Forty-one
tests. One
honest grade.
Every machine you buy from us — regardless of brand, price, or grade — goes through the same 41-point inspection before it ships. That means you get a clear, honest picture of its condition at the time of sale: what we checked, what we found, and what it earned. No vague adjectives, no stock photos, no surprises when it arrives.
Ten stages. Forty-one checks.
No skipped boxes.
Every machine, regardless of brand or grade, runs the same path through our bench. Below is the actual checklist our techs sign off on before a unit moves to packaging.
Intake & ID
We record the machine's identity and clear any activation locks before anything else begins.
- Serial + asset tag logged
- Original spec confirmed
- BIOS firmware version captured
- Ownership / activation lock cleared
- Functional baseline boot
Data sanitization
The previous owner's data is completely removed so you start with a clean slate.
- BIOS reset to factory defaults
- DoD-grade 3-pass drive wipe (upon request)
- Certificate of data destruction (upon request)
Power & battery
We confirm the machine charges correctly and measure how much usable capacity the battery still has.
- AC adapter under load
- Battery design vs. full capacity
- Battery cycle count logged
- Battery charges and holds power normally
- Sleep / wake power draw
Display & optics
The screen is checked for dead pixels and brightness problems, and the webcam and hinge are tested.
- Pixel grid scan
- Brightness uniformity
- Hinge tension & friction
- Webcam + IR sensor
Logic board
The processor and memory are pushed hard under load to surface any issues that only appear under pressure.
- CPU stress run (15 min)
- Thermal load + fan curve
- RAM speed and capacity recognized correctly by the system
- Full memory test pattern
- GPU stress + display driver check
Storage
The drive is checked for speed, health, and any bad sectors that could cause problems down the line.
- SSD SMART read
- Sequential write benchmark
- Bad block surface scan
Ports & I/O
Every port, slot, and jack is tested with a live device to confirm it actually works.
- Every USB-A / C / Thunderbolt
- HDMI / DisplayPort output
- SD reader + Ethernet
- Audio in/out + speakers + mic
Wireless
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios are confirmed to be actively broadcasting and receiving — not just listed in firmware.
- Wi-Fi 2.4 / 5 / 6 GHz
- Bluetooth signal verified (broadcasting & receiving)
- Cellular / SIM (where fitted)
Keyboard & input
Every key, the trackpad, and any biometric reader are tested for correct response.
- Every key registered
- Backlight verified
- Trackpad multi-touch
- Fingerprint / Touch ID
Cosmetic & finish
The chassis is scored, thoroughly cleaned, and any thermal paste that has degraded gets replaced.
- Chassis grade scored
- Screen surface graded
- Deep clean + IPA wipe-down
- Thermal re-paste (≥3 yrs old)
At intake
138 data points before we even open the box.
Serial, spec, firmware, battery cycle count, panel revision, every port, every chip — logged the moment a machine lands at the bench. Your machine, on file for as long as you own it.
Got a question two years from now?
Call us. Read out your serial. Formal warranty support runs for a year — but the file doesn't expire. Long after the warranty's up, we'll still pull up the exact spec, build, and bench notes for your machine and do our best to help.
What "refurbished" means here
We don't wipe and resell. We rebuild.
Every machine spends about two and a half hours on the bench. New thermal paste if it needs it. New battery if the design capacity dips. New keys, hinges, palmrests — whatever it takes to put the spec sheet back on the chassis. Then, and only then, it gets graded.
Repair, not refresh
We replace failed components — batteries, fans, keys, panels — not just clean the case.
Windows 11, no bloatware
Clean install. No trialware, no toolbars, no nags. Linux on machines Windows 11 won't accept.
Built by named hands
Every machine passes through a small team of techs in Austin — not an anonymous assembly line. Call us and you're talking to someone who works the same bench.
Warranty & support
Unless we say otherwise — one full year.
Every machine we refurbish ships with a 1-year warranty and real support from real people in Austin. If something goes wrong, you call us — not a ticket system. A small number of machines ship with a 90-day warranty. A handful — the lovingly beaten-up ones — ship as-is. We'll always tell you which.
Full warranty details →1-year warranty
Excellent, Very Good, and Fair grades. Parts and labor covered. Call us by name — no phone trees, no ticket queues.
Covers: hardware failure · DOA · spec mismatch
90-day warranty
Workhorse-grade machines and older end-of-life specs. Still bench-tested, still fully supported — just on a shorter clock.
Covers: hardware failure · DOA
WYSIWYG
What you see is what you get. Face-for-Radio grade, retired enterprise gear, salvage specials. We hope you understand — and we promise the photos are honest.
Covers: DOA only (7 days)
Windows 11, no bloatware
Or Linux if the hardware can't run 11. Either way, a clean install.
Re-pasted CPU
On any machine three years or older.
Battery floor: 80%
Or we swap the cell. No exceptions.
Repairs on us
Parts and labor covered during the warranty period. Shipping terms vary by situation — we'll always be upfront.
Ready to shop
Pick a grade. We'll do the rest.
Filter the floor by the cosmetic grade that fits your budget. Same 41-point bench, same techs, same warranty rules — different chassis stories.