Buying a used projector?

Thread Starter

NathanielZhu

Joined Dec 5, 2011
50
Hey! I'm searching for a used projector in the super cheapo 30-55 dollar range.
I see a bunch of old NEC and Sharp projectors and sometimes they don't come with lamps or remotes.

Do projectors require remotes to work? If I want to change any settings, can I just do it manually cus I don't need a remote.

I see a bunch of these crappy chinese mini projectors and reviews are terrible. Their native resolution is 320x240 which is like me not wearing any glasses.

I see a bunch of used projectors with 800x600 resolution. That seems pretty good to me.

Can anyone recommend any nice used projector?
 

crutschow

Joined Mar 14, 2008
34,285
Lamps tend to be expensive, so beware of that.
You'd have to check the operating manual to see if you can access all the projector features without a remote.
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
Hey! I'm searching for a used projector in the super cheapo 30-55 dollar range.
I see a bunch of old NEC and Sharp projectors and sometimes they don't come with lamps or remotes.

Do projectors require remotes to work? If I want to change any settings, can I just do it manually cus I don't need a remote.

I see a bunch of these crappy chinese mini projectors and reviews are terrible. Their native resolution is 320x240 which is like me not wearing any glasses.

I see a bunch of used projectors with 800x600 resolution. That seems pretty good to me.

Can anyone recommend any nice used projector?
Replacement bulbs are major assemblies in some cases. Especially NEC and Sharp projectors - replacements can cost $300 (from a discount supplier). Find the model number and look up the price of a bulb. $50 to $75 is considered a low price.

Also, the pins on the VGA connector tend to go bad - lose their spring tension, bend or actually break solder connection with the board. In the best case, you lose one or more colors.

Also, the live of a projector bulb is about (ABOUT) 2000 hours. That should read 1000 to 3000 hours. The on/off cycles kill it more than time. That is a bulb with the manufacturers label on it.

Note that the cheap eBay bulbs / cheap discount supplier bulbs last about 500 to 2000 hours from our experience.
 

mcgyvr

Joined Oct 15, 2009
5,394
Can anyone recommend any nice used projector?
Can you define your needs beyond just saying you want a cheap projector?
resolution/contrast ratio/lamp type/input type/aspect ratio/intended use, etc...

Your budget is really too low though to really get anything but junk.... now make it $200 and you would be better off..
 
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