If you’re looking to save some money on CORSAIR products, you’ve probably noticed we offer two types of non-new items for sale; Refurbished and Revival Series. These products are usually offered at different prices though, so what’s the deal?
Revival Series vs. Refurbished
First off, both types of products are “certified refurbished” by CORSAIR, and they are both tested to ensure they are functioning optimally, so there should be no difference between the two types of products in terms of their functionality, reliability, and ability to be used on a daily basis. That said, there is a difference between them, with Refurbished products being more expensive than Revival Series due to a number of factors.
Compared to refurbished products, Revival Series are less expensive because they cover Grade A and Grade B products, which means products that are determined to be in "excellent" condition as well as "good" condition. They might have a few blemishes, and they don’t include any non-essential accessories. For example, if you purchase a Revival Series keyboard, it might not come with a palm rest, accessory key caps, and a key cap pulling mechanism.
In addition, a portion of the sale from Revival Series products are donated to two charities that are important to CORSAIR. Those charities are Sailors for the Sea and Veritree, which work to conserve the world’s oceans and to help plant trees.
| REVIVAL SERIES | REFURBISHED | |
| Certification | CORSAIR Certified | CORSAIR Certified |
| Quality Grade | Covers Grade A and Grade B certified products | CORSAIR Certified |
| Functionality | Like New | Like New |
| Appearance | May have some minor scratches or cosmetic imperfections | Like New |
| What's Included | Does not include non-essential parts or accessories | Includes all original parts and accessories (or suitable replacements) |
Refurbished Products
In contrast to Revival Series, Certified Refurbished products are only in "excellent" condition, and will look and feel brand new, even though they come in non-original packaging and may be missing a paper warranty insert. There will be no physical blemishes on a refurbished product, which might occur on a Revival product, and it also may have had some parts replaced, so it should be exactly the same as a brand-new item.
In addition, a refurbished product will include accessories, which you don’t get with a Revival Series product. Finally, a refurbished product might have also had its firmware updated to the latest version, so out of the box it is as perfect as we can make it.
Revival Series products are less expensive than refurbished ones as they don't include non-essential accessories and might have light physical blemishes.
Have These Products Been Returned?
Not always, but definitely sometimes. According to the FAQ for this topic, both the Revival Series and Refurbished products are either a customer return, or they incurred minor cosmetic damage somewhere along their journey to the customer. Also, even if a product was returned by a customer, that does not mean it was actually used by the customer, though there’s obvious no way to determine that prior to purchase.
Is the Warranty Different for Revival Series and Refurbished?
It is not, as the warranty for both types of products is 90-days in the United States, and one year in the EU.