I have been using for ~8 yrs a receiver that I bought new and which Onkyo fixed under warranty, no problems.  I wouldn’t touch anything without a warranty.

I’m glad to see this topic covered with both pros and cons weighted equally, logically, and without bias.  Another recent article on a similar topic lacked the objectivity and two-sided coverage of this article and, as such, read somewhat as CI propaganda. 

I also have had good luck with refurb items, but I tend to stick with items that either have the same warranty as NIB or at least a 1yr warranty (where NIB might have 2 yr).  For throw-away items (remotes, cordless phones, SD DVD players, other small electronics) I usually disregard warranty all together since getting a warranty repair would be more of a hassle than just replacing the item… and buying refurbished allows me to replace that kind of item out-of-pocket and still have spent less than the same item brand-new. 

Thanks for keeping things balanced EH!

Anyone have good luck buying refurb from the actual manufacturers? I know Sony, Onkyo, Apple and others have refurb sales right on their websites, and I was considering grabbing an iPod that way.

I bought my first iPhone as a refurb (from AT&T;) and haven’t had an issue with it at all.

I think the quality mostly depends on the product: I’ve gotten a couple of refurb clunkers, but even new I don’t think it’d be great.

CREDIT CARD PURCHASE-Be aware that major credit card companies may not offer the same protection as they do for new purchases. I ran into a problem with a refurb. unit and contacted MASTER CARD. As soon as I mentioned refurb., they said forget it-you are on your own. They do not cover refurb, units!!!

I’ve bought many refurbed electronics in the past - Panasonic phones, Pronto remotes, TiVo, etc, and have had very good luck with them. The lower cost outweighed the loss of warranty on low cost items like these, but I don’t think i would feel safe purchasing something like a refurbed LCD TV, unless I purchased an extended warranty as well.

I purchased an Outlaw receiver as “B” stock, and it’s still running after 8 years! The TiVo has had no problems after 10 years!

I would stay away from reconditioned items. I got burned with an IBM laptop, even with a warranty!

I bought the Panasonic BD player, refurb, for $217. It has worked flawlesly, BUT, the chassis is warped 1/32 of an inch, from left front to right rear. I assume that is the reason it was returned, and the factory never corrected this fault, which probably would have scrapped the unit.

I shimmed the right rear leg with electrical tape, and connected to the upstairs TV, where it continues to work flawlessly. This is the sort of problem you can get with refurbs: The new unit had a fault, which the factory did not correct, and shipped it back out. You gamble that you will get a unit that has been reworked to original specs. You may not.

On the other hand, the original purchaser didn’t get what he wanted either.

I have had great luck with “Refurb” and “B stock”.  Specifically, I have gotten tremendous online deals through Cambridge SoundWorks; their speakers are often never opened overstock, or returned immediately due to negative WAF experiences etc.  In the past few years I have purchased at least 20 items, and only had one failure (which they replaced 100% no cost).  Seeing as I have always saved 50-75% OFF MSRP, it has been a gamble with huge rewards.

Does anybody think that they have their definition of refurbished and reconditioned backwards?

Personally I’ve had very good luck buying used, demo and refurb AVRs, speakers, DVRs, and more.  In fact, I’ve had more problems with two DVD players from two different manufacturers purchased new than any other AV equipment I’ve owned.

I’ve bought many different types of refurbished, b-stock, etc electronic items from many different sources.  The only time I was disappointed was with a cheap ethernet switch I got from refurbdepot.  It was DOA, and they eventually sent me a replacement.  I used to work for a computer electronics mfr, and I can tell you that “mfr refurbished” can be a great deal - our return units were all 100% tested and repaired by extremely senior technicians.  That’s better than any of the new units that came off our assembly line.  On the other hand, I suspect places like refurbdepot buy inventory from surplus wholesalers - and that stuff could be anything from new/old stock that works perfect, to units that were salvaged from a flood and put in plain white boxes.  In the end, you have to be willing to take the risk, and you can’t be surprised if you occasionally get burned.

I purchased a Yamaha A/V receiver HT-5990 from B&H;as an open box item.  It’s slightly dented on the side, but has worked flawlessly for 2 years.  It saved me close to 30%.

Within the last year I purchased 2 different receivers from Shop Onkyo (refurbs) The 505 I purchased first has worked flawlessly and is an excellent low priced receiver. But when I tried to purchase an 805, all 3 units had major defects from channels that didnt work to major glitchs in the video. Onkyo did pay for return shipping on all the units, but they were very slow crediting the price back to my credit card and caused me to pay interest on the account.