Refurbished MiniDV Camcorders

I had 5 occasions to buy refurbished MiniDV Camcorders for my media classes. I was frankly skeptical about buying a used electronic device. Who knew where it had been or who had used or abused it. But, it turned out to be a very good experience BECAUSE I was able to buy a two year warranty. In 4 of the 5 cases, the camcorders worked fine. I needed camcorders that weren't too expensive but I did need them to work. Usually, most people don't wear out MiniDV camcorders because they use them just for family or vacation situations, so if you know that's the type of camcorder you are getting it's a pretty good bet it will work for many more years. Professional videographers usually trade up to newer better models fairly quickly so camcorders like the Canon XL series, purchased from a reputable reseller should be a good buy. But camcorders are digital and mechanical so sometimes it may have come from the factory with problems not caused by use. My next concern was that the warranty wasn't going to do what it promised. That proved to be unfounded. One of the used camcorders I bought failed fairly quickly and I sent it back to the warranty company. After they confirmed the camcorder wasn't working, they issued a full refund with no questions asked. If you buy used, make sure the company is reputable, research the warranty company and try to buy from a reseller who deals only in electronics. Soon they won't make miniDV camcorders anymore, and like VHS, Sony 8 and Hi8 camcorders, you won't have a choice but to buy used. You will still be able to look at miniDV camcorder reviews to see what reviewers ranked as the best miniDV camcorder for that particular year, so make sure you buy what was ranked highest when they were made. As long as you do your homework on the make and model and find a reseller with a good reputation, you should be very happy with your refurbished camcorder.