Refurbished \ Recertified small appliances

[rob7]

I'm in the market for a blender. And, before anyone says it, I know, I know, Vita-Mix or Blend-Tec are the best ones. I think in just about every thread regarding blenders someone has to state that these are the best. So, I'll just go ahead and state it.

So in reading some posts, it seems like in the $150 range, which is what I'm looking to spend, Waring or Breville seem to come out with best reviews.

I was just about set on the Waring when I saw that there is a pretty good availability of Breville's top of the line blender (Breville XX800BLXL). 1000W, 67oz capacity, REFURBISHED models. This is a $300 blender that can be had for about $155.

My question is if anyone has ever purchased a refurbished blender and what was your experience? If you haven't, would you do it? Why or why not?

What does come to mind is that seems to be quite a few of these refurbished models avaialable which leads me to wonder why are there so many available. Is there a poor design or inherent flaw?

At the same time, the reviews that I've read on this blender are all positive. Including one from a person that had an issue with a refurb and Breville replaced it with no question. But, reviews are usually posted within a month or so of purchase and don't include the "test of time"

I probably wouldn't even consider this if I didn't have such a good customer service experience with a Breville espresso machine I own. In that case, they not only replaced my machine but actually upgraded the model because the model I had was backordered. (It was a cosmetic defect..slight bend in the stainless casing...which is why I returned it...no performace issues at all)

What do you think? Would you buy one, or no?

[ElsieD]

I bought a Black & Decker refurbished bread maker a number of years ago. I don't use it anymore as I have graduated to making artisan breads, but it worked like a charm. It cost about 1/3 of the price of a new one.

Edited February 27, 2010 by ElsieD (log)

[Dakki]

My experience with refurbished stuff has been good as well. The KitchenAid stand mixer and the computer I'm typing this on are both refurbs, as were several laptops I've bought for my siblings - no problems with any of them.

[Edward J]

When the Whirlpool repair center was still in town, I bought K.A mixers as well attachments for it from "refurbished" stock. Never had any problems. What the guy at Whirlpool told me, was that more than 3/4 of the "refurbished" stuff was stuff returned from Costco and other dept. stores, and almost always because the "colour was wrong", very few warranty issues.

[Darienne]

3/4 of the "refurbished" stuff was stuff returned from Costco and other dept. stores, and almost always because the "colour was wrong", very few warranty issues.

Ditto for a Canadian store, XS-Cargo.

Edited February 27, 2010 by Darienne (log)

[Kerry Beal]

I"ve bought lots of refurbished things over the years - with very few problems. I seem to recall the steamer I bought had to go back (to XS Cargo) - but they replaced it with another refurbished which was fine. I've bought Kitchen Aids, Cuisinarts, microwaves, kettles, electronics. I've just waited about 4 weeks for a refurbished Bosch dishwasher - then the place I buy a bunch of refurbished stuff from said they were moving - so they wouldn't be getting any - so had to hit Sears and get it at the sale price - damn! Would have cost me $400 with no tax, instead it was a whole lot more.

[dougal]

If it comes with exactly the same warranty as the new item, I seek it out. And I've been very pleased.

If it has a cut down warranty, I wouldn't dream of buying any specific item unseen.

[baroness]

I've been very happy with my various Cuisinart, Showtime (rotisserie), and Kitchen Aid refurbs.

KA owners: the KA outlet sometimes has refurb mixer bowls for an excellent price!

[Alex]

As Edward J said, refurbs are primarily returns. I've had zero problems with the various ones I've bought over the years -- most recently a SanDisk Clip mp3 player. A full warranty would be nice, but I mostly disagree with dougal about a cut-down one. If the warranty is 30 days (or maybe even 90) vs. one year, I'd probably pass unless it was an outstanding deal. However, KitchenAid has refurb blenders on their web site and eBay with a six-month warranty. You can pick up the Cook's Illustrated top-rated model 580 for $69 + shipping (or the mechanically identical 560 for 55-60 + shipping). The best price I've found for a new 560 is $80 + tax from Bed, Bath and Beyond after applying their 20%-off coupon.

[Shalmanese]

my refurb waring blender is still going strong after 2 years.

[syoung68]

Not that this is about the refurb aspect of your question, but I have own several higher priced residential blenders - Waring, Cuisinart, etc all over $100. When my last Cuisinart broke, I bought a cheap Black and Decker - $40 - it works SO MUCH better than the others it is sad. Blends smoother smoothies, creamier soups, and best of all ... dripless pouring.

Yes, I still want a vitamix one day, I just can't justify the cost for the times per year that I use a blender.

[ray goud]

Before I voluntarily left in 1978 I was the Master Repairman for the General Electric Servicenter/Rebuilding Center in Westport, CT. This was before Black&Decker bought them out. Everyone there and everyone who worked for GE Small Appliances at the time would agree that the best bargain was a rebuilt appliance. Because they were returned for either gift exchanges or for an initial defect. When we got through with each appliance it had been inspected twice, and repaired if necessary, and were resold for a fraction of the price with a FULL warranty. I don't know if the companies today operate the same, but if they do it is one of the greatest little-known bargain out there.

Ray

[Chris Hennes]

I wonder if you don't actually get BETTER results from a refurbished appliance. My theory on this is that most things fail either very early in life, or very late (big picture, on average, etc.), and with a refurb many if not most of the parts have already made it through that "early in life" phase. So you may be skipping that part of the failure curve entirely. Yes, of course, if your stuff is covered by a warranty those early failures don't cost you any money, but they are a pain to deal with. Has anyone had a refurb that failed within warranty?

[ray goud]

I wonder if you don't actually get BETTER results from a refurbished appliance. My theory on this is that most things fail either very early in life, or very late (big picture, on average, etc.), and with a refurb many if not most of the parts have already made it through that "early in life" phase. So you may be skipping that part of the failure curve entirely. Yes, of course, if your stuff is covered by a warranty those early failures don't cost you any money, but they are a pain to deal with. Has anyone had a refurb that failed within warranty?

Chris, my personal and professional experience is that you are 99% correct. If there is a failure in a rebuilt unit it is usually a design flaw in the entire line. At GE we retested everything to specs, though that may not be the case with all makers.

Ray