£1300 seems VERY cheap for a recon box...

Generally, they are around the £2k mark

I went for a genuine LR/Factory recon box for my car, my logic being ZF will have seen all the issues on the returned boxes for the last 10 years, and upgraded the failed/worn parts as required.

Will the same work/research have gone into an aftermarket recon? Especially if someone else is paying the bill