Refurbished Laptops vs. New Laptops

I can't speak about the reconditioned Acers.

But I will say I have heard of people who have been happy with refurbished laptops, and gotten good service out of them. Although they are more expensive than Acer (Apple comes to mind).

Acer has one possible weakness--given the pricing, I doubt it's a super durable investment. I wouldn't necessarily rule it out on those grounds--I could imagine buying one of their netbooks if I ever take a vacation and want a laptop to take with me--but it's something to factor in when making a buying decision.

---------- Post added 5th Aug 2013 at 02:15 PM ----------

Past reconditioned Acers, there is a possibility of something used. This has pitfalls--one does not want to buy another person's problems. Software support can also be a problem--a used XP machine might be very cheap, but it will have less than a year of OS support left. (Linux, of course, can work around that, although it may not be a solution many people would want to deal with.) But there are good buys to be found sometimes. A business grade computer that is new enough to be usable, and was treated reasonably well, could have years of use ahead.

Desktops are where the better used deals can be found--at least in my experience. I'd like a laptop, but have never found a good enough deal. I've spent even under 10 dollars for a generic PC and gotten something that gave good service.

Laptops are more expensive used, and often there is a risk of them being used/abused to a point where they have almost zero usuable life. But some people have lucked out with a well-built machine that is cheap and had a good, easy life.

 

I've bought tons of refurb products for work. (I work in IT) and I've never had any issues .you can't tell that they were ever used. I would recommend the refurb products to save yourself some dough.

 

Just got my refurbished Asus today. Got it off NewEgg for $279.99 + free tax + free shipping. I strongly recommend refurbished as opposed to new, espcially if you're in a cash crunch. However, I heavily do NOT recommend Acer products.

 

I agree. Acer products are dreadful... My brother and Step dad bought one, they both now have overheating issues due to poor fan placement and lack of ventilation... Stupid acer. *kick*:tantrum:

 

If you want a cheap but good quality laptop I can recommend Lenovo,
they handle their own manufacturing so it's not contracted out to someone that doesnt give a crap like in most cases.

Although if you need alot of help with computers they may not be a good choice because they're chinese and so their english language is not great.

 

I am on my second laptop, Both were refurbished. My first one was an Acer Aspire 5315, it literally ended up falling apart. I also went through like twenty power cords because they went right by the exhaust and were fried.

I now have a refurbished Apple Macbook 7,1 and aside from needing a new fan it runs pretty well and pretty much all of my problems have been taken care of regardless of warranty (except the fan) but it is a few years old and the issue I have with the fan is the bearing is worn so if the fan gets off balance it sounds like a weed-eater. But I would still recommend it

 

Yes, AcER is terrible.
AsUS is amazing. think of it this way: ER = the Emergency Room, which is where you don't want your computer to be in. US = us or (for the patriotic) United States. Or Universal System. See, it's so great it's got 3 positive comparisons.


Refurbished Asus, Toshiba or HP are all great.

 

Go to the dell outlet store and look at the optiplex and inspiron lineup.

 

i know from experience, and knowing somethings about computers, that refurbished is a good one. there is nothing wrong with them, sometimes they dont work coming out of the box, so they get sent back and fixed, usually they are worth buying because of it. I've bought some acer tablets that way, and have scored big on them.

 

I have bought many refurbished electronics, and for me, they're either hit or miss. The majority have worked perfectly fine though. I personally wouldn't trust a refurb acer, but that's just me. I doubt you'll have any problems with it.

 

I am about to have to replace my Lenovo. Thank goodness it was cheap! I've only had it for two years, but its already wearing out. I am on my computer all the time though. But anyway, its breaking at the hinges, so I know it won't last much longer. I didn't get any of the extended warranty, etc because I figured if I could get it to last three years ,then I would have felt I got my money's worth. That being said, its been two years and about to go kaput!

I was thinking of possibly a Samsung or Asus. Do any of you recommend one over the other? I really want a Mac, but do to finances, can't afford to even entertain that idea right now. Maybe in the future some time. I've also never bought a refurbished computer, but have been seriously thinking of doing so, to save money. Also, does Best Buy sell refurbished? A little afraid to go that route, but it seems like people who do buy refurbished, don't have any issues.

 

Samsung and Asus are both reputable manufacturers. I've never had a Samsung laptop (so I can't speak for them, although their other products are quite nice and reliable). I'm on my Asus laptop right now and I currently have no complaints. When I was in high school, I used an Asus Netbook and I enjoyed using that also. If you're looking for cheapness, refurbished is definitely the way to go! If I got this (ASUS X501A) new, I would've spent $460 but refurbished it was $280. So...yea, refurbished > new, since you're in a cash crunch! They do sell refurbished at best buy, but their refurbished stock is VERY limited. If you're in the US, I would check Newegg.com - Computer Parts, Laptops, Electronics, and More!

EDIT: I read somewhere that ASUS took part in designing the Macbook Air 13" build/shell ... so that is what sold me on ASUS and I'm glad it did