> Is a brand new battery really the minimum acceptable standard for a refurb?
Of course not, it's a refurb, but that's the point. You know it's a refurb and you know it's not going to last as long as a new one. That's why the refurb sells at a discount.
> If got a refurb and it had 6 months usage on the battery for example, I think I’d be fine with that.
That's the other issue though. You can see the number of charge cycles but not e.g. how many times it was left in a car in the summer sun.