What happens during refurbishment, and what gets checked or replaced?

During refurbishment, a laptop is professionally sourced, fully inspected, repaired, cleaned, securely data-wiped, software-reinstalled and re-tested before it can be sold. A serious refurbisher tests every major subsystem rather than spot-checking. At Edify, each unit goes through a Final Quality Check across 31 categories, covering body panels and hinges, the display, keyboard and trackpad, battery health, RAM and storage (SSD/HDD), ports, speakers, camera, Wi-Fi and the operating system. Any component that fails is repaired or replaced, the drive is securely wiped, and the OS is freshly reinstalled. Some checks are pass/fail against measurements; others (cosmetic, tactile) are graded by inspectors. The unit is only listed once it clears all stages, then it ships with a 12-month warranty (6 months on Apple). This documented process is the real line between refurbished and merely used: something you can hold the seller to, not a quick wipe-and-resell.