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expireditsamazeling | Staff posted Jun 22, 2022 06:49 PM
expireditsamazeling | Staff posted Jun 22, 2022 06:49 PM

WD Hard Drives (Refurb): 3TB Western Digital My Book External Desktop

+ Free Shipping

$50

$90

44% off
eBay
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Update: This popular deal is still available.

Western Digital via eBay has select Certified Refurbished Western Digital Drives on sale below. Shipping is free.

Thanks to Deal Hunter itsamazeling for posting this deal.
  • Note: These drives also include a 2-Year Allstate Warranty (more info). You may save an additional $15 Off your purchase when you buy 3 or more qualifying items.
Available:

Editor's Notes

Written by powerfuldoppler | Staff

Original Post

Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
Update: This popular deal is still available.

Western Digital via eBay has select Certified Refurbished Western Digital Drives on sale below. Shipping is free.

Thanks to Deal Hunter itsamazeling for posting this deal.
  • Note: These drives also include a 2-Year Allstate Warranty (more info). You may save an additional $15 Off your purchase when you buy 3 or more qualifying items.
Available:

Editor's Notes

Written by powerfuldoppler | Staff

Original Post

Community Voting

Deal Score
+93
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Top Comments

R3DTR1X
6313 Posts
1185 Reputation
For archival purposes, SMR is fine. Write once, then read mostly. It's constant read/write cycles that kill SMR drives. For important, irreplaceable files like family memories, best to make at least 2 copies and store one copy off site at a different location. I would have no problem using 2 of these drives for my photos and videos, then in the unlikely event one of them fails you will still have the other to retrieve them.
adamk77
5 Posts
14 Reputation
I've purchased one of these refurb drives and I would not recommend it. I ended up getting a refund.

I purchased it knowing fully well that these were SMR drives, but I did not expect 1 MB/sec both read/write speeds. This was transferring and reading large media files.
R3DTR1X
6313 Posts
1185 Reputation
Trash SMR drives make great plex drives

155 Comments

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Jul 01, 2022 11:19 PM
373 Posts
Joined Feb 2008
kunJul 01, 2022 11:19 PM
373 Posts
Quote from Grrrrrrrrrr :
How can I check? Interested
CrystalDiskInfo
https://crystalmark.info/en/softw...ldiskinfo/
Jul 02, 2022 08:03 PM
207 Posts
Joined Oct 2021
BlueWinter931Jul 02, 2022 08:03 PM
207 Posts
In CrystalDiskMark I got 217 read and 215 write on average. It seems really low but I know it is an HDD but wanted to check if anyone here knows if that is normal?

In CrystalDiskInfo I got 8 PowerOn count and 0 hours of operation.
Jul 02, 2022 10:51 PM
428 Posts
Joined Oct 2018
PurpleSparrow675Jul 02, 2022 10:51 PM
428 Posts
Quote from adamk77 :
I've purchased one of these refurb drives and I would not recommend it. I ended up getting a refund.

I purchased it knowing fully well that these were SMR drives, but I did not expect 1 MB/sec both read/write speeds. This was transferring and reading large media files.
How can you tell if a drive is SMR?
Jul 04, 2022 06:10 PM
3,657 Posts
Joined Nov 2012
WingsOfFJul 04, 2022 06:10 PM
3,657 Posts
Quote from nido :
Got my 5TB ones, checked with tools, say it was powered on 4 times with total of 0 hour, so basically it is just new.
If refurbished by WD they can reset those SMART data registers. It is like used car dealers rolling back the odometer. Smilie

So, it doesn't guarantee anything.

But having said that I don't think these were all used returns. Far too many in the numbers to be service return products. Most likely product line to be discontinued, or a bad batch with some issue that isn't obvious or they need to raise cash fast for cash flow reasons or the business unit for this line going away soon.

Marking it refurbished is a way of reducing warranty cost overhang.

The fact that they have outsourced the warranty service suggests that the support organization for these tools is not going to be around for the length of the full warranty term.

WD is undergoing some changes.
Jul 04, 2022 07:19 PM
7,084 Posts
Joined May 2007
DonV1962Jul 04, 2022 07:19 PM
7,084 Posts

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank DonV1962

Quote from WingsOfF :
If refurbished by WD they can reset those SMART data registers. It is like used car dealers rolling back the odometer.

So, it doesn't guarantee anything.

But having said that I don't think these were all used returns. Far too many in the numbers to be service return products. Most likely product line to be discontinued, or a bad batch with some issue that isn't obvious or they need to raise cash fast for cash flow reasons or the business unit for this line going away soon.

Marking it refurbished is a way of reducing warranty cost overhang.

The fact that they have outsourced the warranty service suggests that the support organization for these tools is not going to be around for the length of the full warranty term.

WD is undergoing some changes.
It can also be just to practice price discrimination. That can be for reasons of just having to much stock or wanting to grab more market share They have a base of customers that will pay full retail price and they have another untouched base that would if they were priced lower. Person A buys at BB at full price, if he turns around and sees the same product much cheaper at Amazon, he is a bit pissed at WD, mark some as refurbs and sell away and he is still a happy WD user. I know for fact that I have caught dozens of deals here from various manufactures that claimed refurb but were new items.
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Jul 04, 2022 07:46 PM
4,865 Posts
Joined Aug 2006
hugeJul 04, 2022 07:46 PM
4,865 Posts
5TB 2.5inch are ALL SMR drives. They are VERY VERY SLOW writes. Sometimes even LESS THAN 1MB/s, yes, that's one megabyte per second. Whereas typical drives should have 100MB/s

??
Jul 05, 2022 05:54 PM
5,182 Posts
Joined Nov 2003
gergevJul 05, 2022 05:54 PM
5,182 Posts

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Jul 05, 2022 05:57 PM
750 Posts
Joined Mar 2020

This comment has been rated as unhelpful by Slickdeals users.

Jul 05, 2022 06:03 PM
14,276 Posts
Joined May 2008
max1001Jul 05, 2022 06:03 PM
14,276 Posts
Quote from gergev :
why doesn't this work on this deal?

https://slickdeals.net/f/15881395-ebay-extra-20-off-select-items-coupon-code
It's 20 percent of "SELECT" items.
Jul 05, 2022 08:05 PM
596 Posts
Joined Mar 2007
JaydawgJul 05, 2022 08:05 PM
596 Posts
Is this powered by USB or needs a seperate power.
Jul 05, 2022 08:17 PM
10,467 Posts
Joined Jul 2003
burticusJul 05, 2022 08:17 PM
10,467 Posts
friends don't let friends buy refurb hard drives
Jul 05, 2022 08:43 PM
2,948 Posts
Joined Dec 2012
MMPGJul 05, 2022 08:43 PM
2,948 Posts
Can anyone give me a direction where to look for a way to create my own cloud storage? I want to move away from Google photo and icloud (there are android phone and iPhone in the family)? Some solutions that work for both worlds would be great.
Just got the 5TB from this deal as a starting step.
Thank you
Jul 05, 2022 09:16 PM
515 Posts
Joined Oct 2013
CourtC4337Jul 05, 2022 09:16 PM
515 Posts
Is smr a new thing? Or have most non reds/white externals been smr's in the past?
Jul 05, 2022 09:33 PM
515 Posts
Joined Oct 2013
CourtC4337Jul 05, 2022 09:33 PM
515 Posts
Quote from DonV1962 :
We have one user here saying that the drive they received was completely new and only spun up once. I ordered refurbished flash drives and they were in retail sealed packages. It may be a mix of both new and actual returns. I can't tell you how many deals I have got on refurbs to only find they were actually new products. It is easy enough to scan a drive when you get it and send it back by way of Ebay's returns if it shows any severe use or other problems
Not an opinion but 10+ years ago refurbished meant brand new, not discernible from new aside from the packaging. Had someone posted a deal where it came In less quality everyone would be up in arms in the comment section. Slowly that has changed, people just trying to promote posts constantly. I still complain about it as much as possible and a lot of deals are still legit refurbs but so many are just used, straight up and need to be described as so
Last edited by CourtC4337 July 5, 2022 at 02:35 PM.
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Jul 05, 2022 10:32 PM
7,084 Posts
Joined May 2007
DonV1962Jul 05, 2022 10:32 PM
7,084 Posts
Quote from CourtC4337 :
Not an opinion but 10+ years ago refurbished meant brand new, not discernible from new aside from the packaging. Had someone posted a deal where it came In less quality everyone would be up in arms in the comment section. Slowly that has changed, people just trying to promote posts constantly. I still complain about it as much as possible and a lot of deals are still legit refurbs but so many are just used, straight up and need to be described as so
Yes I have seen that to. I've managed to usually catch some hint or talk that it might be the case on a particular deal here on SD and shy from them. Still not sure on this particular deal but I did buy flash drives from them, and they were brand new retail sealed packages. Seems YMMV on the hard drives.
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