You can find refurbished products all over the place. You may even find that we will recommend them from time to time, but... (but but but but... major... but), we don't recommend just any refurbished products. "Factory Refurbished" products are the only ones we recommend, the parts under the hood get replaced if damaged, and the body gets parts replaced if the damage is beyond subtle blemishes.
If it's beyond economical repair, the company will offer a replacement... which is usually always a factory refurbished equivalent. There are times when you can get a new replacement, which usually happens when the product has issues/damage right out of the box or didn't function properly within that window.
Buying from a retailer may not be a bad thing... but it would have to be the third-party seller actually selling first-party factory refurbished items. If a third party isn't selling products based on this type of refurbished option... it's not worth it. Don't let your urge get the best of you.
I would even go as far as saying... if you can get the tech brand new for just a little more, go new. You can get the new warranty, the ability to replace it with a new option if there is an issue, and it wouldn't have any miles on it. If you're saving good money and it helps you land a product you need... have at it.
Take a look at this video from the CBC Marketplace team if you'd like a clearer picture of why you should avoid third-party refurbished tech. I don't know if every company delivers the same iffy results, just remember... the cheap can come out expensive if you don't play it smart.
Here are some of the factory/certified refurbished options:
The first thing I noticed about the Lenovo Q24i-10 is how nice it looked, and I was going to write an article merely eyeing it down... but I figured it would be great to actually review it. Before that, check out this little unboxing... that I believed had enough light at the time.
Build:In a nutshell, the build quality of this monitor feels good. The base is a useful + sturdy metal base and... delivers a combined weight of 9.92lbs with the monitor attached. Other than that particular section where you connect the base on the monitor, it's nice and flat... and would look nice on a dual mount. As seen in the unboxing video... you can sit a keyboard right on the mount and make use of that space. This really comes in handy for those desks that lack the space like some of the wall-mounted desks (that I'd be terrified to put anything on).
The monitor is adjustable by tilting it at the desired angle(-5° / 22°) in the top part of the stand. You can't do the same near the base of the stand... from what I see (I'm reaching out to Lenovo for a solution). If it's not adjustable (which isn't displayed anywhere I've looked) that's a missed opportunity to allow for height adjustment... because right now my monitors are staggard.
The monitor also includes a Kensington Lock, a near edgeless display, an HDMI, VGA (which should've been at least a DVI or a Displayport), and an audio out (3.5mm). Also, one thing that I really really like about this monitor is the unique feature they have for cable management. I love tech, but wires annoy me... so to have the little hook on the stand is a very nice touch.
By the way, the Lenovo Q24i-10 comes with a 1 year warranty with an A+ Energy Rating.
Visuals: As far as visuals go... I've used these monitors to game, edit video, images, watched videos, and all that good stuff. Out of the box, the monitor's refresh rate is 60Hz, but... you can increase it to 75Hz for an even smoother picture. If you don't know... the refresh rate is the number of times your monitor updates with new images each second. 60Hz delivers 60FPS... which isn't exactly 120Hz or higher, but it hasn't skipped a beat.
You have Standard, Game, Web, Movie, and Picture Modes... which deliver different brightness options but I will probably stick with the standard. I rarely ever use anything outside of the power button.
This monitor also features the AMD FreeSync Technology, which is an adaptive synchronization tech for (liquid-crystal) displays that support various refresh rates to avoid tearing + reducing the risk of stuttering. To get this certification, a monitor goes through a process to ensure the monitor delivers a tear-free, low latency experience.
The rest of the specs are as follows:
Resolution 1920 x 1080 (FHD)
LED Backlight
75Hz - 50Hz Refresh Rate
Monitor Size 23.8-inch
Brightness: 250 cd/㎡
16:9 Aspect Ratio
YCbCr444 Color Format
Standard dynamic range (SDR) color space.
Response Time 4ms (Extreme Mode), 6ms (Normal Mode)
Panel Type: In-Plane-Switching
Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
16.7 Million Color Support
Eye Care Support
Audio: You have an audio out (3.5mm) on the Lenovo Q24i-10 monitor... which is a nice touch if you want to connect speakers or headphones + you also have 2 x 3W speakers under the hood. I'd definitely recommend using your third-party speakers or a headset because the on-board audio is... subpar at best.
If you need the speakers... they're a nice little addition for audio playback, but that's about it. They try to give you some sorta oomph for what it's worth, but the lows are shy in comparison to the highs and... you really have to crank the volume to hear the audio (I had to turn the monitor up 90+% and my standard PC volume up 90+% to hear it on a decent low). A decent low would be the volume you can hear that's acceptable to parents or your significant other so that it doesn't interrupt anything they're trying to hear, but I wouldn't use this monitor for movie night.
I would've paid a little more for better audio... but Lenovo could've made the Lenovo Soundbar compatible as well. Then again, I probably wouldn't use it anyway and would've opted for a more adjustable stand.
Price: Price wise you can get the Lenovo Q24i-10 for... $189.99. If you can get it on sale... don't hesitate, unless you find one with better specs. I did some research and $200 is usually the threshold before you find the specs really start to rise (in the resolution + refresh rate department). When it comes to monitors under $200 or those in the lower $200s I found this the most appealing option... which is why I have two. Thought about the curved monitor, love the features, but I'm just not ready to shell out the coins for that.
Build 4 (I can't give it a 5 if I can't line up the monitors)
Multiple monitors... widescreen monitors... I love em' (duh of the day). These are things I enjoy without a shadow of a doubt because they provide the screen space for better productivity. I'm sure many of you agree, especially if you're one of the many out there that need to switch between apps.
Gaming is a plus if you want to increase the monitor size for your pleasure, but... even still these monitors can fall a bit short (for me at least). Multiple monitors give me more productivity and a larger viewing space for gaming... but its divided between bezels. The standard widescreen monitor gets the job done for gaming on a larger screen, but... I still wouldn't go that route for a new monitor (I'll highlight my reasons for this).
Now if a company sent me a widescreen monitor... I wouldn't just turn it down because it wasn't the specific type that I wanted, heck no, but if I were going take some coins out of my Pikachu coin bank... it's going to be for what I have my eyes set on. What might that be? A curved monitor of course!!! Right now, as far as upgrades go... that's one of the few things I can think of as far as actual upgrades go because it's a step forward in functionality for me.
A curved monitor would be my monitor of choice for productivity and PC gaming. Anything else... I'd just use the telly. A curved monitor gives that widescreen view but... unlike the standard widescreen monitor, the curves allow for a comfortable viewing zone.
Multiple monitor setups can achieve this by turning them towards you based on your position... but its just simpler with a curved monitor without being broken up between separate screens. The list of pluses don't stop there. The pluses of getting one of the more modern curved monitors like the Samsung CJ890... is the ability to utilize a built-in KVM Switch. As seen in the image here... you can connect a notebook, and even a cellphone via the DeX Station (a potential plus to capture on-screen video while streaming or something without the need to open software).
You can split the screen up the way you want... and it's all accessible from a single keyboard, mouse, monitors, and speakers. I just think that's awesome... because productivity can go up without jumping from system to system.
The Samsung C43J89 is a monitor I've had my eye on since last year sometime and it covers the specs that work for me. Going back to the old Pikachu coin back... I still wouldn't settle until I've compared a number of monitors at this $800 price point (especially if it can result in saving money without losing what matters). This is also a VA panel... but that's not the end of the world. I wouldn't go over $1000, there are plenty of monitors below a grand to appreciate... like the CJ890. This isn't exactly a review but... I have my eye on a variety of tech so stay tuned.
Here are the specs for the Samsung C43J89:
Screen Size 43"
Resolution 3840 x 1200
Display Type VA
Aspect Ratio 32:10
Height Adjustable Stand (it also swivels & tilts)
Wall Mountable... although I'm not a fan of placing mounts on my wall.
Flicker Free
Built-in KVM switch
2 x USB Type-C ports
HDMI
Display Port
Refresh Rate 120Hz
Built-In Stereo Speakers
