I was at the Sony Outlet in Wrentham,MA yesterday and they had HC1 refurbs available for $699. If you're in the area of an outlet it might be worth checking out. As I remember it Sony pulled the HC1s off the market upon the release of the HC3. There's a good chance that these are unused stock that they are now disposing of. I bought a replacement for my original HC1 (it was stolen from my car) on ebay for $750 this summer, so $699 for a Sony refurb may not be a bad deal.

I love my HC1.

That's a hell of a bargain. I paid $1200 back in 2006, and it's done nothing but amaze me throughout the year and a half I've had it. As a matter of fact, I strongly believe that it can hold its own against even today's best HDV cameras. Also, you can't get anything with a focus ring for even twice the price of the HC1. Fantastic piece of equipment.