tl;dr: I would trust a Garmin refurb if it was actually refurbed by Garmin and warrantied by Garmin.

This depends on a ton on the company standing behind the refurb and what they claim to do to the product. I have had great refurb experience in my lifetime, and that is generally my preferred path when available. But, I only buy refurbs that are actually refurbished by the manufacturer and issued a new warranty by the manufacturer. Apple is great, Yamaha audio is great, Canon cameras are great. By contrast, I would never buy a BestBuy, generic Amazon, Newegg, etc. refurb where they simply got a product back on a return and reboxed it. The manufacturers that promise some level of rigor of testing and verification are the way to go.

I bought my 920xt 2.5 years ago as a refurb. I can't speak to customer service... Because it's been flawless. In theory, the warranty was the same as new.

The watch in question is actually an F5 Amazon refurb. It says certified refurb for what it’s worth. Which comes with an Amazon backed 90 day warranty. For only $341 seems like a deal. But my worry is day 91 my screen bonks out and I’m spending more money.

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I still lapped everyone on the couch!

I'd go witht the refurb, IME Garmin's tend to be pretty solid.

The flip side to all of the positive comments, I'm lukewarm to the idea, and no way I would buy something as spendy as the F5 refurb. Wife and I both bought the Vivoactive refurbs, mine almost made it a year (well, it still "works" but the screen has a sizeable dead area, that migrates around) Hers is at 18 months, and it finally gave up the ghost - but it's always been an issue with the watch re starting and losing her steps for the day. Not a huge deal, but we are competitive by nature, and when her number starts over, its a bummer for her.

I'd only get a Garmin refurbed item, and even then I would be a little leery. You know there is going to be a little less "goodwill" outside warranty with a watch you purchased at 40% off.

A key here is 'Amazon backed warranty '. Does that mean that they just ship you another returned watch if yours chokes in the 1st 3 months? Or is it really a 'return to Garmin' scenario?

Did you contact Garmin by chance? It wasn’t a refurb but my VAHR was ruined in the pool and they replaced it.

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I still lapped everyone on the couch!

We didn't on mine (since I got the F5X) but my wife has, and they just walked her through some software tweaks.

These were Amazon refurbs too.

There's no additional risk compared to a brand new device. If available, ALWAYS get the 2-4 year insurance that eBay and Amazon offer. It's extremely inexpensive and I've benefited from it on several electronics purchases.

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Yes! Canon has consistently had amazing customer service over the years. Can't say enough good things about that company.

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I would pass. This is not refurbished by Garmin nor warranted by Garmin. By contrast, Garmin refurbished products have a 1-year Garmin warranty. Life is easy. Amazon simply contracts with a generic company to clean up a used watch and replace the band. They state that it looks good "when held 12 inches away" and the battery is "least 80% capacity relative to new." Right. You would have better luck on Craigslist.

^^^ this, same experience for me

I would add that mine was a FACTORY refurb with a new warranty.

Do you have a garmin now? If so give them a call, a few years ago they offered a short of trade up program if you called and said there was something wrong with your current watch. I had a 910xt and crashed 3 weeks after getting it, scratched the heck out of the screen. Called about a year later just to see if they could clean up the screen and they offered me a refurb 910 for like $100 or a 920 for like $200 or $250. Not sure if they still have the program. but worth a shot!

Were you meaning to reply to the OP? I'm not in the market for a new watch.

My F5 is a refurb since my original (new) one went to needing to be charged daily by the 8 month mark. Indistinguishable from new other than the refurb replacement came in bubble wrap with no documentation or cable.

Get the insurance. Amazon and eBay generally offer 2 to 4 year coverage (Square Trade or Assurion). I've had two phones covered, no questions asked.

Edit. If the price sounds good to you, I wouldn't even give it a second thought. And I would take the Square Trade or Assurion coverage over a manufacturers warranty any day. They write you a gift certificate for the amount you paid and you can use it on whatever you want.

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I purchased a used 920XT on ebay and after about 18 months, the barometer failed. I couldn't really have cared less, but I contacted Garmin anyway. They replaced it for $89 and I gave the old one to a friend. I totally could have sold the new one on ebay for over $200 though.

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