refurbished cameras - just as good as new?

i'm really itching to buy a 5dii refurbished.

from folks who have bought a refurb did you have any problem with it? will it last just as long? im thinking if it makes it through the warranty period it will be just fine, but i'd like to hear some confirmation that refurbs are just as good as new ones.

My T2i is/was a refurb. Had somewhere around 1500 actuations on it when I got it. It has about 7k now!! No issues problems or anything! Wasn't a scratch anywhere to be found, looked brand new!
I wouldn't hesitate to buy a refurb from Canon as long as it checks out alright.

Refurbs are awesome IMHO.

I found Canon refurbs from Adorama excellent...no problems at all but the appeal for me was the warranty (one year). Adorama no longer offers a one year warranty on refurbished Canon equipment. Now it's only 3 months like everyone else

The only thing I found wrong on my refurb 60D from Canon was the small pinhole next to the serial number which identified it as a refurb. I decided to live with that "undocumented" feature in exchange for saving several hundred dollars.

It came through with about 45 clicks on it by the way - essentially new1

I bought a refurbished 30D 5 years ago that I never had a lick of problems with right up until the day I sold it.

I recently got my refurb 60D through the Canon Loyalty Program. It had 900 shutter actuations and no scratches or any wear marks that I could see. And like John from PA, I too had the little pinhole next to the serial number

My rationale is that if these cameras are returned whether because the customer made a mistake, got bored or a real fault, it will be checked out by someone to make sure it is working properly. It probably gets a more thorough QA check than at the original factory. That is assuming you buy from a reputable place like the CLP or maybe B&H or Adorama.

my refurb 580exII was bnib.

My 7D refurb had 46 clicks on it when I got it. I've had a lot of internal dust problems early on.
Can't understand how the inside of the camera could have gotten so dirty, so soon.

I bought a 5D II direct from Canon last year. Still have it and no problems.

My 7D is a refurb and about 2 years old. After 3 weeks I had to send it back for a shutter but it hasn't missed a step since! I wasn't freaked out about it because things happen to new units as well.

I have a refurbed T3i on it's way to me. How do you check the number of clicks on the camera?

My 7D refurb had, I think less than 100 clicks and it's been flawless for almost a year now.

I have been buying refurb electronics for years. In someways I feel better about a trained tech making sure that it is 100% instead of it just rolling off an assembly line.

Nope, bought my refurbed 7D from Canon, basically brand new. Typically overstock, customer returns, demos, etc... Do not confuse refurb cameras with ones sent back in to be fixed and resold.