There are grading labels
A reliable provider divides its stock into fixed condition classes and explains what each class means. With us there are five, described per component — you can read it further down this page.
Every machine we sell is technically fully checked. What differs per device is the appearance: one is hardly distinguishable from new, the other shows visible signs of four years of office work. That is why we give every laptop a condition, so you know in advance what you are getting.
A lower condition therefore does not mean the machine works less well. Only that it looks more used and is therefore cheaper. It is precisely these grading labels that make a refurbished laptop reliable: you know in advance exactly what lands on your doormat.
Yes, provided you can verify what you are getting. A refurbished laptop is reliable when the seller makes its condition measurable instead of settling for "in neat condition". Here is how you recognise it:
A reliable provider divides its stock into fixed condition classes and explains what each class means. With us there are five, described per component — you can read it further down this page.
"Light signs of use" says nothing; 40 centimetres viewing distance and a battery of at least 80% say everything. What you can measure, you can keep to.
Whoever trusts their own work dares to give a warranty on it. With us by default two years, extendable to four, see the warranty policy.
We apply this way of working to one product line: our refurbished laptops are without exception a Lenovo ThinkPad. We know one brand down to the details and that makes a judgement on condition much more precise than at a shop that sells everything.
From factory new to visibly used. The dashes indicate how many signs of use you can expect.
A new, unused item in the original packaging, including all supplied accessories. The box has been opened by us to check the contents; nothing else has been done with it.
An apparently unused device in excellent condition. On the touchpad, keyboard and screen there is hardly anything to see. At most one scratch of less than a centimetre, which you will not notice from 40 cm away.
In very good condition and mainly briefly used. There are light marks, but you only see them when you have your nose right on top of it. On the sides you do not see while working — the underside, the back — there may be more noticeable marks.
That includes the spot where a sticker from the previous owner once was. We remove it and that spot is cleaned; you will not feel any sticky residue. What you may still sometimes see is a slight imprint in the casing, proof that something used to be there.
For most customers this is the best balance between appearance and price.
Light wear that you also see at normal viewing distance: on the casing, the keyboard and sometimes a light scratch on the screen. The underside may show cosmetic imperfections. Technically everything works as it should.
If there is a keyboard imprint on the screen that you also notice while working, the device rightly ends up in this class and not in "excellent".
The device is recognisably used: scratches on the casing, a light keyboard imprint on the screen, or a single lighter spot in the image. These machines too are fully tested and work without defects — you consciously choose appearance in exchange for price.
What you can expect per class from the six components we look at. "Brand new" is not included: that is an unused device in the original box.
| Component | Like newLooks like a new product | ExcellentMost chosen | GoodVisibly used | With signs of useBest value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | Not a mark to be seen, not even with the screen off. | No spots. At most a slight scratch, not visible with the screen on. | A spot or light scratches that you see while working. | Clear keyboard imprint or a lighter spot in the image. |
| Keyboard | Keys intact, no shine on the most used keys. | Very slight shine, only visible up close. Print fully intact. | Visible shine on the frequently used keys. All letters still clearly legible. | Shine and light wear on some keys. Everything works unchanged. |
| Trackpad | No signs of use. | Hardly any marks, only visible under oblique light. | Visibly used surface, click action unchanged. | A clear wear spot where the finger has rested. |
| Case and top cover | Undamaged, as if from the box. | A few hairline scratches that you do not notice from 40 cm away. | Light scratches visible at normal viewing distance. | Scratches and signs of use clearly visible, no cracks. |
| Sides | Intact around all ports. | At most a hairline scratch around a port or at the hinges. | Light scratches along the edges, no dents. | Scratches and possibly a small dent. All ports tested and working. |
| Back | Intact, no imprint of a sticker. | May carry the imprint of a removed sticker; cleaned, no sticky residue. | Scratches and imprints visible. | Clear scratches and imprints from previous use. |
On a narrow screen you can scroll the table left and right.
By far most customers order a device in the condition excellent. In their reviews we then read time and again that the laptop looked like new when unpacked.
That is because when assessing we are sometimes too critical about one detail. A device with an intact casing, an intact keyboard and one faint imprint on the screen of less than a centimetre does not get "like new" from us but "excellent" — even if you do not see that detail while working. So we would rather lower the class than your expectation.
"Light signs of use" is an elastic concept. That is why we measure it against a fixed distance: 40 centimetres, roughly how far your eyes are from the screen when you work behind the laptop.
If you do not see a mark at that distance, it does not count for us when determining the condition. That way every colleague assesses a machine in the same way, and you get no surprise when unpacking.
Not one stamp and done. A machine is judged at three moments, by different pairs of eyes — because the difference between two classes is sometimes in a single scratch.
Even before a batch arrives, we look at the condition of the devices. What does not meet our requirements, we do not buy — that prevents disappointments further along the process.
When the machine goes into the system, it is assessed again and recorded: casing, screen, keyboard, touchpad and underside viewed separately. This judgement determines the condition you see on the product page.
Just before packing, a colleague looks at it one more time. If a device is just below or just above the boundary of a class, the judgement is adjusted at that moment. A machine can therefore still move up a class just before shipping.
A laptop does not get the average of its components, but the judgement of the component in the worst shape. One small mark on the screen therefore weighs more heavily than an intact casing.
In this example the casing is indistinguishable from new. Yet the device does not end up in the "like new" class, because there is a small imprint of less than a centimetre on the screen. That one detail determines the class.
For that imprint two strict conditions apply with us: it must not be deep , and you must not be bothered by it while working — you only see it when the screen is off. If the imprint is visible while you work, it is no longer "excellent", but the device gets the condition good.
We know that we are thereby strict with ourselves. Our reviews show that customers regularly experience a device in the condition "excellent" as new when they unpack it. That is exactly the intention: rather a customer who is pleasantly surprised than a customer who wonders where that scratch came from.
You look at the screen all day; at the underside of the casing almost never. That is why we assess the screen as a separate component and weigh marks there more heavily. We look at each panel twice: off, where imprints and scratches become visible, and on, with an even white and black image.
Like new
Even with the screen offNot a single mark to be seen — not even when the screen is off and you hold the panel at an angle to the light. This is the strictest of our three screen classes and occurs in only some of the devices.
Excellent
Nothing to see with the screen onNo spots. At most slight scratches or a faint imprint from the previous owner, and those do not occur often. What matters is that you notice nothing of it as long as the screen is on. If you only see it when you turn the device off and hold it up to the light, it falls in this class.
Good
Visible while workingHere you may see a spot or light scratches while working. These are not marks that bother you — you can simply work, read and video call — but you clearly see that the device has been used. A lower price comes with that.
We tried it out: if you buy a laptop in new condition and carry it around without anything soft between the keyboard and the screen, the keyboard imprints itself on the panel. It is not a defect of refurbished equipment, but of how a closed laptop is simply built.
That is also the reason that excellent is our most chosen condition: you do not pay extra for a perfection that disappears after a few weeks in your bag anyway. Do you want that anyway? Then choose "like new" and put a cloth in between.
The condition says something about the appearance. On the technology we make no concessions, in whichever class.
A matter of what you use the device for and how much the appearance is worth to you.
Choose excellent. You get a machine that looks well cared for without paying for a perfect specimen.
Choose excellent, like new or brand new. If you sit with the laptop at the table with clients, appearance counts — and with excellent in particular nobody notices anything as long as the screen is on.
Choose excellent or good. With dozens of workstations the technology weighs more than a scratch on the underside, and with these two classes you still keep the picture tidy. Request a quote .
The condition is stated on the product page for each product. Can't figure it out, or want to know what a class means in practice for the model you have your eye on? Ask your question, and we will think along with you. You can read more about our way of working at what refurbished means to us.
Popular with this laptop