Refurb Hitachi "Grade A" 21" Monitors $179 shipped "Grade B" for $149 shipped

[Thermopyl3]

Originally posted by: Yzzim
Would you chose this Hitachi 21" monitor for $165

or

The Dell M992 19" monitor (flat screen) for $199 shipped

What's the better deal on the better monitor?

So how can I get the M992 for $199?

 

[Medicated858]

dell.com when theres a sale usually around 200

 

[Confuse]

Hi, I've been very interested in one of these Grade A monitors. 21" for this price is pretty hard to pass by. But I was also considering buying the Samsung or NEC monitor in this post here. I was wondering if any of you guys knew how these two monitors compared to the 21" in picture quality, etc. Any comments, suggestions, opinions are greatly appreciated. For 21"s I'd hope to run at something higher than 1280x1024 (which is the Samsung "ideal" refresh rate). Also, if your monitor is unsatisfactory/defective, how hard is it getting it replaced and do they hold you responsible for return shipping? Thanks!

 

[SkepticalOne]

I've had one of these for several months now and was even chided by Homer Jay for my, um, er, Skeptical vision. I can say, without reservation, that this Hitachi burns the pants of any other deal, if you're as lucky as I have been
This is easily the best monitor I have ever owned, and I'd prefer it over *any* flat panel I've seen in the many (I do this for a living) offices that buy the latest and greatest stuff available.
TV looks hi def, is a decent size, movies are infinitably watchable, adding the sound reproduction a computer is capable of it makes one great multimedia package for a desktop, provided you have the space for the average 19" monitor ( this thing has a SMALL footprint for a 21").
Not one person I've directed to this has a problem. Not to say no one ever will, but the compnay has bent over backward in every case cited here to do the right thing.
It's a no-brainer. Go for it.

 

[aznblader]

I just received mine monday (Grade A). It IS huge, but the image quality is disappointing. The right edge of the screen is noticeably darker than the rest. Text is fuzzy everywhere on the screen except the very center. Solid colors (except black) and images look dithered and interlaced, especially near the edges. I don't except perfection for $200, but the text issue combined with the dithered/interlaced solid colors makes me feel that paying an extra $300 for a new monitor is worth it over this. Has anyone else been getting these same problems? I sent an email to Rich Bragg, the owner about these problems yesterday. Still haven't heard back from him.

 

[mickeymice]

I haven't got any reply about the missing phosphorus since August 1st by e-mailing to sales@allthings.com.
Actually, I even wonder how this happened, since it's inside the tube.
Anyway, I guess I need to return the product, but it's fairly expensive if I use UPS (about $45). Can anyone who have returned the product tell me how you shipped yours back?

 

[huesmann]

Originally posted by: aznblader
I just received mine monday (Grade A). It IS huge, but the image quality is disappointing. The right edge of the screen is noticeably darker than the rest. Text is fuzzy everywhere on the screen except the very center. Solid colors (except black) and images look dithered and interlaced, especially near the edges. I don't except perfection for $200, but the text issue combined with the dithered/interlaced solid colors makes me feel that paying an extra $300 for a new monitor is worth it over this. Has anyone else been getting these same problems? I sent an email to Rich Bragg, the owner about these problems yesterday. Still haven't heard back from him.

Have you tried moire adjustment and degaussing?

 

[aznblader]

I tried everything. Switching monitor cables, H moire, V moire, refresh rate, color resolution, resolution. Same deal. It's clearly an overused tube, is what people online tell me.

 

[dchakrab]

If their customer service guys are on top of things with this monitor for the ones that don't work ok, i'm almost definitely going to grab one in a couple of months, whenever they come back in stock...

-D.

 

[MrCornellXP]

Well the 'dithering' effect is on all these monitors, it seems to be a function of the shadow mask technology these old monitors use. I got used to the weird 'dot-matrix' effect of this monitor in about a week, although I can certainly notice it if I choose not to ignore it. Presumably, shadow mask technology has improved since these old Hitachis were manufactured (mine says it was made June 1999, more than 4 years ago now). Aperture grille technology (Trinitron/Diamondtron) has never suffered from this effect. If it bothers you, you should definitely return the monitor and buy a new one, because the effect is most definitely not going to go away if they replace your monitor with an identical model.

 

[Miramonti]

Originally posted by: jjsole
I just got my 21" grade A monitor - I'm not happy with it. 🙁 Physically its in awesome shape. Only imperfection is that I can screw just one side of my video cable in because one of the little screw receptors is missing, NO biggy... The colors look nice but the text is NOT SHARP at all. Everything looks pixelated or fuzzy with rough edges, making things harder to read. 🙁 I'm replacing my gateway 900vx 19" running at 1600x1200, to this, running also at 1600x1200. I'd expect to see a much more solid crisp font display etc. 🙁 /edit, I emailed them the issue, we'll see how it goes.

update:

I talked to them on the phone and they think its a ghosting problem. They're having ups pick this one up and are going to send another one out next week when they get new ones in. They seem pleasant to deal with, we'll see how it goes.

 

[aznblader]

Originally posted by: MrCornellXP
Well the 'dithering' effect is on all these monitors, it seems to be a function of the shadow mask technology these old monitors use. I got used to the weird 'dot-matrix' effect of this monitor in about a week, although I can certainly notice it if I choose not to ignore it. Presumably, shadow mask technology has improved since these old Hitachis were manufactured (mine says it was made June 1999, more than 4 years ago now). Aperture grille technology (Trinitron/Diamondtron) has never suffered from this effect. If it bothers you, you should definitely return the monitor and buy a new one, because the effect is most definitely not going to go away if they replace your monitor with an identical model.

Ah, thanks. I'm curious why there's so many people who say that the IQ is great, because the effect is very, very noticeable and distracting. It hurts my eyes to read the text. I will definitely be returning this.

 

[HillbillyHab]

Originally posted by: MrCornellXP
Well the 'dithering' effect is on all these monitors, it seems to be a function of the shadow mask technology these old monitors use. I got used to the weird 'dot-matrix' effect of this monitor in about a week, although I can certainly notice it if I choose not to ignore it. Presumably, shadow mask technology has improved since these old Hitachis were manufactured (mine says it was made June 1999, more than 4 years ago now). Aperture grille technology (Trinitron/Diamondtron) has never suffered from this effect. If it bothers you, you should definitely return the monitor and buy a new one, because the effect is most definitely not going to go away if they replace your monitor with an identical model.

Well, the "dithering" effect is apparently not 100% since it seems to be absent on my monitor. The image quality is as good or better than my brothers 19" Sony Trinitron (about $300 refurbished about 3 years ago by the way). Plus, I have the advantage of not seeing the 2 grille lines which are very noticeable with a white background. I doubt there have been many advances in shadow mask technology in the past 4 years. My observations have shown that CRT quality has changed very little with most of the advances being made in the area of manufacturing (lower costs etc.) and in the area of the newer technolgy such as LCD and Plasma displays. My 2 cents.

 

Any update on more grade As?

Looking to add 2 more 21"s to my dual 21" display

 

[mizzouXC]

I really wish this thread would go away. This isn't really a deal. It's a guy selling monitors off his website. The only place I buy computer goods is newegg. NOT some fly by night outfit selling refurb monitors.

 

[mizzouXC]

MODS: Please Lock

 

[Confuse]

You truely are a dumb and selfish prick. This is a great deal and I thank HomerJay for bringing it to our attention. So what if he happens to work for the company? If you work for best buy and post a deal, is that shameless self promotion? Most would say no. Especially when its a hot deal that benefits a great amount of people like this one. This company has had an incredible customer service record and most people who got in on this deal were happy with their purchase. So I don't see why you're being a prick about it, because if it wasn't for this AT post most people would never have taken advantage of this.

 

[Miramonti]

Originally posted by: mizzouXC
MODS: Please Lock

The mods have already addressed this issue on page one foo. :|

If the mods are concerned about the quality of this thread, they'd serve it best imo by giving you a vacation for your ignance. 😕

 

[mizzouXC]

Originally posted by: jjsole

Originally posted by: mizzouXC
MODS: Please Lock

The mods have already addressed this issue on page one foo. :|

If the mods are concerned about the quality of this thread, they'd serve it best imo by giving you a vacation for your ignance. 😕

Ignorant? I can tell now the quality of this thread by the "cheap" people reading it. If you pay very little for a cheap monitor, you still get a cheap monitor. I think it's shameful for posting "a hot deal, that isn't" that benefits your company and essentially your pay. IMO you should have a vacation because you're an idiot. Does it really benefit everyone to get a crappy monitor? If I get a "vacation" like you should it would be great. Then I couldn't piss trailer trash off. darn 😛:beer:

 

[Confuse]

I think these monitors are far from crappy. Yes, they are refurbished and they are not top of the line, but for what they are worth its a good price. What you define as "crappy" might not be to another person. So please, quit making a fool out of yourself and stop imposing your judgement and opinions onto others when it comes to deciphering if a deal/product is "crappy" or not. It's really none of your business what people do with their money. So if it bothers you that much, then don't buy a monitor and keep walking. Oh yeah, if you wanna buy me a "non-crappy" monitor that accommodates to your standards, then by all means go ahead. If not, then shutup. Not everyone can afford to drop $600 on a 21" monitor that you approve of.

 

[Lanyap]

LOL, "cheap". You obviously don't know a whole lot about quality monitors. These monitors were top of the line in shadow mask monitors back when they were built in 1999. They were selling for ~$1,000 back then. That's not too long ago for a monitor. Plus, they don't make em like they used to either. Many of the monitors these days are made from low quality parts and don't last but a few years. These were probably on a standard three year business lease to a company for CAD/CAM or graphics type work and are now on the surplus market. They are used and have been cleaned up and tested (refurbished).

And STOP trolling!

Originally posted by: mizzouXC

Originally posted by: jjsole

Originally posted by: mizzouXC
MODS: Please Lock

The mods have already addressed this issue on page one foo. :|

If the mods are concerned about the quality of this thread, they'd serve it best imo by giving you a vacation for your ignance. 😕

Ignorant? I can tell now the quality of this thread by the "cheap" people reading it. If you pay very little for a cheap monitor, you still get a cheap monitor. I think it's shameful for posting "a hot deal, that isn't" that benefits your company and essentially your pay. IMO you should have a vacation because you're an idiot. Does it really benefit everyone to get a crappy monitor? If I get a "vacation" like you should it would be great. Then I couldn't piss trailer trash off. darn 😛:beer:

 

[dchakrab]

I agree....if you think it's a crappy monitor, why are you posting in this thread?

I think it's a GREAT deal on a 21 inch monitor...i wouldn't be able to find the crappiest one at that price here in chicago, new or refurbed.

If you don't like the company, don't buy from them and post your reasons...maybe you've had a bad experience other people should know about. (like a lot of people and TD, recently)...if you don't like the monitor, then the same applies. But don't crap on a thread a lot of people are watching so we know when the next batch comes in stock...

-D.

 

[gsethi]

if you just think that this is a "crap" deal by your standards, then just keep it to yourselves. Dont come and brag or flame here.

This is a very nice/hot deal for a 21" monitor. I have been lurking around this thread to buy one of these but i cant make up my mind. First i had some doubts in my mind about the company but after doing some research, i found that they are great guys with excellent customer service. So one doubt gone away.

The second doubt is buying a refurbished monitor. I have bought many refurbish things in the past, some have been good, some have been bad. I just cant make up my mind for this monitor though. If you dont like it, just dont buy it and move away.

so i decided to buy the Samsung 19" Dynaflat 955DF flat screen CRT instead. Again, i still come back lurking to this thread and i think that i might be buying one of these in the near future....maybe when they will have some 21" flat screen CRTs 😉

 

[Miramonti]

Its comical if not sad, or perhaps just ironic? that someone would crap a thread and call for a lock that has A) already been approved by the mods, B) is 6 months old and has nearly 400 replies already, and C) has created many satisfied customers as well as well as people who vouch for the monitors, and yet D) all coming from a member who has <50 posts over the past 2 years himself.


Anyhow this monitor wasn't as heavy as I thought it would be. At 61 pounds its only 6 pounds heavier than my 19" gateway vx900 @ 55lbs.

 

[mickeymice]

OK, I just called the company today about the missing dots (better to call than to e-mail), and they gave me a discount without a hitch. Now I see why many people like the company because of their support. Very nice company to deal with.