Amendment on Renting equipment

I've noticed that my previous post on equipment rental was focused around one particular situation of use - the rare to occasional. If you find you need the lens more often than expected and the cost can be offset over all the times you use it for assignments, then it may work out better to purchase than rent. However rental is a useful way to test equipment in the real world rather than at stores to give a feel for how worthwhile an investment may be, whether it be a camera body, lens, light meter, or lighting equipment.