Refubished or new?

I have been told the refurbished is "just as good as new". Is this true? I have been looking to buy another laptop and are leery of the refurbished models, however the prices are good.

 

You are right. There are refurbished computers that are as good as new. However, it is as good as its model which is an older model than what you can buy for a brand new one. Besides, the hardware is already used and probably old so the durability is in question. This is not to smear the second hand store but I would prefer to borrow money in buying a brand new computer than being frugal to buy a cheap but used computer which would give me a headache sooner or later.

 

I'm not so sure, for me a used computer will always be used I mean, for a reason the refurbished ones are cheaper, at least where I live. But I guess they'd be a great option if you have been dreaming of getting certain model and brand of computer, and don't want to spend too much.

 

Most refurbished devices will work just as good as new. However, not always. You need to factor in the amount of time these machines were used for. With that being said, there is nothing wrong with buying a refurbished computer.

 

Laptops are often sold after being refurbished by the actual manufacturer in addition to 3rd parties that refurbish hardware. For example, if you were to walk into a Best Buy, or a Fry's Electronics and buy a refurbished HP, it would have been refurbished by HP and will often come with a warranty.

Depending on how and who refurbished it buying a refurbished laptop is a good way to save money. You wont be able to tell the difference.

 

I currently have a refurbished laptop, and I'm in love with it- and it's price. If you're on a budget, def go for refurbished. While others here may hate on them (and with good reason- you never know), I think they're perfectly fine.

However, the higher price point of a new laptop might be worth it- if not for the new tech, then for the confidence in that it is, in fact, new, and the knowledge that it wasn't used by anyone prior.

 

I have never seen anybody here hate on them and have a good reason to do so.

 

I have seen some refurbished computers on sale before but the price between new and refurbished wasn't that big. So when I bought my laptop I didn't spend too much time looking at them. Every once in a while there are refurbished computers that are well worth buying because of what you are getting for the price.

 

I was told the same thing about refurbished electronic items but for some reasons, I just can't bring myself to commit to it. If I buy a refurbished one, I make sure that it has at least a year of warranty with it. For me, I think it is the case of a mental issue and that I want to be the original owner of my device

 

I'm that weird guy who likes to buy new technology just for the smell. But it's like buying a new car. When you buy a new car, you know what's wrong with it when you drive it off the lot. Nothing at all. It's brand new. When you buy a used car, it could blow up the second time you crank it up. Now, laptops are a lot cheaper than buying a car, so the comparison can seem a little extreme. But for this reason, I try to save up enough to buy a new laptop or any related technology. I'm also a germaphobe so having a nice clean laptop keeps me from having anxiety lol.

 

It isn't an accurate comparison. Despite the addition of computer technology and additional electronic to cars, they are still largely mechanical devices. The amount of issues that can affect used complicated mechanical devices are infinitesimal compared to what you could experience with a used laptop.

And not to aggravate your mysophobia, but new electronics are not any more or less sanitary than used ones. Dirty and sanitary are not the same thing. Just because something is clean (free of visible debris) does not mean it is sanitary (free of microbes).

 

I appreciate the input. I saw an Acer through Groupon a while back for I think $110. I loved the price and the description met my needs, however I was just leery because it was so cheap and it stated refurbished. I didn't want to buy it and then be stuck with a computer that didn't work since all sales were final.

 

Hi... KLK3

I am writing this on a Refurbished Acer Aspire ES1-311 - sale price £145 - High Street price £219
I Got the FULL SPEC 1Tb HDD 4Gb RAM version, Not a mark on it and on first start up had to Install Windows 8.1 from scratch exactly as if it were Brand New -- then spend half a day removing the Acer Bloatware...

I mentioned the FULL SPEC Version because I have seen ES1-311's fitted with only a 32GB eMMC (built in RAM Drive) and 2Gb RAM for £189

I Usually buy Refurbished Business Laptops for relatives because THEY are built to LAST & LAST & LAST...

..

 

I would always buy new, even if I thought a refurbished laptop was ''as good as new'' I just don't know if I would be confident about it. I think buying a laptop is an investment and I would just prefer to have one that I knew had never been used. Perhaps I'm too closed minded.

 

Refusing to buy unless it is new is not only paranoid, and a waste of money, it is a waste of resources as well.

 

In our country, refurbished computers have bad reputation and rightly so. Most of them are junks from Japan and Korea, are old models, and are priced at almost half of a brand new computer. I bought one for myself because I thought that the price was a steal and it has 3 months warranty. The unit didn't even last for a year and was so slow. No, I'd rather invest on a new laptop with forward specs.

 

I will only consider refurbished computers that have been don't by professionals or the original company that will guarantee their work. If you need a certain type of computer to work, I was required to have a Mac for college, a refurbished one might have be your answer. I personally prefer a new computer but I've had my taken to be fix so why wouldn't I buy an already fixed computer. That doesn't make sense. But I would definitely be leery buying 'refurbished' computers off sites like Craigslist or Ebay, even with the discount that's a lot of money for a computer that might not work.

 

That depends on where you buy the refurbished laptop from. I remember there's one company which sells refurbished laptops at about a quarter of the price of a new one, together with a one year warranty. I would have bought one if I didn't already have one. Their warranty is a one for one exchange, which makes it even a better deal since I wouldn't have to wait for my laptop to be repaired.

 

Could you tell me what the company is, please? I'm trying to buy my mom a new computer for Christmas and saving some money on a refurbished laptop would be awesome. I haven't found a company that offers the warranty unless the refurbished is almost the same price as the new ones.

 

The company I was talking about was in Thailand. It's called Powermaxx. If you are not in Thailand, that information wouldn't be helpful to you. An alternative would be to look for slightly used ones with still some warranty left. If you snoop around the shops often and get friendly with the sales staff, you might get lucky. There are people who buy computers and trade them in for new models even before the warranty expires.