With Black Friday laptop deals, it typically makes more sense to get a new device over a used one, but if the refurbished deal is right for you, just make sure the product is no more than two years old. As already mentioned, you'll be getting a better overall investment by buying something relatively newer with more contemporary parts as opposed to saving more money on a device that has been refurbished.
If you're really only getting a laptop for simple tasks, like surfing the web or typing up documents, buying a refurbished one should be fine, but purchasing a new one (at an affordable rate) would certainly be more ideal.