You are correct, inventory is not really the best way to track these things if you do not sell them individually or manufacture them into something you put on a customer sales invoice, it is hard to relieve the inventory of what you use.  And you can't really be expected to track exactly how many pipettes you are using.  Drop one on the floor and you will have forgotten it in 5 minutes.

It is usually easier to expense the items as they come in and do an inventory count at least at year end.  Then you can do adjustments at the end of the year to record what you still have in stock and update your inventory asset level at that time.  You can check with your accountant to determine if, in your circumstances, it is worth doing inventory a few times throughout the year.  You can do inventory adjustments once a month if you wish.

Thanks! It sounds like adjustments to inventory on a periodic basis are the best solution.