If you can get the refurbished laptop cheap enough and from a trusted seller than a refurbished laptop can be just as good as a new laptop.
Refurbished laptop computers will have new operating systems installed and will most likely just have cosmetic damages such as scratches that don't affect the computers operation.
But sometimes it may be better and just as cheap to get a brand new laptop computer.
Laptop computers don't last very long to begin with. So refurbished laptop which has already seen use may only last a year or 2 while a new laptop may last 5 years or more.