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Why buy refurbished?

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:

• Are they KV Labs Certified? KV Labs is a third party product certification firm where companies can post test reports for their products.
• Always ask for test reports. Online test reports are the best because you can check them when needed, and they can't be fabricated after you ask for it (yes, it happens in this business).
• Ask for their physical location, and look it up on Google Maps. Many online shops are brokers working out of garages. This is bad for you - they have no control over their product quality.
• Ask the names of their support staff – talk to an engineer (they should have one) or field technician.
• Ask them to provide a copy of their insurance policy (it should be $10MM or higher). You want them to stand behind their products - even if there's a disaster.

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

10 Facts About Buying Refurbished Electrical Equipment

Fact: Relectric Supply inspects, tests, and certifies RECONDITIONED products.
Fact: Electrical Equipment is not easy to refurbish. Only trust certified dealers.
Fact: Not many of our competitors provide KV Labs Certified products. RELECTRIC does.
Fact: RELECTRIC has a proprietary 34-step, point-by-point process for certifying products.
Fact: Many companies say "CERTIFIED GREEN" or REFURBISHED and mean UN-TESTED.
Fact: If your supplier can't give you a test report, you probably can't trust the product.
Fact: RELECTRIC's test reports are online - from the moment your order ships.
Fact: The difference between used and refurbished isn't just appearance.
Fact: Faulty (un-tested) equipment can cause fire, equipment damage, or death.
Fact: RELECTRIC Supply utilizes cutting edge, digital testing equipment - accurate to
         .01 Amp and .001 second.
Fact: RELECTRIC is the safe choice for quality refurbished electrical equipment.

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