Batteries, "Refurbished," and other video camera thoughts

[MusicalADD]

I was looking at Woot (dot com) and they have a video camera on sale today that kind of interests me -- a Kodak Zi6. Similar to one of those Flip video cameras I gather. This is not Kodak's latest (the Zi8 is out, I think), but the Zi6 does have one feature that I like -- it can use rechargeable AA batteries.

(I like AA cameras because I have a bunch of very high capacity AA rechareables. So, if I'm at a festival, say, I can bring a bunch of AAs and swap them as needed. Unfortunately most camcorders have their own, not-so-standard, expensive-to-replace built-in rechargeable batteries. So anyway, I'd like a video camera that could use AAs.)

So I was just about to order the Zi6, and then I noticed -- "Refurbished." Hmm... what exactly does that mean?

I like the idea of a company refurbishing things, as that sounds environmentally responsible etc. But, it seems like most electronic gadgets are really not designed to be refurbished. If your camera is defective and you send it back, I suspect that the manufacturer usually will toss it and replace it rather than repair it, as typical gadgets these days probably aren't designed to be disassembled and repaired. (Are they?)

So I did a little searching, on Amazon, on eBay... there are plenty of folks selling refurbished Zi6 cameras, it seems. What's up with that? Why so many refurbished Zi6's?

Maybe it works like this -- maybe, whenever someone buys a Zi6 (just as an example), and they return it for whatever reason, it can't be sold as new, even if it's in perfectly good working order, so... they test it, rebox it, and sell it as refurbished? I'm just guessing. I can imagine the reboxing of returned items a lot more easily than I can imagine Kodak (or any other camera maker) actually being able to repair entry-level video cameras.

So anyway. Woot will probably sell out of the refurbished Zi6's before I can make up my mind. So, anyone have a video camera they love that runs on AAs?

[fearfaoin]

Consumer products are very refurbishable.
Sometimes a chip maker has a bad run of
chips, but doesn't realize it until products
using that chip are out. So a refurbisher
could just unsolder the chip and replace it.

Or something mechanical goes bad in the
lens structure, in which case the whole
lens subsystem might be replaced. Or the
software might need patching.

The nice thing about refurbished products
is that you're sure it's been tested pretty
thoroughly by a human technician.

[BillChin]

I've had decent luck with refurbished or open box items. My current TV and MP3 player are both refurbished, and for the most part work well. My older TV was an open box item in a local store.

Items are returned for a myriad of reasons. Sometimes the problem and fix is relatively easy. The testing is rather thorough, much more testing than new products get.

Sorry, can't help on camera choice. More and more items are going with proprietary batteries, because the makers and dealers see that as another revenue stream. A spare battery might cost $70 or more vs. $2 to $10 for a set of AA rechargeables.

[missy]

I've got two MP3 "refurbished" players off of Woot (both are Sandisks) and they work just fine.

[trill]

Here's my refurb story:

In 1987 I bought a nice Canon camera. Loved it (compact, auto-focus, waterproof, date-stamp)

About 1993, I started noticing a consistent patch of blur, but just lived with it.

1996, camera falls off my car at ~30mph (doh!). Camera now rattles when moved.

I called Canon and they quoted $35 to inspect, do a "standard" refurb, and price other repairs if needed. I really liked the camera, so I shipped it to them with a note explaining the blurry spot. For the $35, they fixed the rattle, replaced the lens stack (which fixed the blur), and sent it back.

2009: got a digicam. The Canon now sits on shelf, retired with dignity. I probably shot 5 or 10 rolls of film a year. Thats 22 years of reliable service, with one pit-stop for a re-furb halfway through.

trill