Echo Plus (1st Gen) with built-in Hub

I bought this as my 3rd or 4th Echo, at a fantastic discounted price, because it was "refurbished." As a gadgeteer and nerd with more than 50-years of training and experience in electronics, I can affirm that I am convinced that Amazon's refurbished items are BETTER than new! (in the sense that they are ofttimes greatly discounted in price, but also the refurbished products often seem to get a better going-over and quality-control inspection ... not to mention less annoying packaging ... than provided by the original manufacturer). Amazon lives by advertising, but I appreciate the absence of it in/on the simple packaging of the refurbished products ... their marketing folks will never be able to fathom old-farts like me who are contrarian and HATE advertising ... so they are probably thinking they don't want to "brand" their fine Amazon name on "used" goods ... heee heee ... probably a good idea for Millenials ... but they subsidized half the cost of this Echo with their fixation on "new"). Leaving aside any further perambulations about marketing, I do consider this refurbished Echo as "better than new" ... having gotten TWICE the attention from QC as a new one ;) It looks and works like new. I have never encountered a problem from any of the refurbished Amazon electronics items I have purchased. I highly recommend taking advantage of the HUGE price break on this and other of their refurbished products!