Looking for advice to handle inventory management of between 30 and
300 pieces of hardware (computers, network equipment, tools, etc.)

I have previously done this for 500-1000 devices, as an independent
company using Excel, then Access, then microforge's
(http://www.microforge.net/) Network Inventory Manager, then later
using a Fortune 500 company's poorly integrated version of Remedy, and
finally using CSC's 'Asset Management' tool.

Every one of them were poorly implemented and required regular audits
to reconcile errors.

I read the $20 http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=548432,
and I am hoping for a more personal recommendation (have you used xxx?
Why was it good?)

And the $100 http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=422604 is
the mid-size company version of this question. It addresses a MySQL
option but I could not quickly find if it is free. Is it? And
leapinglizard's answers are excellent; I am hoping to receive a more
subjective appraisal of possible solutions.

A great answer will list two to five traits of 1-2 great solution(s),
combined with one to three shortcomings of not great solutions. Again,
experience with a particular tool - good or bad - is a bonus, but not
required for five stars.

Open to anything
Software solutions
-Database (MySQL, SQL, Oracle, Access!!!, etc.)
-Spreadsheet or simple table (maybe a workbook of worksheets!!!)
-Automatic discovery is not required, but I'd like to know about ease of use.
-Sourceforge may have my utopia now (searchsuccess=0), I hope in 3-5 years it does.
-Free (as in beer) is better, $500 is too much (iInventory using 20 nodes is $400)

I would love two or three paragraphs on policy enforcement. Any
solution requires a bit of diligence/discipline. What are traits of
organizations with excellent inventory management?

Thank you for your time.
-applecore