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Spent $80 on a rackmount UPS that was a total waste
I picked up a used APC UPS off Craigslist for my home rack thinking I was being smart. Got it home, plugged everything in, and the battery died within 10 minutes under load. New batteries cost more than the unit itself, so now it's just a heavy paperweight. Anyone else get burned buying used UPS gear?
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drew69022d ago
Not sure I totally agree here. What were you expecting from a used UPS? It's kind of like buying a used car and being surprised the battery is shot. You check the date code on the batteries before you hand over the cash, right? And if the unit works fine besides the batteries, that's actually a decent deal - you got the inverter, charger, and all the electronics for cheap. New UPSs are pricey because of those components, not just the batteries. Slap in some fresh cells and you'd have a solid setup for way less than a brand new one. Seems like the real mistake was skipping the research, not the purchase itself.
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jennyp1921d ago
Oh totally, it reminds me of when @drew690 and I grabbed that old generator from that guy off Craigslist. Turned out the carb was full of rust, but the engine itself was solid. Everyone was like "why would you buy that?" and we just swapped the carb and it ran like new. Sometimes you gotta look past the obvious problem and see if the bones are good.
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grace_knight7019d ago
My brother-in-law @drew690 actually does the same thing with old lawn mowers. He finds them on the curb with dead engines, swaps in a used motor from a junked snowblower, and ends up with a machine that cuts better than anything you'd buy new. It's the same pattern with furniture too - my neighbor reupholstered a thrifted sofa with gross fabric but solid oak frame, and it's nicer than anything from a big box store. People focus on the surface issue and miss the foundation. You ever notice how many things get tossed just because one part is bad?
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