Lots of refurbs just means people try the product and it works fine, but not for them (usually too expensive). Bet there are a lot of returns after Christmas.

My own opinion based on experience is that semi-auto is fine for daily drinker, the auto machines come into their own for parties or at an office, when you are making more than 10 at a time. The chore of cleaning the automatic periodically is more labour than using a semi-auto every day; also grinding/tamping controlled by me makes for much better coffee than any automatic can do, so if you are fussy about bean quality then that is a consideration. Perhaps that is the cause of some of the refurbs (people buy the expensive machines thinking they are buying a better quality cup of coffee, when what they are actually buying is an easier to make cup of coffee).