Product spotlights, refurb teardowns, and business updates from Strommen Systems: bench-tested surplus computing, networking, and lab gear.https://blog.strommen.systems/en-ushttps://blog.strommen.systems/posts/2026-07-12-a-space-in-frankford/https://blog.strommen.systems/posts/2026-07-12-a-space-in-frankford/Strommen Systems now has a workshop in Frankford, Philadelphia. It is a working space, not a storefront, and here is what it changes for buyers.Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTbusiness-updatebusinessoperationsphiladelphiaworkshophttps://blog.strommen.systems/posts/2026-07-09-what-refurbished-should-mean/https://blog.strommen.systems/posts/2026-07-09-what-refurbished-should-mean/Most refurbished PCs are sold half finished: wiped, reinstalled, and shipped. Here is the standard we hold ours to, and why Secure Boot is the tell.Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTbusiness-updaterefurbishedlaptopsprocesswindowshttps://blog.strommen.systems/posts/2026-07-06-what-kills-a-surplus-lot/https://blog.strommen.systems/posts/2026-07-06-what-kills-a-surplus-lot/Most surplus lots that look like bargains are traps. Here are the failure modes we have learned to spot from the listing photos alone.Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTbuying-guidesurplussourcingbuying-guidehttps://blog.strommen.systems/posts/2026-07-03-park-xe7-for-sale/https://blog.strommen.systems/posts/2026-07-03-park-xe7-for-sale/A complete Park XE7 atomic force microscope with controller, vibration enclosure, the full Park software suite, and transferable registered ownership.Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTproduct-spotlightlab-equipmentafmpark-systemsfor-salehttps://blog.strommen.systems/posts/2026-06-30-the-niches-we-buy-into/https://blog.strommen.systems/posts/2026-06-30-the-niches-we-buy-into/We do not buy everything that is cheap. We buy in four specific niches where knowledge is worth more than capital. Here is the map and the reasoning.Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTbusiness-updatesourcingstrategylab-equipmentbusinesshttps://blog.strommen.systems/posts/2026-06-27-the-software-gate/https://blog.strommen.systems/posts/2026-06-27-the-software-gate/The biggest discount in the used lab equipment market is not condition. It is software you cannot get. Here is how we closed that gap on a Park XE7.Sat, 27 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTteardownlab-equipmentafmpark-systemssourcinghttps://blog.strommen.systems/posts/2026-06-24-what-an-afm-actually-does/https://blog.strommen.systems/posts/2026-06-24-what-an-afm-actually-does/An AFM does not use light. It feels the surface with a needle a few atoms wide. Here is how it works, what it is used for, and who buys one.Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTbuying-guidelab-equipmentafmpark-systemsexplainerhttps://blog.strommen.systems/posts/2026-06-21-we-bought-an-atomic-force-microscope/https://blog.strommen.systems/posts/2026-06-21-we-bought-an-atomic-force-microscope/A Park Systems XE7 AFM came up on GovDeals listed as generic lab equipment. Here is why we bid on an instrument that cost more new than most cars.Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTteardownlab-equipmentafmsurpluspark-systemshttps://blog.strommen.systems/posts/2026-06-18-how-we-decide-what-to-bid-on/https://blog.strommen.systems/posts/2026-06-18-how-we-decide-what-to-bid-on/Surplus auctions move faster than any person can read them. Here is how we filter thousands of lots down to the few worth bidding on, and where we stop.Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTbuying-guidesurplussourcingprocesshttps://blog.strommen.systems/posts/2026-06-15-what-we-are-building/https://blog.strommen.systems/posts/2026-06-15-what-we-are-building/We buy government surplus and corporate liquidation lots, test and repair what is worth saving, and sell it direct. Here is the thesis behind the business.Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTbusiness-updatebusinesssurplusstrategy