Are refurbished laptops worth it?

I had a look at newegg for refurbished laptops and there seems to be some good options, both low-end and high-end. But I have no idea how long will these last. Tend to keep my laptops for some time. The price range goes from $150 to $500, are these refurbished laptops worth a go? (most are Microsoft certified refurbisher)

 

I have heard both good things and bad things about refurbished computers. If the computer isn't too old I think it should be ok but very often people buy much cheaper refurbished computers. In those cases I think it's a question of luck getting a good computer.

 

It really depends on where you're getting it from, and what was refurbished, recertified, or had to be fixed on it. If it did require repair and was just for the keyboard or touchpad or a replacement screen, you're usually ok with that. If it required something to be repaired on the motherboard, had issues with the hard drive that "appeared fixed" but still had issues if it was the same hard drive, or anything like an electrical short or power jack issue, you'll probably want to look at the other options. It's hard to tell what happened and who fixed it, and sometimes it'll turn out great, while other times you'll wish you had bought used and in good condition or new instead.

That being said, I've purchased about 19 laptops this year so far (a few to resell, and a few to review and keep). Out of those, only 2 had an issue and it was with the screen and the keyboard on each one.

There was an after-market issue with one of the laptops that were resold with audio on the board, but I found out that it wasn't the laptop itself with the issue, but that the guy hooked up an audio output cable with an amplifier to the output jack of the laptop he was sold and nearly blew out the audio on the board because of it. You'll get a few fools (and some new DJs) who do things like that every now and then, and can't attribute that to being an audio issue if there isn't one on the board UNTIL they do that to it.

Thus far for the first half of this year, 2 out of every 20 systems had an issue, while the other 18 were just fine with no problems whatsoever. So about 10% had issues, but the other 90% were fine.

 

I am also thinking to get a refurbished laptop from ebay. However, I am confused. Some of the items that would other wise cost more than $700 (for new piece) are listed for around $300. Is it a good idea to spend $300 for a refurbished laptop. The refurbished laptops that I am checking are sony, dell and Mac. What of I get cheaper brands such as Acer instead of getting refurbished laptops?

 

Well I have never been able to convince myself enough to try one, so I just assume that they are not as good. As much as the salesman can talk them up, something inside of me just knows that it is a flawed machine and that I should ot buy it. When it comes to my larger purchases, such as computers, I would rather just spend a little extra and have the comfort of knowing I have a new product, but, of course, to each their own.

 

You have to take extra caution when purchasing anything refurbished especially if you are making that purchase online. I have never had a good experience buying anything that is refurbished.

 

Then you didn't take precautions. You can by manufacturer refurbished laptops with warranties that are reliable and at a sizable discount from other offerings.

 

Thanks for the detailed response. I look for them on Newegg as the refurbished laptops on the official manufacturers websites (Dell & HP) are quite pricey. Newegg has some "Microsoft certified refurbisher", I might try those on a low budget (below $300).

Otherwise is there any brand known for its durability? I am thinking of Macbooks, but they seem the hardest to find as refurbished.

 

Look in a retail store as well. You will find some options you may not have considered. Frys, Best Buy, etc... I don't know if these are available to you where you live, but they do online sales as well. Fry's has HP products which are durable and affordable and they also have Apple products.

 

This is not to smear the used laptops being sold. Please take this comment as my personal opinion only. I don't go for second hand when it comes to electronic items because when it breaks down, I would surely blame myself for buying a used computer. But I understand that there are good second hand electronic items in stores whether laptops, desktops and even tablets and phones. But my personal choice is a brand new. That's why we cannot buy a new laptop yet because we are short in budget but we don't want to settle for a refurbished.

 

Usually Asus and Lenovo are durable systems. Dell is ok if you get the laptop replacement models. All of the manufacturers (to an extent) have adopted the lower cost = cheaper/economy and higher cost = more durable/powerful ideology, but there's always a few exceptions out there. The original Macbooks had decent hardware on them, but you're always going to pay twice as much for anything Intel or other companies make for Apple vs a PC hardware manufacturer for an unrestricted market.

Anymore, you can get twice as powerful (and reliable) hardware from other manufacturers compared to what gets marketed from Apple, since they need to try and hold on to the high price/average value model that made Apple so much money in the past, but is not really valid today. If you really need Mac OS X, you can now install it to PC laptops and have both Windows and OS X on it for a fraction of the price with only cosmetic differences. Since Steve Jobs died and Tim Cook took over, Apple has been losing steam rapidly.

There's a lot of places that do refurbished systems or manufacturer recertified systems as well. As long as you know what was refurbished (a lot of times it's just the software or they upgraded the ram or upgraded the hard drive), you're usually ok and can get a great price break on it as long as it's legit. If there is at least a SquareTrade warranty or some other kind of coverage directly from the buyer, you're usually in good shape with one. If I ever buy refurbished systems, I tend to check them out thoroughly for several months to have time to see if everything is good or not before reselling them. It also gives me time to upgrade it further if the original reseller didn't have time or the means to to make it even more of a deal and good buy for someone looking to get a newer system for only a quarter of the cost.

It's kind of like flea-market hunting for advanced consumer technology in a way.

 

I understand the sentiment, but we aren't talking about used items in general. We are talking about refurbished items. Often when refurbished by the manufacturer the computer cost less, comes with a warranty, and is as good as a brand new one. You should be cautious in your choices though, especially if refurbished by the seller rather than the manufacturer. Of it is sold in a place like Fry's or Best Buy it will likely be manufacturer refurbished. It ia good to check though.

 

Personally I do not think they are appealing to me. Since the price tag is not low enough to justify buying something that is used and was once "broken".
It is the reason why I always go for brand new when it comes to computer or computer hardware. I want them to last as long as possible.

Then again, if you can find good price on something that is a fairly new model, then go for it if it is from a reputable seller. There must be a reason for the refurbished market to exist. Some people must be satisfied with their purchase or the market would have quickly died off.

 

I've bought new and refurbished and they all one day will kick the bucket. It seems the smaller and more compact they get, you will eventually get heating issues and then it will final burn out on you.

Refurbished means that it left the factory working and performing the day it originally left brand new. So it should operate the same and most importantly, it should come with a warranty, if you're buying from a reputable seller.

But I would go for it because refurbished means a hell of a discount. If they specifications meets or exceed your demands, then why not? They only thing that is stopping you is the refurbished brand. If you can get over that, then you've taken you next step.

 

In my experience the discounts have been very good and the hardware has met or exceeded my expectations for quality and longevity. I am also very careful about who I buy from and what I buy though. For instance, I won't buy a machine model refurbished that is known to have heating issues and I stick to items refurbished by the manufacturer rather than a third party.