How not to get caught with old tech.Projectors

While it is always nice to find a bargain , the problem is that old technology can be very disappointing.
Most old electronics is still usable because of the fact they they are often stand alone systems such as an old portable radio or a complete HiFi. Many pieces of old equipment can also still connect to new equipment .A great example of this is a 1980s HiFi amplifier I found at a absolute bargain. The audio connectors are still the same after many decades. The sound quality is just amazing with the super retro VU meter needles and big silver volume nob, it is just a great find.
This however does not apply to video projectors or data projectors.
While doing the usual bargain hunt, the finding of a quality brand projector seemed amazing until close inspection.
The projector had reasonable brightness.Possible 2000 Lumens or so. To be sure that the specs were OK I asked if they had the original box or documentation for it.They did. So I though here we go, now I as an industry pro I can read the specs and determine the awesomeness of this great find. I was shocked to find no specifications of any kind except the usual quick set up and list of contents etc. The documentation was completely void of any genuine technical specs such as Lumens, resolution etc. The part that was really strange is that the projector could not be more than two years old. This got me thinking about what people are buying new. If this projector was almost new then people with no technical knowledge of projectors were potentially buying junk that was dressed up as quality technology.
The expectation that over time tech gets cheaper because of mass production and the payments of patent licenses and so on, allows you to be lulled into the belief that equipment like projectors can be cheap and there would not be anything suspicious about it.
It turns out you would be completely wrong.
The specifications on many of these entry level projectors are as low as you can get with SVGA resolution, no HDMI on some of then, and some even have very short globe life.
Then there are the expected functions that are missing like the ability to daisy chain them via VGA in and out.
It seems that Lumens have become the PMPO of projectors. In the many cheap sound system manufacturers marketing you would see a small 5Watt portable radio touted as 50 000 Watts PMPO.
Apart from the measurement being complete nonsense the radio often turned out to be cheap flimsy rubbish.
This seems to be the case where cheap projector manufacturers are stripping down this tech to have one VGA connector, SVGA rubish with HIGH LUMENS !!! of well ...... 2 000 massive Lumes. Face palm.
Not only are these "lumens" possibly overrated, but like the PMPO nonsense may also be badly made flimsy scrap.

If you have a tiny budget and have always wanted a projector well then I guess it is understandable but if you want real tech the cheapest may not be a good idea at all.
I think what disappointed me the most was the apparent deception of having absolutely not mention anywhere about resolution whether it be SVGA/ XGA or HD etc.
I could imagine the disappointment when an excited family sets up there home projector only to find it is rubbish.
Even wore in the business environment when a presenter is embarrassed by the fact that he/she cant connect their laptop because of the lack of HDMI etc.
It is no surprise then that projector hire is still flourishing. Data projector HIRE in Johannesburg is still a strong industry irrespective of the number of cheap projectors the market is flooded with.
In fact this flood of junk might actually be stimulating the industry because of the high quality projectors the projector hire companies use.

The best way to avoid this junk is to do a search online for the model before you buy it.Apart from the reviews etc, many of the online stores give way more technical specs than the documentation in the box.
If you are buying online and there are no technical specs, I would very suspicious. In that case at least look at other sites with the same model of projector.
The low spec gear seems to be punted without spec to hide their lack of quality. Some might argue that the average person does not understand the specifications anyway. That for me is no excuse.
List the specs and let me decide.

 If you don't understand the specifications, do a bit of research. You will find that even just a bit of information can save you a lot of heartache when it comes to cheap projectors.