Capital vs Disposable Medical Sales — What’s the Difference and Which Pays More?

If you're new to medical device sales or considering your next move, one of the biggest career-defining decisions is whether to pursue capital equipment or disposable product sales. Each path comes with a distinct sales cycle, income model, and set of challenges—and understanding these differences early on can shape both your success and your satisfaction in the role.

Capital Sales: Bigger Deals, Longer Cycles

Capital sales involve high-cost, durable medical equipment—think cath lab imaging systems, surgical robots, or electrophysiology mapping systems. These systems typically cost anywhere from $75,000 to over $1 million, and the sales process often takes 6 to 18 months to complete.

Key traits of capital sales:

• Longer sales cycles that require strategic engagement with hospital administration, finance, supply chain, and the Value Analysis Committee (VAC)

• Involvement with contracts, RFPs, GPO pricing, and annual capital budgeting windows

• Higher base salaries and large commission checks, but fewer total opportunities

• Quotas are usually annual or semi-annual, focused on a few high-stakes wins

Want to understand how VAC committees impact capital approvals? Read our guide on What Is the VAC Committee?

Disposable Sales: Faster Wins, Relationship-Driven

Disposable sales focus on single-use products like balloons, catheters, wires, stents, and closure devices. These items typically range from $50 to $1,500 per unit, but are used in high volumes and generate recurring revenue.

Key traits of disposable sales:

• Shorter sales cycles—you can win a new customer in a single meeting or by supporting a case

• Heavy emphasis on clinical selling, hands-on case support, and physician relationships

• Quotas are monthly or quarterly, requiring constant volume and market share growth

• Income is driven by repeat usage and maintaining high territory penetration

Which Pays More?

It depends on the company, geography, and product category, but here’s a general income breakdown:

Capital Sales:

• Typically come with a higher base salary

• Commissions are larger, but less frequent—often tied to a few large transactions per year

• Quotas are annual or semi-annual

• Top capital reps can earn $300K to $600K+, especially in imaging, robotics, or hybrid OR technologies

Disposable Sales:

• Tend to offer a lower to mid-range base salary

• Commissions are smaller, but frequent—based on procedural volume and reorder consistency

• Quotas are monthly or quarterly

• Top disposable reps can still earn $250K to $500K+, especially in high-use specialties like coronary and peripheral intervention

Which One Is Right for You?

• Choose capital if you enjoy strategic selling, high-level hospital engagement, and navigating long, complex deals.

• Choose disposables if you thrive in fast-paced environments, love case coverage, and enjoy building strong physician relationships through daily interaction.

At Device University, we teach both. Our Device 201 course prepares students for real-world territory management by covering capital placement strategy, disposable revenue optimization, and the language hospital stakeholders expect from high-performing reps.