What is it with refurbished drives?

Specifically the warranty period. Here is one on Woot (http://computers.woot.com/?ref=gh_cp_3) an Hitachi GST HDS5C4040ALE630 4TB drive for $120 US + shipping. It comes with a 60 day warranty. Factory warranty is 3 years. It's available new for about $150 on Amazon and newegg lists it as discontinued.

Why don't the manufacturers (assuming it is them who refurbish) provide a longer warranty? It makes me think they have no confidence in their work.

Newegg has a refurbished 3TB WD green drive for $100 US with a 90 day . They sell it new with a 2 year warranty for $110.

I would pay those prices for the refurbs if they had the full warranty, but with the short warranty period, I cannot imagine anyone buying these.

What am I missing?

/rant

With those $10 differences, I'll opt for new.

I dunno about the lame short warranties, makes no sense.

it makes sense. just about any electronic you buy at walmart or any other place you can get a 3 year warranty for like $5.... so you are basically paying $10 for more warranty.

HankB said:

Why don't the manufacturers (assuming it is them who refurbish) provide a longer warranty?

Click to expand...

Be cause neither the manufacturer nor anyone else actually refurbishes the drives but just checks them.

Apparently the situation was way different about 15 years ago, when somebody someone at WD's user forums said returned drives were stripped of every mechanical part, and about the only thing reused was the aluminum casting, which itself was stripped of its anti-stick coating and a new coating applied.