at what rate?
• What voids the warranty?
• Which legal entity is providing it, and does it match my invoice?

See warranty wording.

4. After the warranty

• Are spare parts guaranteed available, and for how long?
• Where is the machine physically repaired?
• Typical repair turnaround — and the longest you have taken?
• Who pays freight post-warranty?
• Are common parts stocked in India?
• Is there a paid service contract, and what does it cover?
• Is support a company channel or one person's mobile number?

5. The supplier

• Registered legal name that will appear on the invoice
• Does the warranty entity match the invoice entity?
• Does the payee name match the invoice entity?
• Physical address I could visit
• How long trading, under this name?
• Do they service machines they did not sell?
• Is anything being pushed with an artificial deadline?

See supplier checks.

6. Training, delivery and payment

• What training is included — how many staff, how long, where?
• What does training a new staff member cost later?
• Is installation onsite or remote, included or chargeable, for this machine?
• Delivery timeline to my pincode, and is it tracked?
• Payment terms, and what a deposit secures
• If financing: what does it cost me in total, not just whether it exists?
• What is my recourse if delivery does not happen as committed?

7. The only comparison that matters

Finally, for each supplier, one number: machine price, plus three years of consumables at their written cartridge prices, plus service and freight, plus training and retraining, plus a downtime allowance.