I was dead sure rebuilt compressors were junk until one held up 14 months in a Phoenix rental
Always told customers a rebuilt compressor was a waste and to just buy new, no exceptions. Then a landlord named Rick talked me into a rebuilt one on a 12 year old Frigidaire in a rental off Camelback Road, and it's still humming along 14 months later at half the price of new. Now I don't know what to tell people. Anyone got a rebuild source that's been solid past two years, or did I just get lucky with this one?
Man, that story is the whole "expensive doesn't always mean better" thing in a nutshell. Happens with cars, tools, appliances, you name it, we get burned once by a cheap version of something and then swear off the whole category for life. Rick sounds like the kind of guy who's been around long enough to know the difference between a bad rebuild and a bad rebuilder. 14 months on a Phoenix rental in that heat is a real test, so maybe you didn't just get lucky.