If you’re looking to buy a laptop this Christmas, here’s how you can save money and help the environment

CFA Trading has been in the IT refurbishment sector for over 10 years and in that time we have seen a huge change in consumer attitudes and buying habits when it comes to our refurbished products.

As the world becomes more environmentally conscious, both retailers and consumers are under increasing pressure to help reduce the 2 million tonnes of electrical waste that the UK produces each year (according to the Health and Safety Executive) and why adopting a circular economy approach is the key to ensuring that materials are being used multiple times. 

So, buying a refurbished lap-top is not only better for the environment, it also make sense economically for consumers. In my opinion buying a new lap-top is a false economy and buying a refurbished laptop can mean you have a higher specification model that will last 2 –3 years longer than a new Packard Bell laptop. It’s like buying a brand new Corsa - it will have all new parts and do a job, but a similarly priced, higher mileage, second-hand Mercedes-Benz is built to a much higher standard and is a far superior machine in every department.

Another point to consider is that most manufacturers, like Lenovo, Dell and HP, will have a consumer side and a corporate side. Although these laptops can often look similar it’s under the hood that makes the real difference.

So, here is why buying a 3-year-old ex-corporate laptop is better than buying a brand-new lap-top from PC world;

1. The original price of an ex-corporate machine, like a Lenovo ThinkPad, would originally have been between ￡800-￡2000. The reason? They are built from the ground up to be as reliable as possible. For example, a Lenovo ThinkPad case will be constructed from magnesium, carbon fibre reinforced plastic or titanium composite cases. They will also feature new innovations, such as TrackPoint pointing device, stainless steel hinges and improved security solutions.
2. The components. The motherboard connections will be made of higher grade materials so information going between the RAM CPU and hard drive will be much quicker. Most ex-corporate laptops will have been used most days for up to 3–5 years. Now you may not think this is a good thing, but again, likening it to a car, it is better to buy one that has been used regularly on a motorway, rather than a car which has been used just once a week and has very low mileage. Machines are designed to be used and corporate laptops are designed to last a minimum of five years and most will last over 10 years.
3. Spare parts are much easier to get for an ex-corporate laptop. The reason is that most leasing cycles last between 3-5 years. Most manufacturers keep parts in stock and available for this period and an additional five years after the model is discontinued. If you have an entire sales force of 10,000 people on only one model, you need the parts, otherwise you may have to buy a new laptop.
4. Security. It is also a lot easier for security settings and loading OS or other Apps if you are just doing it onto one model with one chipset etc.
5. Generally, corporate laptop models are sold in larger volumes. So even when spare parts are no longer made, you should be able to pick up parts via Amazon or eBay.
6. Corporate laptops are generally modular in design and are easier to upgrade. To keep costs down, consumer laptops will have the CPU, RAM and HDD built directly onto the motherboard, but you will be able to swap those over on a corporate laptop.
7. Security features on a corporate laptop will be much higher than on a consumer laptop.

All products at CFA are rigorously tested and refurbished to the highest standards possible. We are one of the top refurbishers in Europe and our work has been recognised by Microsoft.

Our products also come with a better than new 12-month warranty as standard, with the ability to upgrade to 3 years. The reason we say better than new is we will pick the goods up and 99% of our repairs are done within 72 hours of the laptop arriving with us. So unlike some retailers, you will not be without your laptop for long.

We are proud of the services that we offer and for the small part that we are playing in helping to change consumer behavior and attitudes – and the impact that will have on the environment.

Leon Lindblad, Founder, CFA Trading