Buying a MacBook Pro from Apple's Refurbished Mac store was the best decision I've made for getting a new computer

I ended up buying a refurbished 15-inch 2016 MacBook Pro with the sixth-generation Intel Core i7 2.6 GHz processor for $1,950. That's $450 I saved from buying the equivalent $2,400 2017 model with a seventh-generation Core i7 processor.

If you break it down, buying the equivalent 2017 model would mean I'd pay $450 for just the new processor, as just about everything else about the 2017 model is identical to the 2016 model. As I mentioned, the 2016's sixth-generation processor is more than enough for my needs.

As the word "refurbished" suggests, the devices sold in the Refurbished Mac store are used devices that Apple itself has reconditioned. If you're like me and usually balk at the words "used" and "refurbished" because you want a FOF (fresh out of the factory) device, you may be pleasantly surprised by Apple's refurbished devices.

For one, the devices are refurbished by Apple itself, which instills more confidence than if you were to buy a refurbished device from a site like eBay. If the refurbished 2016 15-inch MacBook Pro I bought is anything to go by, Apple's process is excellent; my MacBook Pro in perfect working order, and there's no visible sign of use or wear.

Buying from Apple's Refurbished Mac store also affords a degree of separation from you and the previous owner. In my eyes, my refurbished MacBook Pro came from Apple, not the original owner, which makes me feel like I bought it brand-new FOF. This, too, adds to my confidence in the condition of my refurbished MacBook Pro. If I had bought it from someone on eBay, the feeling that it's a used device that hadn't gone through a rigorous refurbishment process like Apple's would be far more prominent.

In some cases, you can even get mint-condition devices on eBay for a little less money than from Apple's Refurbished Mac store. And some sellers throw in Apple's $380 extended protection plan, called Apple Care Plus, which extends the standard one-year warranty that all new and refurbished devices come with. Yet after a quick search on eBay for the same MacBook Pro model, I found that the prices didn't stray too far from the ones from Apple's Refurbished Mac store, and some were even more expensive.

At the same time, Apple's Refurbished Mac store isn't the best place for some older devices. For example, you won't find the iPhone 6, released in 2014. For some devices, eBay or another third-party site is your only option.

But for others, especially older Mac computers, I'd recommend checking out Apple's Refurbished Mac store before buying a used unit from a third party or a brand-new model from Apple's main site.

There are also limited quantities of Apple's refurbished devices, so it's not a guarantee that you'll get the model you want.