Hi,
I didn't see a price on the Polytron, but it is a complete instrument, and I can imagine it is at least several hundred dollars. The sensors sold by futurlec are around $20. I have some on my desk, but haven't used them just yet. I think they will be easy to implement. They look and feel well made, and I'm sure will perform very well. The data sheet from futurlec is a bit simple, and I do have some more info stored somewhere here. Let me know if you use them, and I'll share what I have.
Regards,
Robert