New or refurbished ?
#1
Super Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Davenport, Iowa
Posts: 3,810
New or refurbished ?
Been looking at machines lately and several companies have the same machine both new and refurbished with a 6 month warranty on the later. Has anyone ever taken a chance on a refurbished machine and if so, did it work out for you? Or is everyone paying full retail price? A new machine with all the bells and whistles can be very very expensive!
#2
Power Poster
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Southern California
Posts: 19,127
I bought both of my Berninas at a large quilt show so they came with a full warranty but because they were used as demo machines at the show, they are called "open box". Never had any major problem with either one. I would ask for a longer warranty, at least a year. Remember, it is a lot like buying a car so there is always room for negotiating.
#7
I haven't purchased a refurbished sewing machine, but I did buy my HP printer refurbished, and it has lasted over 10 years, still going strong. I also purchased my Reliable iron refurbished. Both came with a warranty equal to the warranty on new. My take on it (at least with these appliances) is that there is always the possibility that a new item will fail because it has not been tested. These refurbished items had probably failed originally, but had received repair and additional testing, so they were probably less likely to have problems down the road.
#9
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Illinois
Posts: 2,140
Depends on the machine, the price difference & the length of warranty on the new machine.
That said, we had my mom's old Singer refurbished when I took up sewing (she barely sewed 3 things on it before it went in the closet for the next 12 years collecting dust, but there was part of a broken needle caught in bobbin compartment & the timing was off). After the repairman gave it a full work-over, it ran as good as new. When I was shopping for my new machine, I started by looking at refurbished machines, but they just didn't have any that met my requirements so I bought "new" and am not thrilled with it. It came with a NEW sales price, but it was a floor sample. That's all the place sells are floor samples. It seems very suspicious to me & I suspect they probably bought them used & fed me this nonsense line about it being a *benefit* to buy a machine that's already been test driven rather than one in a sealed box. They refused to sell me one in a sealed box, even for a higher price. They claimed they didn't have any more machines in stock except the one that was out, and yet I went back for more thread later that day and sure enough, there was another machine out on the floor.
So I guess the moral of the story is: it's not as important whether it's new or refurbished. What matters is who's selling it to you.
That said, we had my mom's old Singer refurbished when I took up sewing (she barely sewed 3 things on it before it went in the closet for the next 12 years collecting dust, but there was part of a broken needle caught in bobbin compartment & the timing was off). After the repairman gave it a full work-over, it ran as good as new. When I was shopping for my new machine, I started by looking at refurbished machines, but they just didn't have any that met my requirements so I bought "new" and am not thrilled with it. It came with a NEW sales price, but it was a floor sample. That's all the place sells are floor samples. It seems very suspicious to me & I suspect they probably bought them used & fed me this nonsense line about it being a *benefit* to buy a machine that's already been test driven rather than one in a sealed box. They refused to sell me one in a sealed box, even for a higher price. They claimed they didn't have any more machines in stock except the one that was out, and yet I went back for more thread later that day and sure enough, there was another machine out on the floor.
So I guess the moral of the story is: it's not as important whether it's new or refurbished. What matters is who's selling it to you.
#10
I purchased my Brother PC6500 combo machine as a refurbished machine in 2007. It has been a WONDERFUL machine! It came with a one year store warranty and the regular full Brother Warranty since I bought it from a Brother Dealer. It was a true refurbish, not a used machine that had been traded in and resold by the dealer. If you are buying from a dealer I say go for it. If you are buying at Big Lots you may not be so pleased.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
dunster
For Vintage & Antique Machine Enthusiasts
41
08-28-2012 05:27 AM