Perhaps because innaccurate information from people that present themselves as 'authorities' needs to be questioned.

This isn't a coffee shop or the local bar. Unfortunately, MT is human and sometimes makes mistakes. He's just not a big enough man to admit that.

If you don't wish to deal with accurate information then that is your prerogative.

You may have seen the recent debates about fake news being posted on places like Facebook, or reports on fact checking what politicians say. Or the idiot that fired a gun in a pizzeria as a result of fake conspiracy theory reports.

MT presents himself as a professional authority on camera related things to the UHH community. As such he has a responsibilty to present accurate information, not ill informed opinion. Most of his contributions are excellent, he just doen't respond to questions well when he is out of his depth and seems to resort to angry responses and being dismissive.

He may be a 'good old boy' in his own world, but if he is wrong and won't even discuss the issue then how much of anything else that he says or does can anyone trust?

That is why I respond. If you don't like it, don't read anything that I post. UHH is not a self help therapy group. People that post with a voice of authority have a responsibility to support their assertions. MT may have the physical presence of a moose according to some descriptions, but apparently has some other attributes in common with a mouse.

You might take into consideration that I did not question MT's comments on refurbs, since he clearly has far more knowledge than I do on such matters. It's just unfortunate that he can't engage in a civil conversation when he does not actually have correct information.

Does that answer your question?

"If you read through this thread, which was a good question, and answered well by MT, you will see how it went downhill, a while before I joined in, ..."

I have not been a member as long as others. I love and appreciate this forum. However, I abhor the "battles among the "experts". Is there a reasonable explanation why the battles must continue. For the few who cannot resist engaging, would you please convey those messages using a PM? Why must those conversations be public? Does it enhance UHH? Does it add to the quality of information? Can you stop and reflect? Is there some degree of conscientiousness that will allow you to see the negative affect it has on the majority of subscribers? Can you see how a new subscriber or visitor views these battles? What does it contribute? You all seem very intelligent. Do you have the courage to acknowledge your participation? Do you have the courage to change?

Thank you for considering my comments/questions.
Mark

Since you ask, I will answer.
Refurbished gear comes from several sources. Dealer demos, trade show demos, and customer returns being the most common. (How many of you have bought items to "evaluate" and then returned them?)
All these items get checked by a service technician for appearance and function, any glaring or obvious issues are corrected and the item is removed with proper accessories and then made available as refurbished products. Firmware updates are often, but not always installed.
Contrary to some opinions these items are NOT fully or rigorously examined and issues can be missed if a specific error or issue was not detailed in the return package. But overall refurbished items do have a better record of reliability than assembly line items which only receive random spot check inspections. Pro level gear is different as each body and lens receives a number of assembly inspections during the manufacturing process.
Refurbished are, in general, a good way to save some money over brand new. Canon provides the same one year warranty as they have on their new gear while other manufacturers limit their return to 90 day warranties. But some dealers will extend that 90 days to a full year at no extra cost.
Do keep in mind that this info ONLY relates to "Factory Refurbished" items, anything sold as "seller refurbished" is meaningless and simply states all you are getting is a used product with no verifiable warranty.
So there you go, let's the trolls descend on me as they will.