Foo - Refurbished labtops????

Ok, computer people, I know nothing about computers so I need help.
I'm having to give up my home computer (to long to talk about) so I will be in need of a computer, personally I would like to get a labtop, I don't use the computer for anything other then surfing the net and talking to this great bunch of people.
I don't play computer games at all. I might need something that can upload pics but other then that I just need something that I can use at home for when the time allows.

How do you feel about refurbished labtops??? Should I not go in this direction or should I seek for the brand new stuff???

Any help thanks!!
Snowy.

I like refurbished products more than new cuz someone made sure that it's working well enough. Not every new product is tested. :)

Could be a hit-or-miss proposition. I took a chance and bought a refurbished laptop off Ebay a couple of years ago, a Dell Latitude 600, for a really decent price. Its appearance was "gently used" (almost new, really), and it has worked flawlessly for me. So count that as one hit. The ones sold directly by Dell or other mfrs. are probably an even safer bet, since they will back the machine. But you can find reputable sellers on Ebay. Just be sure to check the feedback.

I have a Toshiba laptop that I've had for almost 2 years. It was a refurb. Hasn't given me a single trouble since I've had it.

Check models through pricegrabber.com and often they will have a much cheaper one because its a refurb. That's how I found mine.

You also might want to check on www.pricewatch.com for laptops...they are price comparison type place but only for computer stuff. You can often find GREAT deals.

As always, check who you're buying from, whether it Ebay, or Pricegrabber (have their own ratings) or one from pricewatch (use www.resellerratings.com ).

I'd almost prefer a refurb from IBM, Toshiba, Apple, Sony, etc from the good names, I'd be cautious about a Dell since they're **** to begin with and forget about the no-names.

Thanks everyone!!! I'm on the search now.

My department at work (IT) buys literally hundreds of desktops and laptops for company users every year. We just recieved 592 brand spanking new desktops and a few laptops too just for Copper Mountain's users.

Although we don't buy refurbished hardware, I do believe they are a good way to go if you want a better deal than the new stuff.

I would recommend you do two things:
Buy name brand ...Dell, IBM, Toshiba, Gateway, etc.
Buy a 4 year warranty if you get a laptop.

Ok, computer people, I know nothing about computers so I need help.
I'm having to give up my home computer (to long to talk about) so I will be in need of a computer, personally I would like to get a labtop, I don't use the computer for anything other then surfing the net and talking to this great bunch of people.
I don't play computer games at all. I might need something that can upload pics but other then that I just need something that I can use at home for when the time allows.

How do you feel about refurbished labtops??? Should I not go in this direction or should I seek for the brand new stuff???

Any help thanks!!
Snowy.


Most labtops are white cotton, though I understand that static free synthetics are becoming quite popular. ;)

Get a refurbished one. I think the only thing they wouldn't have would be a warranty, or the warranty would be limited. But at least they were fixed and tested, like L. Opie said!

Try tigerdirect.com. They have excellent prices, and they often sell refurbished stuff. In fact, I'm on my way back to Chicago, and I'm going to their store in the 'burbs to get a refurbished, big-assed hard drive for my laptop.

Koffee

Yesterday was my last day selling computers at Best Buy. I will say that Gateway seems to be improving, while I keep finding new reasons to feel uneasy about HP/Compaq (people sometimes don't believe me when I tell them the saga of the Compaq Presario 7478.) But the rest makes sense.
I like Toshiba. A LOT. They get great word-of mouth and very rarely did I ever have a customer say they had a bad time with Toshiba. Sony makes very good, very slick laptops, and their new thin centrinos are awesome, but they also have a reputation for being recalcitrant to the point of defiance when you need warranty service.

I was never shy about recommending refurbs to people who obviously were not going to pay the price for what they needed new. I would recommend checking out what is available locally, actually. For that matter, a lot of local one-nerd shops will build you great machine on the cheap using components that are in the sweet spot for price. Their machines will tend to run longer and better with fewer hiccups than a lot of factory computers. It's all in component selection; the factories can minimize costs better than the small builder, but the small builder can make changes faster than the factory. By the time they find out that motherboard they bought because it was four cents cheaper than last month's low bidder has a tendency to pop like a string of Christmas lights if you plug in a USB device while the CD drive is in use, they've shipped 5,000 of them.

Gateway bought eMachines, the nifty little company I got Dita here from. Having said that, she's been seriously bound for the shop twice in her year-and-a-half life. Laptops are the tickiest, most fragile things I've ever played with. I got the one-year warranty, should've gotten the three.

Good advice!

One of the FEW items Consumer Reports getting and extended warranty on is a laptop. I'd buy a name-brand refurb with an extended warranty through a reputable channel.

CR ranks Toshiba, Sony, IBM, HP, Dell, Compaq, and Gateway best to least reliable. The range is between 18% and 22% of laptops needed a repair or had a serious problem.
BeeTL gives good advice.. If you buy refurb, get from someone whom will back it up.. IMHO DELL is the worst because they use whatever part is the cheapest at the time and nothing is consistant on their models..
The extended warranty is good unless you have a good friend who is a hardware junky.. Otherwise it will cost you $50-$100 just to have someone look at your laptop if there is a problem..

I'd almost prefer a refurb from IBM, Toshiba, Apple, Sony, etc from the good names, I'd be cautious about a Dell since they're **** to begin with and forget about the no-names.

Ditto. Although as an ex-sysadmin I'd limit my choices to IBM, Apple and professional level Toshibas only.

I'd only buy a laptop, new or refurbished, if it came with a good 3 year warranty that included machine pickup. Anything past 3 years I wouldn't particularly care about as the machine would have become a camp nostalgia item ;)

EDIT: Strike the "almost prefer." I'd definitely prefer a refurbed IBM/Apple/Tosh to any other new machine.

Wow, thanks for all the advice!!!!

IBMs are the few laptops that I would think of purchasing refurbished. And I dislike IBM overall, so that says alot. Those thinkpads just last and last.

Might want to look into demo versions of laptops besides the refurb versions. I got a Panasonic Toughbook CF-48 in 2001 for $1,500 (normally priced at about $3,500CDN) and it was only about 9 months old. Still have to humming happily today... :D

Heh. I sometimes wonder if anybody has ever noticed that you can get brand new laptops for 500-700 that usually have 25-50% more power then the refurbished laptops that one is going to end up paying.

Heh. I sometimes wonder if anybody has ever noticed that you can get brand new laptops for 500-700 that usually have 25-50% more power then the refurbished laptops that one is going to end up paying.


Eh? Of a comparable brand, or some kind of generic thing?

I'd almost prefer a refurb from IBM, Toshiba, Apple, Sony, etc from the good names, I'd be cautious about a Dell since they're **** to begin with and forget about the no-names.


Ditto. Although as an ex-sysadmin I'd limit my choices to IBM, Apple and professional level Toshibas only.

I'd only buy a laptop, new or refurbished, if it came with a good 3 year warranty that included machine pickup. Anything past 3 years I wouldn't particularly care about as the machine would have become a camp nostalgia item ;)

EDIT: Strike the "almost prefer." I'd definitely prefer a refurbed IBM/Apple/Tosh to any other new machine.

I'd like to also add, stay away from anything computer related with the Sony name on it, I've had nothing but problems with my Sony laptop, and when the screen died 1 month before the warranty ran out, the customer service was the worst I've ever had to deal with. My next laptop is going to be an IBM and like womble said I'd probably go with a refurbed IBM over anything new, cause they are just as good as brand new plus way cheaper and they have awesome refurbished stuff.

And also, Sony laptops have HORRIBLE touchpads and keyboards, not to mention the internal speakers are the worst of any laptop I've had. Of course no internal laptop speakers are comparable to the JBL ones in my old Compaq, thoes were amazingly good for the size they were.

Heh- I originally refrained from adding what you said about Sony as I didn't want to start a slagging match. But here goes anyway :D My old company had a lot of support/reliability problems with Vaios a couple of years ago. Maybe they magically improved over the last couple of years. But IMO, they are very slick lookin' machines aimed at a segment primarily interested in style.

I have had good luck with an outfit called Off Lease Computers ( http://www.techagain.com/ ). I bought an older Compaq Armada laptop from them and was very pleased with both the computer and the company.

Be aware however that these machines come with *NO OPERATING SYSTEM*. I loaded a copy of Linux on mine. If you think you would freak out if someone handed you some o/s install images and some functional hardware and said, "here, make something useful out of this", then these guys are not for you.

Dan

Fujitsu is a computer company that makes unbelievable products that people do not really know about...there refurbished products will be even better.

I wouldn't buy a HP or Compaq. The way the power cord attaches to the computer is crap. I have a HP that the connecter that sits on the motherboard has come loose twice. I soldered it once and it's ready again, if possible. I'll try it one more time before I ditch it for maybe a Dell. My wife has a Dell from work and the connector appears to be screwed into the chassis, not the motherboard. Plus, it's design is better anyway. This is much better due to the stresses the cord puts on the computer. Plus, it's design is better anyway.

If you don't believe me, search for "hp power jack" on ebay. Or leave off HP and see all the companies that have this problem. It's pathetic.