We buy fleets from UK companies when they upgrade, test every unit on the bench, wipe every drive, and sell it on with a fresh Windows install. Add Windows 11 Pro or a warranty at checkout. No grey imports, no mystery boxes.
i5 · 16GB · 256GB SSD · 14-inch FHD · Windows 11 Home
Light use at most. No marks you'd notice across a desk, no wear on the palm rest, screen clean.
Light scuffs on the lid or base, maybe a faint shine on the keys. Screen and function unaffected.
Obvious marks, dents or a worn keyboard. Everything works, and it's priced to reflect the knocks.
We collect whole fleets from UK companies upgrading their kit, so we know exactly where each unit has been.
Battery, screen, keyboard, ports, thermals. Anything that fails is repaired or stripped for parts, not listed.
Drives are erased to NIST 800-88 with a certificate on file, the same process our ITAD arm uses for enterprise clients.
Fresh Windows 11 Home install (or Pro if you add it), charger in the box, delivered in 5–7 days, and optional 1 or 2-year warranty cover if you want peace of mind.
Laptops, desktops, monitors, servers and network gear, from five units to five hundred. Tell us what you've got and we'll come back with a price and a collection date.
Buying guides, comparisons and checklists written by the people who test, wipe and grade the kit. No sponsored fluff, sources linked.
From five laptops in a cupboard to five hundred units across three floors. Tell us what you've got and you'll have a price and a collection date within one working day.
Model, rough quantity, age and condition is plenty. A photo or an asset list helps but isn't essential.
We quote from what the kit resells for, not from a formula. If it's worth more than you expected, you'll hear that too.
Our own vans cover London and the South East. Further afield we arrange insured courier. You don't box anything up.
Every drive is erased to NIST 800-88 by Technimove Recycles, our ITAD arm, with a data-destruction certificate per asset for your audit trail.
We check the kit against the quote when it arrives and pay by bank transfer. No haggling after the fact unless something's materially different.
Desks to data centre. Technimove Recycles handles the full ITAD job: audit, collection, destruction, recycling and reporting, with resale value credited back.
Asset-level reports with serial numbers, wipe method and certificate numbers, so your data-protection officer has what they need in one PDF.
Kit that can work again is refurbished and sold on. What can't is recycled through licensed partners. Either way, it doesn't go to landfill.
A corporate laptop is retired on a schedule, not because it stopped working. We're the people who catch it on the way out.
Kelsus IT is the refurbished-hardware side of the Kelsus Group, a family of businesses in Hackbridge, Surrey, that has spent more than twenty years handling IT equipment for UK companies: collecting it, wiping it, recycling it, and increasingly, giving it a second life.
Most of what we sell comes straight from corporate refresh cycles. A business replaces a few hundred Latitudes or ThinkPads every three or four years; the outgoing units are typically well-specced, well-looked-after and nowhere near end of life. We buy those fleets, put every unit across the bench, and sell them on at a fraction of the original invoice.
Because our sister company Technimove Recycles does data destruction for a living, the wipe isn't an afterthought. Every drive that leaves here has been erased to NIST 800-88 with a certificate on file, the same process enterprise clients pay for.
We keep the range deliberately small, never more than fifty lines at once, so everything on the site is something we actually have on the shelf, have tested ourselves, and would put on our own desks.
years handling IT hardware for UK businesses across the group
data-wipe standard on every drive, certificate on file
product lines at any time, so every listing is real stock we've tested
Light use at most. No marks you'd notice across a desk, no wear on the palm rest, screen clean.
Light scuffs on the lid or base, maybe a faint shine on the keys. Screen and function unaffected.
Obvious marks, dents or a worn keyboard. Everything works, and it's priced to reflect the knocks.
Refurbished business laptops, desktops, monitors and enterprise hardware, sold direct, with optional warranty cover.
IT asset disposal, certified data destruction and office clearances for enterprise clients.
technimoverecycles.com →Our dedicated monitor and screen brand, for anyone who needs twenty matching 24-inch panels by Thursday.
Eco-friendly shredded cardboard packaging, made from the boxes the hardware arrived in.
We're in Hackbridge, Wallington, ten minutes from Croydon. Collection is free, and if you'd rather try a laptop before ordering ten, just ask.
Bulk orders, spec questions, collections, or something you can't find on the site. We reply within one working day, usually much faster.
New stock, refurb videos and what's on the shelf this week.
Collections by arrangement, free of charge. Ten minutes from Croydon; Hackbridge station is a short walk.
Faster than email: it asks for exactly what we need to price it.
Delivery normally takes 5–7 days from your order. Need it sooner or want a firmer date? Message us before ordering and we'll give you a more accurate time frame. Which service we use depends on the size of the item, and the option (and cost) is shown at checkout before you pay:
Small packages (docks, chargers, cables, drives) go by Royal Mail 48, tracked.
Laptops, desktops and monitors go by DPD, tracked and insured, with a one-hour delivery slot texted to you on the morning of delivery.
Servers, racks and bulk orders go on a pallet. We'll call you after ordering to agree a delivery day and check access at your end.
You can also collect for free from our warehouse in Hackbridge, Wallington, Surrey, Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:30. Choose "Collect from Hackbridge" at checkout and we'll email you when it's ready.
If it isn't right, tell us within 14 days of delivery and we'll take it back for a full refund. Please keep the packaging in the meantime. For faulty items we cover the return cost; for change-of-mind returns we ask you to cover the return postage or drop it back to Hackbridge.
Every unit is bench-tested before it leaves us and covered by our 14-day returns if it arrives faulty. For longer cover, add a 1-year warranty (£49.99) or 2-year warranty (£99) to any PC or laptop in the same order; we register it against the machine's serial number and it covers hardware faults from the date of delivery. Software, accidental damage and consumables aren't covered, but call us anyway; we can usually help.
Drives are wiped to NIST 800-88 before resale and loaded with a fresh, licensed copy of Windows 11 Home (or the OS shown on the listing). Need Pro for BitLocker, Remote Desktop or domain join? Add the Windows 11 Pro upgrade (£34.99) and we install it before dispatch. No old user data, no bundled software, no trials.
All prices on the site include VAT at the standard rate. A VAT invoice is emailed with every order. Trade and education buyers ordering in volume should contact us for a quote.
Stripe has emailed your receipt. Delivery normally takes 5–7 days; we'll send tracking as soon as it leaves Hackbridge. Message us if you need a more accurate time frame.
Back to the shopYour basket is still here whenever you're ready. If something went wrong at checkout, tell us and we'll sort it.
A refurbished laptop is a sensible buy when the seller tells you exactly what you are getting: the cosmetic grade, the battery health, the processor and memory, which version of Windows is installed, and what happens if something goes wrong. Before you order, check five things: the grading description, the battery figure, whether the machine can run Windows 11, how the previous owner's data was removed, and the returns and warranty terms. If any of those are missing from a listing, ask before you pay.
We refurbish ex-business laptops at our bench in Hackbridge, Wallington, Surrey, and this is the list we would want a friend to run through before buying from anyone, ourselves included. None of it is complicated, but it is easy to skip when a price looks good.
Most of the refurbished laptops we sell are business models: Dell Latitude, HP EliteBook and ProBook, and Lenovo ThinkPad. They were bought by companies on refresh cycles, used in offices and returned after a few years. Business models tend to be built to be repaired, with accessible memory slots and storage bays, which is why they hold up well second-hand. The trade-off is that they are plain, and for office work that rarely matters.
Every seller uses grades, but the words behind them differ. Ours are published on our how we grade page. In short: Grade A has seen light use at most, with no marks you would notice across a desk, no wear on the palm rest, a clean screen and battery health of 85% or better. Grade B may have light scuffs on the lid or base and perhaps a faint shine on the keys, with the screen and function unaffected and battery health of 75% or better; any marks are photographed on the listing. Grade C has obvious marks, dents or a worn keyboard, all disclosed, everything working, priced to reflect the knocks, with battery health of 65% or better. New means a brand-new, sealed retail box.
Whatever grade you buy from us, the unit gets the same full function test on the bench and the same data wipe. The grade describes how it looks and how the battery has fared, not whether it works.
A laptop battery wears with every charge cycle, and a three-year-old business laptop may hold noticeably less than it did new. A good listing states battery health as a percentage of the original design capacity. If the listing does not give a figure, ask for one; it is the most useful number for predicting time away from the mains, and the one most often left out.
Microsoft's minimum requirements for Windows 11 are a 1 GHz or faster 64-bit processor with two or more cores, 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, TPM 2.0, UEFI firmware capable of Secure Boot and a 720p display. Windows 11 Home also needs an internet connection and a Microsoft account for first-time setup. Those figures are published on Microsoft Learn. The processor requirement in particular rules out many older laptops, so it is worth confirming that the model you are looking at is supported rather than assuming.
Our laptops and PCs ship with a fresh install of Windows 11 Home unless the listing says otherwise. If you need features such as BitLocker, Remote Desktop hosting, Group Policy or domain join, those are Pro-only according to Microsoft's edition comparison, and we offer a Windows 11 Pro upgrade as an add-on at £34.99.
A refurbished laptop has had a previous owner, and that owner's data needs to be gone. The recognised reference is NIST Special Publication 800-88 Rev. 1, Guidelines for Media Sanitization. We wipe every drive to that standard before resale, whichever grade the machine is. Be careful with a seller who cannot tell you how they erase drives.
The table below is the minimum we would expect to see on any refurbished laptop listing, and what it means if it is missing.
| Detail | Why it matters | If it is missing |
|---|---|---|
| Exact model and generation | Different generations of the same name can be years apart | Ask, or assume the oldest |
| Processor, RAM and SSD size | Determines whether it will cope with your work | Do not buy on the model name alone |
| Cosmetic grade with a written definition | Tells you what marks to expect | Ask for photographs |
| Battery health percentage | Predicts time away from the mains | Ask for the figure |
| Operating system and edition | Home and Pro differ for business use | Ask which is installed and whether it is activated |
| Data-wipe method | Confirms the previous owner's data is gone | Treat as a warning sign |
| What is in the box | A missing charger is an extra cost | Assume no charger unless stated |
| Returns period and warranty | Your protection if it is not right | Check the seller's terms page |
When you buy online from a UK business, distance-selling rules apply. According to GOV.UK's guidance on accepting returns and giving refunds, you can cancel within 14 days of receiving the item, have a further 14 days to send it back, and must be refunded within 14 days of it arriving. Goods must also be as described, of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose. That applies to refurbished goods as much as new ones.
Our own terms are on our delivery and returns page: 14-day returns for a full refund, we cover return postage on faulty items, and for change-of-mind returns you cover the postage or drop the unit back to us in Hackbridge.
We offer an optional 1-year warranty at £49.99 or a 2-year warranty at £99 on any PC or laptop bought in the same order. It covers hardware faults from delivery and excludes accidental damage, software and consumables. For a machine you rely on every working day, that is a modest sum against the cost of a replacement.
To see how those checks look in practice, browse our refurbished laptop range, where every listing states the grade, the specification and what is in the box. If something is not clear, contact us on 020 3002 5558 or at cw@kelsusit.com before you order. Free collection from Hackbridge is available by arrangement, Monday to Friday.
Refurbished laptop grades describe how a machine looks and how its battery has held up, not whether it works. At Kelsus IT, Grade A has seen light use at most with no marks you would notice across a desk and battery health of 85% or better; Grade B allows light scuffs on the lid or base and battery health of 75% or better; Grade C has obvious marks or a worn keyboard, all disclosed, with battery health of 65% or better. Every grade is bench-tested in full and every drive is wiped before it goes on sale.
The catch is that there is no industry standard. One seller's Grade B is another's Grade A, and a few use "refurbished" to mean little more than "switched on once". So the grade only tells you something useful when the seller publishes what it means. Ours is on the how we grade page, and this article walks through it in more detail.
When a laptop arrives at our warehouse in Hackbridge, it goes through the same process regardless of what it looks like. We run a full function test on the bench: keyboard, trackpad, screen, ports, wireless, webcam, speakers, charging and battery. We wipe the drive to the NIST Special Publication 800-88 Rev. 1 media sanitisation guideline. Then we install a fresh copy of Windows 11 Home unless the listing says otherwise.
Only after that do we look at the cosmetics and the battery figure and assign a grade. So a Grade C laptop has passed exactly the same test as a Grade A one. The difference is what you will see when you open the lid, and how much charge the battery can still hold.
A Grade A laptop has had light use at most. There are no marks you would notice across a desk, no wear on the palm rest, and the screen is clean. Battery health is 85% or better of the original design capacity. In practice these are often machines that spent their working life docked on a desk rather than in a bag.
If you are buying for a client-facing role or simply like things looking new, Grade A is the one to pick. It is also the grade we would suggest for anyone who works away from the mains regularly, because the battery threshold is the highest.
Grade B is where most ex-business laptops land. There may be light scuffs on the lid or base and perhaps a faint shine on the most-used keys. The screen and all functions are unaffected. Battery health is 75% or better. Any marks are photographed on the listing, so you can see them before you buy rather than discovering them on delivery.
For most office users this is the sensible middle ground: the laptop looks like a laptop that has been used carefully, and the saving over Grade A is real. If it is going to live on a desk plugged into a dock, the lid scuffs will be the last thing you think about.
Grade C has obvious marks, dents or a worn keyboard. Everything is disclosed on the listing and everything works. Battery health is 65% or better. The price reflects the knocks.
These suit people who care about function and cost rather than appearance: a spare machine, a laptop for a workshop or site office, a first computer for a student who will put stickers on it anyway, or a business buying in quantity where the lids will be closed on a shelf most of the time. Because the battery threshold is lower, we would treat a Grade C as a mains-first machine unless the listing gives a higher figure.
We also list some items as New, which means exactly that: brand new, unopened, in a sealed retail box. At the time of writing that includes the Microsoft Surface Go 3. New items get the same attention to what is in the box and the same returns terms, but there is no refurbishment to describe.
| Grade | Cosmetics | Battery health | Function test and data wipe | Typical buyer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade A | Light use at most; no marks you would notice across a desk; no palm-rest wear; clean screen | 85% or better | Yes, same as every grade | Client-facing roles, frequent travel, anyone who wants it looking new |
| Grade B | Light scuffs on lid or base; maybe a faint shine on the keys; screen unaffected; marks photographed | 75% or better | Yes, same as every grade | Most office and home workers, desk-based use |
| Grade C | Obvious marks, dents or worn keyboard; all disclosed; everything works | 65% or better | Yes, same as every grade | Spare machines, site offices, students, bulk buys on a budget |
| New | Sealed retail box, unopened | As supplied by the manufacturer | Not applicable | Anyone who needs an unused unit |
Cosmetic marks are easy to photograph. Battery wear is not, which is why we put a minimum health figure into every grade. Battery health is the capacity the battery can currently hold as a percentage of what it was designed to hold. How that translates to hours depends on the model, the screen and what you are doing, so we do not quote run-times; the percentage is the honest number.
If the battery matters more to you than the lid, tell us. We can check the exact figure on a specific unit before you order.
A few things stay the same whatever grade you choose. The unit ships with a compatible power adapter and a fresh operating system install; original boxes and manuals are not included unless stated. You get our 14-day returns for a full refund, in line with the distance-selling rules on GOV.UK. And you can add an optional 1-year or 2-year hardware warranty to a PC or laptop in the same order, which covers hardware faults from delivery and excludes accidental damage, software and consumables. A Grade C laptop with a 2-year warranty is a perfectly reasonable way to buy.
Our full grading definitions are on the how we grade page, and you can filter by grade across our refurbished laptops. If you are not sure which grade suits you, get in touch and we will tell you what we would pick for the job you have in mind.
The Dell Latitude 5420 and 5430 are two generations of the same 14-inch business laptop, and for most office work either will do the job. The 5430 is the newer of the two, with 12th Gen Intel Core processors that combine performance and efficient cores, a Wi-Fi 6E option and a slightly lighter starting weight. The 5420 uses 10th or 11th Gen processors, and because it is a year older it is usually the cheaper of the pair on the refurbished market. If you want the most recent platform and the price gap is small, buy the 5430. If you want to spend less on a laptop that shares the same ports, memory ceiling and chassis size, the 5420 is a sound choice.
Both pass across our bench in Hackbridge regularly, so we have written this comparison using Dell's published specifications rather than guesswork. Where the two differ, we say so; where they are the same, we say that too.
According to Dell's Latitude 5420 Setup and Specifications, the 5420 was offered with a 10th Gen Core i5-10310U or 11th Gen processors from the Core i3-1125G4 up to the Core i7-1185G7. The 11th Gen chips have four cores and eight threads.
The Latitude 5430 Setup and Specifications list 12th Gen options: Core i3-1215U, i5-1235U, i5-1245U, i7-1255U and i7-1265U. The i5 and i7 parts use Intel's hybrid layout of two performance cores and eight efficient cores, giving twelve threads. That is a different design from the 5420's processors, with more cores available for background tasks. In our experience on the bench it makes the 5430 feel a little more comfortable when several applications are open at once, though for email, documents and video calls both are perfectly usable.
One practical note: the exact processor in a refurbished unit depends on how it was originally configured. Our Latitude 5420 listing and Latitude 5430 listing are both Core i5 models, but check the listing for the specific chip or ask us before ordering.
Both laptops use DDR4 memory at 3200 MHz with two SO-DIMM slots and a maximum of 64 GB, per the Dell specification pages linked above. That is good news for refurbished buyers, because the memory is user-upgradeable rather than soldered. Our listings for both models ship with 16 GB. The 5420 listing has a 256 GB SSD and the 5430 listing a 512 GB SSD, which is a configuration difference in our stock rather than a limit of either model.
This is where the two are effectively the same laptop. Dell's specifications for both list two Thunderbolt 4 ports with DisplayPort Alt Mode, USB4 and Power Delivery, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports (one with PowerShare), HDMI 2.0, an RJ45 Ethernet port, a microSD reader and an optional smart card reader. If you already have a Thunderbolt or USB-C dock, either model will connect to it the same way. Both charge over Thunderbolt as well as through the Dell power adapter.
Both are 14-inch laptops. Dell lists the 5420 with HD TN or FHD WVA panel options, and the 5430 with HD or FHD options. Our listings for both are FHD, which is the one to have for office work; the HD panels were the budget option when new. As always, check the listing for the panel fitted to the specific unit.
Dell offered the 5420 with a 42 WHr or 63 WHr battery, and the 5430 with a 41 WHr or 58 WHr battery. The 5430's starting weight is quoted at 1.36 kg. Because these are refurbished units, the battery that matters is the one fitted and its current health, which we state on every listing according to our grading. We do not quote run-times because they depend so heavily on the screen, the workload and the battery fitted.
The 5430 specification lists an Intel AX211 Wi-Fi 6E option. Whether a given refurbished unit has it depends on its original configuration, so if Wi-Fi 6E matters to you, ask.
| Feature | Latitude 5420 | Latitude 5430 |
|---|---|---|
| Processor options | 10th Gen i5-10310U or 11th Gen i3-1125G4 to i7-1185G7 (4 cores / 8 threads) | 12th Gen i3-1215U, i5-1235U, i5-1245U, i7-1255U, i7-1265U (i5/i7: 2P + 8E cores, 12 threads) |
| Memory | DDR4 3200 MHz, two SO-DIMM slots, max 64 GB | DDR4 3200 MHz, two SO-DIMM slots, max 64 GB |
| Screen | 14" HD TN or FHD WVA | 14" HD or FHD |
| Thunderbolt 4 | Two ports | Two ports |
| USB Type-A | Two USB 3.2 Gen 1 (one PowerShare) | Two USB 3.2 Gen 1 (one PowerShare) |
| Video and network | HDMI 2.0, RJ45 | HDMI 2.0, RJ45 |
| Card readers | microSD, optional smart card | microSD, optional smart card |
| Battery options | 42 WHr or 63 WHr | 41 WHr or 58 WHr |
| Wi-Fi 6E option | Not listed | Intel AX211 option |
| Starting weight | Not stated here | 1.36 kg |
| Our listing | i5, 16 GB, 256 GB SSD | i5, 16 GB, 512 GB SSD |
Choose the Latitude 5430 if you want the newer processor design, the larger SSD in our current listing, or the option of Wi-Fi 6E, and you expect to keep the laptop for several years. The 12th Gen platform has more headroom for the way software tends to grow.
Choose the Latitude 5420 if you are buying on a budget, buying several units for a team, or your work is mainly documents, email and browser-based tools. It has the same Thunderbolt 4 ports, the same memory ceiling and the same 14-inch form, and the 11th Gen i5 remains a capable office processor.
Whichever you pick, both ship from us with a fresh install of Windows 11 Home, a compatible power adapter, a full bench test and a drive wiped to NIST 800-88. Both meet Microsoft's Windows 11 requirements for TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot as business-class machines of their generation.
You can compare the two directly on our Latitude 5420 and Latitude 5430 pages, or see the wider refurbished laptop range, which also includes the Latitude 5400, 5410, 5500, 5510, 5520 and 7320. If you would like us to check a specific unit before you order, call 020 3002 5558 or email cw@kelsusit.com.
For everyday office work on Windows 11, 8 GB of RAM is workable and 16 GB is comfortable. If your day is email, a few documents, a spreadsheet and a web browser with a handful of tabs, 8 GB will do the job. If you keep a video call running alongside a browser full of tabs, a large spreadsheet and a couple of other applications, 16 GB stops the machine having to juggle and is the amount we would suggest for a main work computer you plan to keep for a few years.
The good news for refurbished buyers is that this is rarely a permanent decision. Most of the business laptops and desktops we sell have memory in slots rather than soldered to the board, so a machine bought with 8 GB can usually be taken to 16 GB later with a single module. We fit and test memory on our bench in Hackbridge, and we sell the modules on their own too.
RAM is the working space your computer uses for everything that is open right now. The operating system takes a share, and every application, browser tab and background service takes more. When the space runs out, Windows starts moving data to and from the SSD instead, and that is when a machine feels sluggish: switching between windows takes a beat, and the fan may spin up for no obvious reason. More RAM does not make a fast processor faster; it stops it waiting.
Microsoft's published minimum for Windows 11 is 4 GB of RAM, alongside a 64-bit processor with two or more cores, 64 GB of storage, TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot-capable firmware, according to Microsoft Learn. A minimum is what the system needs to install and run, not what makes it pleasant to use for eight hours. In our experience, 4 GB is not something we would sell for office work, which is why our range starts at 8 GB.
Typically, 8 GB suits a machine that does one or two things at a time. Think of a reception desk PC, a laptop used mainly for email and Word, a shared hot-desk computer, or a second machine for a home office. Windows 11 and a modern browser will run happily, and a standard office suite will not trouble it. The thing to watch is browser tabs: in our experience on the bench, a browser with a great many tabs open is the most common reason an 8 GB machine starts to feel slow, and closing a few usually cures it.
If you are buying several machines for a team and the budget is tight, 8 GB across the board with the option to upgrade the heavier users later is a reasonable plan.
We suggest 16 GB when a machine is someone's main computer and they multitask through the day. Video calls with screen sharing, a browser with several tabs, a large spreadsheet, a PDF or two and a chat application all open at once is a normal working pattern now, and 16 GB gives that pattern room. It also gives a refurbished machine a longer useful life, because software tends to ask for a little more each year rather than less.
Some roles push beyond that. Anyone running virtual machines, working with large image or design files, or handling very large datasets may want 32 GB, and the business models we sell generally support it. But for the office work in the title of this article, 16 GB is the sensible ceiling for most people.
| Typical use | 8 GB | 16 GB |
|---|---|---|
| Email, Word, a few browser tabs | Fine | Fine, with headroom to spare |
| Video calls alongside other work | Workable; close what you are not using | Comfortable |
| Large spreadsheets with many tabs open | Can feel slow | Comfortable |
| Browser with a great many tabs | The usual cause of slowdown | Comfortable |
| Shared or reception desk PC | Fine | More than needed |
| Main work machine kept for several years | Plan to upgrade later | Our suggestion |
| Virtual machines, large design files | Not enough | Consider 32 GB |
These are general observations from our bench rather than measured figures; how much memory a given application uses varies with version and settings.
Usually, yes, and this is one of the strongest arguments for ex-business hardware. Dell's specifications for the Latitude 5420 and Latitude 5430, for example, both list two SO-DIMM slots for DDR4 3200 MHz memory with a maximum of 64 GB. Many of the HP EliteBook, Lenovo ThinkPad, Dell OptiPlex, HP EliteDesk and Lenovo ThinkCentre models we carry follow the same pattern, though not all: some thinner laptops solder part or all of their memory to the board. Check the listing or ask us before assuming a particular model can be upgraded.
A few practical points if you do upgrade. Laptops and small-form-factor or mini desktops generally use SODIMM modules; larger desktop towers use UDIMM. The module needs to match the memory type the machine uses, DDR4 in most of our current range. Where a machine has two slots, fitting two matching modules rather than one larger one is the tidier arrangement, which is why we sell branded kits from Crucial, Kingston, Corsair, Samsung, SK hynix and Micron in 4, 8, 16 and 32 GB modules. If you would rather not open the machine yourself, ask us to fit and test the memory before dispatch.
RAM and storage are often confused, and both matter. RAM is working space; the SSD is where your files and programs live. Most of our laptops and desktops ship with a 256 GB SSD, which is plenty for office documents, and some listings offer 512 GB. If you are choosing between spending on RAM or on a bigger SSD for office work, and you use cloud storage, the RAM usually makes the bigger difference to how the machine feels day to day.
Our refurbished laptops and desktops are mostly listed with 8 GB or 16 GB, and the listing states which. If you want a machine taken to 16 GB or 32 GB before it leaves us, or a module from our memory range to fit yourself, contact us on 020 3002 5558 or at cw@kelsusit.com and we will sort it before dispatch.
For most office work, a refurbished business-class laptop makes more sense than a new consumer one. You get a machine that was built for corporate fleets, with a proper keyboard, a metal or reinforced chassis, business ports and, in many cases, a Thunderbolt connection for a dock, at a fraction of what it cost new. The trade-off is that it has been used, its battery has done some cycles, and you rely on the seller's testing and warranty rather than the manufacturer's.
New still wins in a few situations: if your software needs the very latest processor generation, if you must have a manufacturer warranty for compliance reasons, or if you simply want every device in a batch to be identical and untouched. Below we set out how we see the choice from our bench in Hackbridge.
A refurbished laptop is a used machine that has been inspected, tested and prepared for resale. The word covers a wide range of quality, so always ask a seller exactly what they do. At Kelsus IT, every unit goes through a full function test on our bench, and every drive is wiped to the NIST SP 800-88 Rev.1 media sanitisation guidelines before it is listed. Laptops ship with a fresh install of Windows 11 Home unless the listing says otherwise, with a compatible power adapter in the box.
We also grade every machine on its cosmetic condition and battery health. Our grading page explains it in full, but in short: Grade A has light use at most and a battery at 85% health or better; Grade B has light scuffs and a battery at 75% or better, with the marks photographed on the listing; Grade C has obvious marks, all disclosed, and a battery at 65% or better. Every grade gets the same function test and data wipe.
The same budget buys either a new entry-level consumer laptop or a refurbished business-class one from Dell's Latitude, HP's EliteBook or Lenovo's ThinkPad line. Business machines tend to have better keyboards, more ports, docking support and easier serviceability, because that is what corporate buyers asked for when they were new. We do not quote prices here as they move with stock, so please check the individual listings.
Most business laptops from the last few years are designed to be opened by an IT department. The Dell Latitude 5430, for example, has two SO-DIMM memory slots and supports up to 64 GB of DDR4 3200 MHz according to Dell's setup and specifications guide. That means a refurbished unit can often be upgraded rather than replaced when your needs grow. See our memory range if you want to add a module.
Extending the life of a machine that already exists avoids the manufacturing impact of a new one. We will not put a number on it, but if your business reports on environmental impact, buying refurbished is a straightforward thing to point to.
If you run software that genuinely benefits from the newest processors or graphics, a refurbished machine a few generations old may not keep up. For email, Microsoft 365, browsers and video calls, that is rarely the case in our experience on the bench.
New business laptops typically come with a manufacturer's warranty, which some organisations need for audit or leasing purposes. On a refurbished laptop from us, you can add an optional 1-year (£49.99) or 2-year (£99) hardware warranty when you buy the machine in the same order. It covers hardware faults from delivery and excludes accidental damage, software and consumables. It is our warranty rather than the manufacturer's, so decide whether that matters.
Every rechargeable battery loses capacity with use. Ours are graded on battery health as described above, so you know what you are getting, but you will not get a factory-fresh cell.
| Consideration | Refurbished business laptop | New laptop |
|---|---|---|
| Typical cost | Lower for the same class of machine | Higher; consumer models cheapest |
| Build and ports | Business-class chassis, docking support | Depends on the model and budget |
| Warranty | Seller warranty; optional 1- or 2-year add-on at Kelsus IT | Manufacturer warranty included |
| Battery | Graded health (A 85%+, B 75%+, C 65%+) | New cell |
| Cosmetics | Graded and disclosed; marks photographed on B and C | Unmarked |
| Operating system | Fresh Windows 11 Home install; Pro upgrade optional | As shipped by the manufacturer |
| Returns (UK distance selling) | 14 days to cancel from receipt | 14 days to cancel from receipt |
| Environmental impact | Extends the life of existing hardware | New manufacturing |
Whether you buy new or refurbished from a UK online seller, the same distance-selling rules apply. GOV.UK sets out that you can cancel within 14 days of receiving an item, have a further 14 days to return it, and must be refunded within 14 days of the item arriving back. Goods must also be as described, of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose. Our own policy is a 14-day return for a full refund; if the item is faulty we cover return postage, and for change-of-mind returns you cover the postage or drop it back to us in Hackbridge. Full details are on our delivery and returns page.
New business laptops often ship with Windows 11 Pro; ours ship with Windows 11 Home unless stated. If you need to join a domain or Microsoft Entra, use Group Policy, host Remote Desktop or manage devices with MDM, those are Pro-only features according to Microsoft's edition comparison. We offer a Windows 11 Pro upgrade as a £34.99 add-on, so factor that in when comparing quotes.
If you are replacing laptops, desktops or monitors across an office, we buy used business IT from UK companies, from five units to five hundred, with free collection across London and the South East, a certified data wipe on every drive and a quote within one working day. See our We Buy page.
Ready to look at what is available? Browse our refurbished laptops, add a warranty or Windows 11 Pro upgrade at checkout, or contact us on 020 3002 5558 if you would like a hand choosing for your team.
The short answer: if your laptop has a Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4 port, the Dell WD19TB will give you the most from it; if your laptop only has a standard USB-C port with DisplayPort Alt Mode, the WD19 or WD19S is the sensible buy, because the WD19TB loses its Thunderbolt functionality on a non-Thunderbolt machine and you would be paying for a feature you cannot use. Both docks share the same chassis design, the same modular cable head and the same basic idea: one cable to your laptop carries power, displays, USB and network.
The rest of this article walks through the differences in how the two docks connect, how much power they deliver, and what to check on your own laptop before you order. We have used Dell's own docking compatibility guide and the WD19TB setup guide throughout, and we would encourage you to read them too, because the exact display support depends on your laptop rather than the dock.
Dell's WD19 family uses a detachable cable module, and the module is what sets the models apart. According to Dell's Docking Compatibility Guide, the WD19 and WD19S are USB-C docks, while the WD19TB and WD19TBS are Thunderbolt docks. The WD22TB4 is the newer Thunderbolt 4 dock in the same family, and the WD19DC is a dual USB-C variant.
Thunderbolt carries more bandwidth than a plain USB-C DisplayPort Alt Mode connection, which is why the Thunderbolt versions can support more demanding display setups on a compatible laptop. But that only applies if the laptop itself has a Thunderbolt port. Dell's guide is explicit on this point: "When connected to non-Thunderbolt systems, the Dell Thunderbolt Dock WD19TB / WD19TBS and Dell Thunderbolt 4 Dock WD22TB4 will not retain its Thunderbolt functionality." In practice the WD19TB will still work as a USB-C dock on such a laptop, but you would not gain anything over the cheaper WD19S.
This is where the model names cause confusion, because the number on the dock's power adapter is not the same as the power the dock delivers to your laptop. Dell's compatibility guide lists the WD19 and WD19S as offering either "90W Power Delivery" or "180W with 130W Power Delivery", depending on which adapter the dock ships with. The WD19TB and WD19TBS are listed as "130W Power Delivery", as is the WD22TB4. The WD19DC is listed at 210W.
The docks we stock are the Dell WD19S 130W and the Dell WD19TB 180W, where the wattage in the name refers to the power adapter supplied. The WD19TB's own quick start guide adds an important caveat: "Computers requiring more than 130 W power input must also be connected to their own power adapter." So if your laptop is a large mobile workstation that came with a high-wattage charger, the dock alone may not keep it fully charged under load, and you should keep the laptop's own adapter to hand. Source: Dell WD19TB setup guide.
For the typical business ultraportables we sell, such as the Dell Latitude 5420 and 5430, that is not a concern in our experience on the bench. If you are unsure what your laptop draws, check the label on its original power adapter.
Many recent Dell Latitude models do. Dell's setup and specifications guides list two Thunderbolt 4 ports with DisplayPort Alt Mode, USB4 and Power Delivery on the Latitude 5420, and two Thunderbolt 4 ports on the Latitude 5430. Both of those pair happily with either dock, and the WD19TB would let them use the Thunderbolt connection.
Older or lower-tier laptops, and many non-Dell machines, may have USB-C ports that support DisplayPort Alt Mode and Power Delivery but not Thunderbolt. Look for the small lightning-bolt symbol next to the port, or check the manufacturer's specification sheet for your exact model. If in doubt, tell us the model and we will check before you order.
We deliberately do not quote monitor counts or resolutions for these docks, because the answer depends on what your laptop's Thunderbolt or DisplayPort output can deliver, not just on the dock. Two laptops plugged into the same WD19TB can support different display configurations. Dell publishes the supported combinations for each dock in its user guides, and the compatibility guide linked above is the right place to start. If you have a specific laptop and a specific set of monitors in mind, send us the details and we will check them against Dell's documentation.
| Feature | Dell WD19 / WD19S | Dell WD19TB / WD19TBS |
|---|---|---|
| Connection to laptop | USB-C | Thunderbolt |
| Power delivery (Dell guide) | 90W, or 130W with the 180W adapter | 130W |
| Works on a non-Thunderbolt laptop | Yes | Yes, but without Thunderbolt functionality |
| Display support | Depends on the laptop's DisplayPort Alt Mode capability | Depends on the laptop's Thunderbolt capability |
| Laptops needing more than 130W | Use the laptop's own adapter as well | Use the laptop's own adapter as well |
| Kelsus IT listing | WD19S 130W | WD19TB 180W |
The Dell WD15 is the previous-generation USB-C dock, and we stock it for customers who want a simple, lower-cost dock for an older laptop. The Dell WD22TB4 is the Thunderbolt 4 successor to the WD19TB, listed by Dell at 130W Power Delivery, and the same rule applies: on a non-Thunderbolt laptop it will not retain its Thunderbolt functionality. If your laptop has Thunderbolt 4 and you want the newest option, the WD22TB4 is worth a look; if it has Thunderbolt 3 or 4 and you want good value, the WD19TB does the job.
Every dock that comes through our warehouse in Hackbridge is function-tested on the bench with a laptop, including power delivery, USB ports and network, before it is listed. Docks come with a compatible power adapter. As with everything we sell, you have 14 days to return it for a full refund; if it is faulty we cover the return postage. See our delivery and returns page for details.
You can browse our full docking station range, including the Dell WD19S, WD19TB, WD22TB4 and WD15 as well as HP, Lenovo and universal docks, or contact us on 020 3002 5558 with your laptop model and we will point you at the right one.
If you are a sole trader or a small team where everyone manages their own laptop, Windows 11 Home will usually do everything you need. If your business has an IT provider or in-house IT who join machines to a domain or Microsoft Entra, push settings with Group Policy or a mobile device management tool, or require BitLocker drive encryption, you need Windows 11 Pro. Those are the features Microsoft reserves for Pro, and they are the ones that matter in a managed workplace.
Our refurbished laptops and desktops ship with a fresh install of Windows 11 Home unless the listing says otherwise, and we offer a Windows 11 Pro upgrade as an optional add-on for £34.99 when you buy the machine. Below we go through what is actually different between the two editions, using Microsoft's own comparison pages, so you can decide whether the upgrade is worth it for you.
According to Microsoft's Windows 11 edition comparison for business, the following features are available in Pro but not in Home:
If any of those sound familiar from conversations with your IT provider, that is your answer: get Pro. If none of them mean anything to you, you probably do not need it yet.
The security basics are the same in Home and Pro. Microsoft's Home vs Pro page lists device encryption (on supported hardware), Windows Hello sign-in, Windows Security with its firewall, Secure Boot and Find My Device as available in both editions. So a Home laptop is not an insecure laptop; it just lacks the central-management features that a business with more than a handful of machines tends to want.
Note the difference between "device encryption" and "BitLocker". Device encryption is the simpler, automatic form available on supported hardware in both editions. BitLocker, the fuller version with management options and BitLocker To Go for USB drives, is Pro-only. If a client contract or an insurer asks for BitLocker specifically, that means Pro.
| Feature | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Windows Hello, Windows Security, Secure Boot, Find My Device | Yes | Yes |
| Device encryption (supported hardware) | Yes | Yes |
| BitLocker / BitLocker To Go | No | Yes |
| Remote Desktop as host | No | Yes |
| Group Policy | No | Yes |
| Mobile device management | No | Yes |
| Microsoft Entra (Azure AD) join | No | Yes |
| Domain join | No | Yes |
| Assigned Access / kiosk mode | No | Yes |
| Windows Autopilot | No | Yes |
| Windows Information Protection | No | Yes |
| Microsoft account needed for first setup | Yes (with internet) | See Microsoft's requirements page |
One practical difference that catches people out: Microsoft's Windows 11 requirements page states that the Home edition needs an internet connection and a Microsoft account to complete first setup. If your business prefers local accounts or your IT provider will be setting the machine up on a work account, that is another point in Pro's favour. The same page lists the hardware minimums for either edition: a 1 GHz or faster 64-bit processor with two or more cores, 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, TPM 2.0, UEFI Secure Boot capability and a 720p display. All the laptops and desktops we list as shipping with Windows 11 meet those.
If somebody manages your machines centrally, they will almost certainly want to join them to a domain or Microsoft Entra, apply Group Policy and enable BitLocker. Ask them before you order; the answer is usually "Pro, please".
If you connect into your office desktop from home, the office machine needs to be the Remote Desktop host, which is a Pro feature. The laptop at home that you connect from can be Home.
If a client, insurer or accreditation scheme specifies BitLocker or managed devices, Pro is the edition that satisfies it. We cannot advise on your specific compliance obligations, so check with whoever sets the requirement.
A screen in reception, a till, a machine on a workshop floor: Assigned Access in Pro lets you lock it to one app.
Sole traders, freelancers and very small teams where each person looks after their own machine, using Microsoft 365, a browser, video calls and normal office applications. Home has the same day-to-day security features and the same apps run on it. If your needs change later, you can move to Pro, though the simplest route is to add the upgrade when you buy so the machine arrives ready.
Add the Windows 11 Pro upgrade (£34.99) to the same order as a laptop or desktop and we install Pro on the machine before it leaves our bench in Hackbridge, so it arrives with Pro on it rather than a licence key for you to apply yourself. It is available on any PC or laptop we sell that ships with Windows 11. If a listing already says Windows 11 Pro, you do not need the add-on.
Browse our refurbished laptops and desktops, add the Windows 11 Pro upgrade at checkout if you need it, or get in touch on 020 3002 5558 or cw@kelsusit.com and we will help you work out which edition suits your business.
For a typical office desk running email, Microsoft 365, a browser and video calls, a mini PC (Dell calls them Micro, HP calls them Mini, Lenovo calls them Tiny) is usually the better choice: it takes up almost no space, can be mounted behind a monitor, runs quietly and uses less power than a larger machine. A small form factor (SFF) desktop tower makes more sense when you need internal expansion, such as an extra drive, a dedicated graphics card, an optical drive or a full-size expansion card for specialist equipment.
Both formats come through our bench in Hackbridge in large numbers, because that is what UK businesses bought a few years ago and are now refreshing. Here are the practical differences we see, so you can pick the right one without paying for expansion you will not use.
A mini PC is a compact desktop, typically about the size of a hardback book, that uses laptop-style components: a mobile-class or low-power processor, SO-DIMM memory and an M.2 or 2.5-inch drive. In our range that includes the Dell OptiPlex 3070 and 3090 Micro, the HP EliteDesk 800 G4, G5 and G6 Mini, and the Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q, M920q, M70q and M80q Gen 1 Tiny, along with the Chromebox 3 and 4 for organisations that run ChromeOS.
An SFF tower is a slimmed-down conventional desktop that still stands on or under the desk. It uses desktop-class processors and full-size UDIMM memory, and has room for at least one expansion slot and extra drive bays. In our range that includes the Dell OptiPlex 3060, 5060, 7060, 7070, 7080 and 7090 SFF, the HP EliteDesk 800 G4 SFF, the HP ProDesk 400 and 600 G5 SFF, and the Lenovo ThinkCentre M720s SFF.
The obvious one. Most mini PCs support VESA mounting, so they can sit on a bracket behind the monitor or under the desk, leaving the surface clear. For hot-desking, reception areas and open-plan offices, that alone often decides it.
Because they use laptop-style components, mini PCs typically run quieter and draw less power than a tower doing the same office work. We will not quote wattage figures because they vary by model and load, but across twenty desks in one room the difference in fan noise is noticeable in our experience.
For the everyday applications most offices run, a refurbished mini PC with 8 GB or 16 GB of RAM and an SSD handles the job comfortably on our bench. If you are unsure how much memory you need, our article on 8GB vs 16GB RAM for office work goes through it.
A tower has expansion slots and drive bays; a mini PC generally has neither beyond its internal M.2 and, on some models, a 2.5-inch bay. If you need a dedicated graphics card, a second large drive, a specialist interface card or an optical drive, the tower is the only sensible option of the two.
SFF towers use full desktop processors and standard UDIMM memory modules, and typically have more memory slots than a mini PC. That makes them easier to upgrade later, and our memory range includes both UDIMM modules for towers and SO-DIMM modules for mini PCs. Check the exact module type and maximum capacity for your model in the manufacturer's specification before ordering, or ask us.
Towers usually offer more USB ports and, on some models, legacy connectors such as serial ports still needed by certain tills and label printers. If you have older peripherals, check what they need.
| Consideration | Mini PC (Micro / Mini / Tiny) | SFF desktop tower |
|---|---|---|
| Footprint | Very small; VESA-mountable behind a monitor on most models | Stands on or under the desk |
| Processor and memory type | Laptop-style CPU, SO-DIMM memory | Desktop CPU, UDIMM memory |
| Internal expansion | Minimal; M.2 and sometimes a 2.5-inch bay | Expansion slots and extra drive bays |
| Dedicated graphics card | Not usually possible | Possible on many models (check the slot and power supply) |
| Noise and power draw | Typically lower | Typically higher |
| Legacy ports (serial, etc.) | Rare | Available on some models |
| Best suited to | General office, hot desks, reception, call centres | Design, CAD, local storage, specialist peripherals |
| Kelsus IT examples | OptiPlex 3070/3090 Micro, EliteDesk 800 Mini, ThinkCentre Tiny | OptiPlex 3060–7090 SFF, EliteDesk 800 G4 SFF, ProDesk 400/600 G5 SFF, ThinkCentre M720s |
Both formats will drive the external monitors an office needs, but the exact number and resolution depend on the video outputs on the particular model, so check the listing or the manufacturer's specification before you buy a matching set of screens. We would rather you asked us than guessed: tell us the desktop you have in mind and the monitors you want and we will check the outputs.
If you want a tidy dual-screen setup, our monitor range includes a dual 24-inch set as well as individual Dell, HP, Lenovo and Samsung screens, including 34-inch ultrawides for people who prefer one big display to two.
All the desktops we list as running Windows 11 meet Microsoft's minimum requirements, including TPM 2.0 and UEFI Secure Boot capability, and ship with a fresh install of Windows 11 Home unless the listing says otherwise. If your IT provider needs domain join, Group Policy or BitLocker, add the Windows 11 Pro upgrade (£34.99); our Home vs Pro article explains which features are Pro-only. Every desktop is bench-tested and every drive is wiped to NIST SP 800-88 before resale. The box contains the unit and a compatible power adapter; original packaging is not included unless stated, and keyboards, mice and monitors are separate.
Optional 1-year (£49.99) and 2-year (£99) hardware warranties are available on a PC bought in the same order. Delivery is normally 5 to 7 days, and you have 14 days to return for a full refund; details on our delivery and returns page.
Browse our refurbished desktops to see the mini PCs and SFF towers currently on the shelf, pair them with screens from our monitor range, or contact us on 020 3002 5558 if you would like help specifying a batch for your office.
A refurbished business monitor is one of the safer things you can buy second-hand. There is no battery to wear out, no operating system to licence, and a panel that was built for eight hours a day in an office usually has plenty of life left when it reaches our bench in Hackbridge. The three things that matter are simple: is the resolution right for the size, does it have a connection your laptop or dock can actually use, and is the size sensible for your desk. Get those three right and the brand badge on the front is far less important.
In short: for most office work we would point you at a 24" Full HD panel with DisplayPort or HDMI, or a 27" screen if you want the same content a little larger. If you want more room for spreadsheets side by side, look at a QHD 27" such as the Dell P2723D, and if you are trying to lose a dual-screen setup, a 34" ultrawide does the job of two monitors with one cable. Below we go through what each of those terms means and what to check before you order.
Resolution is the number of pixels across and down. More pixels means more text and more windows on screen at once, but also smaller text unless you turn up Windows scaling. The common options on the refurbished business market are Full HD (often written FHD or 1080p), QHD (sometimes called 1440p) and the wider UWQHD found on 34" ultrawides.
The trick is to match resolution to size. Full HD is comfortable on a 24" panel, and in our experience it still looks fine on 27" if you sit a normal distance away, though some people find it a little soft. QHD on 27" is the sweet spot for anyone who lives in Excel or keeps two documents open side by side. We do not recommend chasing 4K on a refurbished business screen unless you have a specific reason; it needs a capable graphics output and a lot of scaling to be readable, and the extra sharpness is wasted on email and Teams.
Most of our range is Full HD, which is why models like the Dell P2419H, P2422H and P2719H, the HP E24 G4 and E27 G4 and the Lenovo ThinkVision T24i series turn up so often. The Dell P2723D is QHD, and the Dell U3417W, U3419W and Samsung S34J550 are the 34" ultrawides. Always check the listing for the exact resolution rather than assuming from the model name.
This is where most refurbished monitor purchases go wrong. A monitor is only useful if it has an input that matches an output on your laptop, desktop or docking station. The four you will meet are:
| Connection | Typically found on | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| DisplayPort | Business monitors, docks, desktop PCs | Full-resolution video, daisy-chaining on some models | Full-size DisplayPort and mini DisplayPort are different plugs; check the cable you have |
| HDMI | Almost every monitor, laptop and dock | Simple one-cable video, carries audio too | Older HDMI ports on some laptops may not drive higher resolutions at full refresh; check the laptop's spec sheet |
| USB-C / Thunderbolt | Newer monitors such as the Dell P2422HE, newer laptops | Video, data and laptop charging over one cable | The laptop's USB-C port must support DisplayPort Alt Mode, and charging wattage varies by monitor |
| VGA / DVI | Older monitors and desktops | Legacy desktops and projectors | Analogue VGA looks softer; modern laptops and docks usually lack these ports |
If you have a recent business laptop, USB-C or Thunderbolt is the tidiest option. The Dell Latitude 5420 and 5430, for example, both have two Thunderbolt 4 ports with DisplayPort Alt Mode and Power Delivery, plus an HDMI 2.0 port, according to Dell's Latitude 5420 specifications and the Latitude 5430 specifications. A USB-C monitor like the P2422HE can drive the screen and charge the laptop from one cable, which is a neat desk if you only need one display.
For two or more screens, a docking station is usually the easier route than hunting for a monitor with the right ports. Bear in mind that how many monitors a dock will run, and at what resolution, depends on your laptop's Thunderbolt or DisplayPort capability rather than the dock alone. Dell's docking compatibility guide is worth a look before you buy, and the dock's own user guide will list the supported display combinations for a given laptop. Our docking station range covers Dell, HP, Lenovo and universal options.
A 24" panel is the standard office size for a reason: it fits on a normal desk, two of them fit side by side, and Full HD text is easy to read on it. A 27" screen gives you the same layout with everything slightly bigger, which many people prefer for long days, and it is the size where QHD starts to make sense. Go to 34" ultrawide if you want the width of two monitors without the bezel down the middle, but measure your desk first, and check the stand depth in the listing.
Look at the stand as well as the panel. Business monitors such as the Dell P-series, HP E-series and Lenovo ThinkVision T-series usually come with height-adjustable stands that tilt, swivel and often pivot to portrait. That adjustability is a real ergonomic benefit and one of the reasons we prefer ex-corporate monitors over consumer models at a similar price. If you plan to use a monitor arm, check the listing mentions VESA mounting holes.
Every monitor that leaves our warehouse has been through a full function test on the bench: every input tried, the panel checked for dead pixels, marks and backlight bleed, and the stand mechanism worked through its range. We grade cosmetics the same way we do laptops, and if a screen has a scuff on the bezel or a mark on the stand you will see it photographed on the listing. Our grading page explains what each grade means. Monitors do not have a battery, so the battery-health part of the grade simply does not apply.
What is in the box is the monitor, its stand and a compatible power lead. Video cables vary by listing, so if you need a specific DisplayPort or USB-C cable, check the listing or ask us before you order. Original boxes and manuals are not included unless stated.
If you would like a hand matching a screen to a particular laptop or dock, get in touch with the model you own and we will tell you what will work. Otherwise, have a browse of our refurbished monitor range, which includes single 24" and 27" panels, QHD and ultrawide options, and a ready-made dual 24" set.
The right refurbished laptop for working from home is usually an ex-corporate 14" business machine with 16 GB of RAM, a solid-state drive, a Full HD screen and a USB-C or Thunderbolt port you can hang a monitor and dock off. That describes most of what sits on our shelves in Hackbridge: Dell Latitude, HP EliteBook and Lenovo ThinkPad models that were bought by companies for exactly this kind of daily use, then returned at the end of a lease.
The reason we steer home workers towards these rather than consumer laptops is not the badge. Business laptops are built to be opened, repaired and upgraded, they have proper docking support, and they tend to have better keyboards and webcams because someone in procurement was using them all day too. Below we go through the things that genuinely matter when the laptop is your whole office, and the things you can safely ignore.
Be honest about what a normal day looks like. If it is email, browser tabs, Word, Excel and a couple of Teams or Zoom calls, almost any recent business laptop with 16 GB of RAM will be comfortable. If you spend the day in large spreadsheets, design tools or virtual machines, you will want the faster processor options and more memory. If you mostly sit at a desk, screen size and weight matter less than ports and docking. If you move between the kitchen table and the sofa, battery and weight climb the list.
Whatever you do, we would put 16 GB of RAM ahead of a faster processor for home working. In our experience on the bench, a browser with a dozen tabs, Outlook and a video call running together is where 8 GB machines start to feel slow. Most of our laptops are listed with 8 GB or 16 GB, and models such as the Dell Latitude 5420 and 5430 have two SO-DIMM slots and take up to 64 GB according to Dell's 5420 specifications and 5430 specifications, so upgrading later is straightforward. Our memory range covers the common modules.
This is the bit people overlook. A single USB-C or Thunderbolt port that supports DisplayPort Alt Mode and Power Delivery means you can plug one cable into a dock and get a monitor, keyboard, mouse, wired network and charging all at once. Unplug it and you have a laptop again. The Latitude 5420 and 5430 both have two Thunderbolt 4 ports with those capabilities, plus HDMI 2.0, two USB-A ports and an RJ45 network socket, per Dell's specification pages linked above. HP EliteBook and Lenovo ThinkPad models of the same era have similar arrangements; check the listing for the exact ports on the unit you are looking at.
A wired RJ45 port is worth more at home than in an office. Home Wi-Fi is shared with everyone else in the house, and a cable to the router is the simplest fix for a stuttering video call. If the laptop has no RJ45, most docks add one.
How many monitors a dock will run depends on the laptop's Thunderbolt or DisplayPort capability, not just the dock, so check the dock user guide for your laptop. Also note Dell's docking compatibility guide: the Thunderbolt WD19TB and WD22TB4 docks lose their Thunderbolt functionality when connected to a non-Thunderbolt laptop. Our docking station range includes Dell, HP, Lenovo and universal options.
You will look at this screen more than any other object in your house, so Full HD is the minimum we would suggest. Some business laptops were sold with lower-resolution HD panels, and the Latitude 5420 and 5430 were offered with both HD and FHD, so read the listing carefully. A 14" Full HD screen is the usual choice for home working; 15.6" gives you more room and often a number pad, at the cost of weight.
The keyboard is where ThinkPads, EliteBooks and Latitudes earn their reputation. If you type all day, a full-size key layout with decent travel is a real quality-of-life difference over a thin consumer machine. For webcams, many business laptops of this generation have a built-in camera with a privacy shutter or a keyboard switch to disable it, but not all, so check the listing or ask us. In our experience video quality is adequate for calls rather than impressive; if presentation matters, an external webcam is a cheap upgrade.
Battery matters less than you might think if the laptop lives on a desk plugged into a dock, and more if it follows you around. Business laptops often shipped with a choice of battery sizes; the Latitude 5430, for example, was offered with 41 WHr or 58 WHr batteries, and has a starting weight of 1.36 kg, according to Dell's specification page. We record battery health for every laptop we grade: Grade A is 85% or better, Grade B 75% or better and Grade C 65% or better. Our grading page sets this out in full.
| Setup | What you need | Suits | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laptop only | Laptop, power adapter | Occasional home working, small spaces | Small screen, hunched posture over a long day |
| Laptop plus one monitor | Laptop, 24" or 27" monitor, HDMI or USB-C cable | Most home workers | Charging and peripherals still plug into the laptop separately unless the monitor has USB-C power |
| Laptop plus dock and two monitors | Laptop with Thunderbolt or USB-C, dock, two monitors, keyboard and mouse | Full-time home working, spreadsheets, multitasking | Costs more, needs desk space; check dock and laptop compatibility first |
The middle option is where most people end up, and a USB-C monitor such as the Dell P2422HE can charge the laptop and carry the display over one cable. Our monitor range has 24" and 27" panels and a dual 24" set if you want to go straight to the third option.
Every laptop we sell ships with a fresh install of Windows 11 Home unless the listing says otherwise. For most home workers that is enough. If your employer needs to join the laptop to a domain or Microsoft Entra, manage it with Group Policy, or you want BitLocker drive encryption, those are Pro-only features according to Microsoft's edition comparison. Both editions include Windows Hello, Windows Security and device encryption on supported hardware, per Microsoft's Home vs Pro page. We offer a Windows 11 Pro upgrade as an add-on.
Every unit is bench-tested and every drive wiped to NIST 800-88 before resale, and you get 14-day returns. You can also add a 1-year hardware warranty or a 2-year option to a laptop bought in the same order.
If you tell us roughly what your day looks like, we are happy to suggest a laptop, monitor and dock that fit together; contact us or browse the refurbished laptop range to see what is on the shelf this week.
Selling your old office computers comes down to four things: knowing what you have, making sure every drive is wiped to a recognised standard, choosing a buyer who will give you a written quote and a data-destruction certificate, and getting the kit out of the building without it costing you a day. We buy used business IT from UK companies, collect for free across London and the South East, and quote within one working day, so this is the process we go through with customers every week.
The most common mistake we see is leaving it too long. A stack of leased-and-returned laptops in a store cupboard loses value every month, and the longer they sit the more likely it is that nobody remembers whether the drives were ever cleared. If you have five units or five hundred, the checklist below will get you from "we should do something about those" to a quote and a collection date.
You do not need a perfect asset register, but a buyer needs enough to price the job. For each type of item, note the make and model, the rough specification (processor generation, RAM, storage) if you know it, the quantity and the condition. A photo of the labels on the underside of a laptop or the side of a desktop is often enough for us to identify the model. Include chargers if you have them: a laptop with its power adapter is easier to resell and that feeds into the quote.
List everything, not just the laptops. Monitors, docking stations, desktops, servers, switches and other network gear all have some value, and even items that are only worth recycling are easier to deal with in one collection than in three.
This is the part that matters most and the part most businesses are least sure about. Deleting files, emptying the recycle bin or even reinstalling Windows does not reliably remove data from a drive. The recognised reference for doing it properly is the US National Institute of Standards and Technology's NIST Special Publication 800-88 Rev. 1, Guidelines for Media Sanitization, which sets out how drives should be cleared, purged or destroyed depending on how sensitive the data is and whether the drive will be reused.
Every drive that comes to us is wiped to NIST 800-88 before resale, and we issue a certificate of data destruction so you have something to file. If your policy requires it, we can also discuss physical destruction of drives rather than wiping. What we ask from you before collection is simple:
You do not need to wipe the drives yourself before we collect. Many customers prefer to, and that is fine, but our wipe and certificate happen regardless.
There are a few routes for used office IT, and the right one depends on how much you have and how much of your own time you want to spend.
| Route | Effort from you | Data handling | Typical fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sell to a refurbisher (like us) | Low: inventory, quote, collection | Wiped by the buyer to NIST 800-88 with a certificate | Five to several hundred units, mixed kit, business laptops and desktops |
| Sell individually online | High: photos, listings, postage, buyer queries | Your responsibility, per device | A handful of units and spare time |
| Trade in with a new-equipment supplier | Low | Varies; ask for the standard and a certificate | Refreshing a fleet in one go |
| Recycling only | Low | Ask for a certificate; not all recyclers wipe | Very old or broken kit with no resale value |
Whichever route you choose, ask two questions of any buyer: what standard do you wipe to, and will I get a certificate? If the answer is vague, keep looking. For larger clearances and full IT asset disposal, our sister company Technimove Recycles handles larger clearances.
Send us your list through the We Buy page or by email to cw@kelsusit.com, and we will come back with a quote within one working day. We collect for free across London and the South East, and can arrange collection from further afield for larger quantities. On the day, the driver will need someone to sign the kit over and a sensible place to load from; palletised loads make life easier for bigger jobs, but for a few dozen laptops boxes are fine.
Once the kit is with us, every unit goes through the same bench test and data wipe we apply to everything we resell. Units that pass are refurbished and sold on; anything beyond economic repair is stripped for parts or recycled responsibly. You get paid on the agreed terms and the certificate of data destruction follows.
Before the van leaves, note the serial numbers of what has gone if your asset register tracks them, and keep the certificate with your other compliance paperwork. If the equipment was leased, check the lease terms: some leases require kit to go back to the lessor rather than be sold. If it was bought outright and is on your fixed asset register, let whoever does your accounts know it has been disposed of.
Or rather, a selling checklist. Before you contact a buyer:
If you have office computers you would like to move on, whether it is a handful of laptops or a floor of desktops and monitors, send us the list via our We Buy page or contact us on 020 3002 5558 and we will quote within one working day.
If you are anywhere near Sutton, Croydon, Wallington, Carshalton or Mitcham, you can buy refurbished business IT from us and either have it delivered or come and collect it for free from our warehouse in Hackbridge. Delivery normally takes 5–7 days, collection can be quicker by arrangement, and either way you get the same bench-tested, data-wiped kit with 14-day returns.
This guide explains how the local side of things works, what to check before you order, and why we think buying from a refurbisher you can actually visit is a sensible way to do it.
Kelsus IT is based in Hackbridge, in the London Borough of Sutton, with a Wallington, Surrey postal address. That puts us on the boundary where south London becomes Surrey: Carshalton and Wallington are next door, Sutton and Mitcham are a short drive, and Croydon is just over the hill. Hackbridge railway station is on the line into London Victoria and London Bridge, so we are reachable without a car if you are picking up something small like a laptop or a dock.
Our warehouse is where the actual work happens. Every laptop, desktop and monitor we sell has been through our bench here: a full function test, a battery health check on laptops, and a wipe of every drive to the NIST SP 800-88 standard before a fresh operating system goes on. It is not a drop-shipping operation, which matters when something needs looking at afterwards.
Both options are on the checkout page and both are free of any hidden extras. The right one depends on what you are buying and how soon you need it.
| Delivery | Collect from Hackbridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical time | 5–7 days from order; message us for a firmer date | By arrangement, Monday to Friday, once we have confirmed it is ready |
| Small items (docks, memory, drives, cables) | Royal Mail 48, tracked | Yes |
| Laptops, desktops, monitors | DPD, tracked and insured | Yes |
| Servers, racks, bulk orders | Pallet; we call you to agree a day and check access | Yes, if you have a suitable vehicle |
| Cost | Shown at checkout by item size | Free |
| Best for | Anywhere in mainland UK, or if you would rather not travel | Local buyers, bulk orders, or anyone who wants to see the kit first |
Collection is popular with local businesses ordering several machines at once, because it avoids waiting for a courier and lets you check the units over with us before they leave. If you are buying a single laptop and live in Kent or Hampshire, delivery is almost always the simpler choice. Full details are on our delivery and returns page.
Buying locally does not change the basics of buying refurbished; it just makes it easier to ask questions. These are the things we would look at on any listing, ours included.
We grade cosmetics as A, B or C, and "New" for sealed retail stock. Grade A has light use at most and no marks you would notice across a desk; Grade B has light scuffs, photographed on the listing; Grade C has obvious marks, all disclosed, and is priced to match. Battery health thresholds are 85%, 75% and 65% respectively. Whatever the grade, the function test and data wipe are the same. Our grading guide goes through it in detail.
Check the processor, memory, storage and screen line on the listing against what you actually need. Office work is comfortable on 8 GB or 16 GB of memory and a 256 GB SSD, which is where most of our range sits. If a listing does not say something you need to know, such as the exact processor model or whether the keyboard is backlit, ask us before you order rather than assuming; we will check the unit on the shelf.
Unless the listing says otherwise, you get the unit, a compatible power adapter and a fresh install of the operating system shown. Original boxes and manuals are not normally included. Laptops and PCs ship with Windows 11 Home; the Windows 11 Pro upgrade is an optional add-on if you need BitLocker, domain join or Remote Desktop hosting.
Under UK distance-selling rules you can cancel an online order within 14 days of receiving it and have a further 14 days to send it back, and the seller must refund within 14 days of getting it (GOV.UK: accepting returns and giving refunds). We honour that as a straightforward 14-day return for a full refund. For faulty items we cover the return postage; for change-of-mind returns you cover the postage or drop it back to Hackbridge. If you want longer cover, an optional 1-year or 2-year hardware warranty can be added to any PC or laptop in the same order.
The refurbished market is full of marketplace sellers you will never speak to. Being able to come to Hackbridge, look at a machine and talk to the person who tested it changes the experience. It also matters if you are a business: you can drop off your old fleet on the same trip, because we buy used laptops, desktops, monitors, servers and network gear from UK companies, with free collection across London and the South East and a certified data wipe on every drive. Our We Buy page explains how a quote works.
Local also means local support. If something is not right after delivery, you are dealing with a warehouse in Sutton borough, not a returns portal in another country.
Have a look at what is on the shelf this week, or get in touch on 020 3002 5558 or cw@kelsusit.com if you would like to arrange a collection or ask about a particular machine. We are happy to talk it through.