I always check for keyboard flex before buying a laptop

Anyone the same way? I will hold my head sideways right up against the keyboard while i push several times on one key at a time to hear how each feels and sounds when i press it repeatedly. Then when im done, i will do the procedure again but now ill pound on it. If theres no flex then it pases my test. But when i get my own to take home, its always the first thing i do once i take it out of the box. Takes a good hour to do.

 

I guess everyone tests what one's most afraid of I never had any problems with that so it never even comes to my mind. But hinges - I open and close the lid numerous times to feel the hinges and lid flex.

 

Is that you in your av?

 

yes.... why?

Btw the other thing I always try to assess is the overall build quality and FAN noise, whereas the last is really hard to evaluate in a loud store environment and with that funny demo software they run on the machines...

 

For the love of christmas....

 

Or you read reviews and see if there is any notation about keyboard flex. Lenovo got ripped a new one by changing the materials in the T400 keyboard.

 

I don't know why we boys always ask questions about things like this. However, back to topic, I do actually don't care about it

 

Do I check for keyboard flex before I buy? Never. Dead pixels on my display are a different story, however. Keyboards are just going to flex, there's no way around it. Sure, some notebooks have magnesium frames and supporting framework inside the laptop to reduce flex, but most people aren't going to shell out the extra money for these.

Is it possible to have a laptop that exhibits zero keyboard flex and continues to exhibit such years down the road? And, if so, what are the associated costs of owning a laptop such as this over one that does have moderate flex?

 

looks nice, very nice mmmmmm.

 

Keyboard Flex is a variable.
You can have 2 identical models but 1 with keyboard flex and the other without.
It can be due to slight bending of a modular keyboard design which can be fix by various hacks.
It is definitely not reflective of build quality.
The more important question is: Does it overheat under IntelBurnTest?

 

The first thing I did when I unpacked my Macbook Pro was test the keys to see if any were wonky. Sure enough, one of them wouldn't depress evenly while another was noisy. Didn't even bother to fire it up before I took it back to the shop for a refund. Needless to say, I have little tolerance for poor workmanship. Asus G73SW-3DE on order now. Hope I get the chance to at least take it for a spin.

 

Take a cold shower dude, this isn't match.com

keyboard flex while annoying isn't a deal breaker for me if most other criteria i'm seeking in a notebook are present, there's usually an easy fix for it anyways e.g. foam tape, adhesive rubber strips, etc.

 

It is more than clear that each of us checks for what he/she has has problems with in the past

To me that's overall build quality (base stiffness, hinges, lid) and FAN noise. I didn't even know that "keyboard flex" exists until a few months ago when I read it somewhere. I never thought of it and never had problems with it

To others obviously screen pixels, keyboard...

Everyone learns from experience

 

I've never had the chance to see any laptop I've purchased for the past 5 years. I almost meet the laptop for the first time when it shows up at my door...

 

In days long gone by one would see & test things in shops; for laptops checking screen- keyboard- case-flex etc. Now it seems most of the stuff one wants will come in the post, a matter of reading reviews, knowing someone using the same equipment, or having luck, and if needed, a good return policy. (I hate mushy laptops)

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Like me, he's only thinking about the Vaio...

 

Glad u like it

 

When I search for a laptop, I stop by multiple big box laptop sellers (BestBuy, MicroCenter, etc.) and checked exactly that - depress the middle of the keyboard, HARD, and see if it moves. If it happened across a brand or a product line at multiple locations, an entire series falls off the checklist.

Then, on to check build quality - floor displays easily take a year of abuse within a month, so any hinge wiggle, scratched or faded pain, mouse buttons without springiness, or joints that don't line up anymore.

Only after that will I start to look for reviews on a product line. Product reviews based purely on performance don't mean a thing if a laptop can't survive a month or two as a floor model, let alone 2-4 years as my daily carry primary computer.

 

yep we all did

but on topic I check the overall quality of the computer, stiffness, how it would handle to be used on the go everyday, the quality of the screen is not that important to me, but the rigidity of it.

The keyboard typing experience is also something that I consider, the layout of the keys, the travel, and so forth.