Why buy refubished?

It’s easy for a circuit breaker dealer to guarantee a product for 12 months – their risk is that they might have to replace some circuit breakers when they fail. In truth, they KNOW some of their breakers are going to fail, but here’s the big secret - it’s cheaper for the dealer to ship untested circuit breakers. They’d rather wait for a breaker to fail and send a replacement – no cost to them other than the cost to replace it, right?

So what’s the problem?

What about the equipment that got damaged by the breaker that failed to trip? What about the building that burned to the ground after a faulty main circuit breaker caused a structure fire? Guess who gets to eat those costs – you.

Then why even bother with refurbished equipment? First and foremost, you’ll save money. But what you might not know is that if it’s done right, refurbished equipment undergoes more testing and quality checks than it does off of the factory assembly line.

There are a number of reputable surplus breaker dealers around the country. Here are some things to think about the next time you order from your normal supplier:

  • ask about their support staff – talk to an engineer (they should have one)
  • ask them if they can provide you with digital test reports for their products
  • make sure the company is backed by a multi-million dollar insurance policy
  • make sure they have product in house (there are a lot of “brokers” out there that don’t support their own products)


  • If they can’t do all of those things, it may be worth hunting for a new source.

    Facts about Refurbished Equipment

    Fact: Faulty (un-tested) equipment CAN cause fire, equipment damage, or death.
    Fact: The difference between USED and REFURBISHED isn’t just appearance.
    Fact: Many surplus dealers say USED or RECONDITIONED and mean UN-TESTED.
    Fact: All Breakers utilizes state-of-the-art digital testing equipment, accurate to the .01 Amp and .001 second.


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