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Newish. Lovingly restored. Gently used. Nearly new.
There are a lot of ways to position something old as new again but when it comes to blenders, do you really want anything but new, new?
We decided to investigate what the heck they mean by 'refurbished' or 'reconditioned' blenders and if they're worth it.
If you've done any shopping for a high-end blender, you've probably seen the refurbished option. It's significantly cheaper and looks just like the brand-spanking new one. So, what's the difference, where do they come from and will your thriftiness land you a lemon?
We'll admit it. We like shiny and new and we were more than a little skeptical going in. As you may know by now, we're big fans of Blendtec blenders (such big fans, we became affiliates), so that's where we turned for answers. We wanted to know how they do it and how they can guarantee a good experience.
The first question (reservation, really) was the ick factor of someone's past smoothie grime hiding in unseen crevices. It's not that we don't know how to clean a blender, but come on, we've all discovered a speck or two of ancient smoothie. It's one thing when it's your old smoothie but someone else's - yuck. We were immediately put at ease because refurbished blenders come with entirely NEW jars. New. Phew.
The next thing we wondered about was the life of the motor. We can't very well check under the hood so how do we know if our blender's past life was spent at the back of a shelf collecting dust or whipping up 10 smoothies an hour at a yoga studio? Turns out, it doesn't really matter. The mechanical elements of each blender are completely overhauled (pause here to picture Ryan Gosling rebuilding his car, okay, moving on) at Blendtec's factory. And, even if it does crap out on you, the refurbished blenders come with a 7-year warranty. Seven years; that's a pretty serious commitment, if you ask us!
We're starting to be swayed and our frugal fingers are tingling with savings anticipation. One last question (because we're hardnosed investigators); where do these blenders come from? Apparently, most blenders are either slightly used returns or were returned under warranty requiring a minor (read, fixable) repair. This is our only hesitation. You really don't know if you refurbished blender was just a return or had blown out but Blendtec assured us that each one goes through a full reconditioning and is tested the same way a new one would be. They also say that, in most cases, you can't tell the difference between new and refurbished.
We went in skeptical and came out surprisingly in favour of the refurbished option. It seems like Blendtec will have your blender's back and that they really do put a lot into making them nearly-new again. Plus, and this is the part we really love, going with a reconditioned blender keeps blenders out of the land fill and you know we love any and all eco-efforts.
Our final say: If you have to have new, we can't fault you, but if you want a high-powered blender for a little less, our money is on the refurbished - and the money we save is going towards a new pair of yoga pants!
BONUS: We just got word that Blendtec is offering $100 off refurbished blenders and throwing free shipping in too! Click here to get the deal.
Disclosure: tuja wellness participates in select affiliate marketing - we only work with companies we trust and believe in. We're an affiliate of Blendtec, meaning we receive a small commission should you use the links provided in this article and make an online purchase. This helps keep the lights on at tuja so if you are going to buy a Blendtec blender anyway, we really appreciate you using our links to do it.
Note: Green Smoothie Challenge registrants can also get Free Shipping on any blender by using the coupon code TUJA (and using our tuja affiliate link).
