re-furbs
Most people use the 70 % rule on re-furbs. They should be no more than 70 % of the normal selling (not the MSRP, the street price) to offset the risk you are taking. So in your case, 70% of $ 300 would be $ 210. Look good and hard at the warranty, as some companies will give you a two year warranty on a new system, but only 90 days on a refurb.
The one good thing about refurbs is that the (US) labor to fix one is more expensive than the parts that go in it. As a result, they are more likely to replace an entire module rather than troubleshoot individual pieces. So your whole system should be as good as "new". If there is a recurring problem, it would probably happen again during your warranty.
The fact that it's a 601 instead of a 602 is a good sign. If they are already blanket selling a brand new model like the 602, that implies quality problems. The 601 has been around long enough that just occasional escapes or, more likely, misuses are showing up on the market. It still wouldn't hurt to check out some various consumer boards to see if there was a re-call or a large number of complaints about that particular model.
If you do your research, a refurb can be a solid investment. Just be sure you know what you are getting into.
