14.1" T61 vs 14.1" R61?

I've ordered a 14.1" T61 last week and since then I've been 'enlightened' on a few things with respect to the 14.1" R61. Both have the top roll cage, and aside from being a little thicker and heavier, the R61 seems a very good option.

Should I consider canceling my T61 order and ordering a R61 instead? Both systems would have the same configuration, and the R61 would come out a little over $150 cheaper. Does the T61 justifies that price difference?

 

Believe me, you want a smaller and lighter laptop. Get the T61, it's worth the money in my opinion.

 

R61 is the exact same as the T61, but a hair thicker. As you have already said, they both have the roll cage in the screen, and the base, it's just the T61 is thinner, and therefore will weigh less. Also, the T61 uses an Ultra Bay, whereas the R61 does not (uses a standard bay).
On a side note, for the money, I would just keep your already ordered T61. You will definitely NOT be disappointed with it. It's pointless to go through all the hassle of canceling the order, re-ordering the R61, etc. etc. Just keep the T61. Believe me, you will not regret it ! They are EXCELLENT computers !!

 

I'd pay the extra for the T61.

 

i'd pay extra for the T61 as well, but if it's price / performance ratio, the R61 is a better pick.

 

Unless you have a need for WWAN, which is not offered on the R61, they're almost the same notebook.

 

T61 is heavy in my opinion. I can't imagine using a R61. Weight is a big factor in buying a laptop and is worth the extra $100 bucks.

 

I'm looking for something small and lightweight, especially because I'm coming from a 13.3" (Asus W7S) which weights less than 5lbs. I really liked its portability.

 

They would pretty much perform the same, since I'd select both with the same hardware specs. The difference would boil down to physical differences/benefits the T61 has over the R61 (better construction, thinner, lighter, etc). And that's what I'm trying to figure out, if there is any difference/benefit at all (other than the thickness and weight - which I will take into consideration).

 

You definitely won't want the R61 then. The T61 is perfect in weight in my opinion. Then again, it would be even better if it was even lighter. They both are built really well.

 

According to lenovo's website:
T61 14.1" widescreen is 1.1" thick and starts at 5.0lbs.
R61 14.1" widescreen is 1.2" thick and starts at 5.2lbs.

My current laptop (Asus W7S) is 1.2"-1.4" thick and weights exactly 5lbs, including the 6 cell battery.

I think I could live with the R61's thickness, but at 5.2lbs without the battery it sounds a bit on the heavy side. Does anyone know how much would both the T61 and the R61 weights with the 6 cell batteries?

 

If I where to guess I would probably add around 0.3-0.5Ibs to the laptop.

 

Hmm... Then the R61 is starting to loose ground. I have to factor the power supply and my other usual stuff (notebooks, papers, cds, etc) along with the weight. The T61 seems like the more portable one.

 

Yes, T61 is much more portable. Also, you should get the 9-cell battery. The 6-cell does not last that long. The only bad thing about the 9-cell battery is the weight and that it sticks out of the laptop a lot.

 

When I was buying, a 10% drop in height and 4% drop in weight didn't justify a 15% increase in price. I went with the R61. Haven't got it yet though so I may be eating those words.

 

They are the same machine in essence with the minor differences mentioned. I went T61 after seeing them side by side the T61 looked better and more "refined" I guess you could say, even though it was $100 more.

 

I went once again to lenovo's website and redid my configuration for both the T61 and the R61 (I hadn't included the upgrade in battery and OS for the R61 before). With the visaperks discount and the ecoupon the difference between both systems is $103.29 which adds up to 8%.

Maybe it does make more sense to stick with the T61 after having a better look at those figures - 8% more for a T series doesn't seem bad at all!

 

"Refined" is definitely good, since I don't want a bulky-looking machine... At least give me some good looks.

I've seen the T, X and Z series up close, but I've never had the opportunity to handle a R series laptop. I guess it's another point for the T61.

 

The T61 is a great machine but saying they look good is unheard of. I like that they are utilitarian and not pretty.

 

I'd say my T61 is definitely sharp and good-looking. Sharp in a tuxedo kind of way.

Anyways, I voted for the 14.1" R61, even though I bought the T61. The tiny size and the slightly significant weight differences was/is definitely not worth the $100 premium difference IMO.

I bought the T61 because I had the extra money (scholarships), but if I was on a real budget, the R61 hands-down.

 

FYI, the 6-cell also stick out

 

R61, but since you already ordered a T61...stick with it. You don't want to start getting into canceling and reordering.

 

If I could've gotten my build to come that close I would've at least considered the bump. When I priced mine out the T61 was more like $175 more than the same R61.

 

I went for the R61. When I ordered mine ~$150 was the difference. I must tell you that several of my co-workers have both the R61s and T61s and you can barely tell they are different and only if they are side by side and you must look very closelly. The difference in weght is so negible I would hardly consider it a big deal and I carry my notebook around quite a bit. Consider this, if you get the dedicated graphics that come with the 90W brick or the 9 cell over the 7 cell battery you are already way over the weight difference. Plus you have more flexibility with the R's standard ultrabay option than the T's slim one. The bottom line is that they are both great and the prices are quite good as well.

 

Thanks for all the feedback guys! I'm thinking about sticking with the T61. Like many of you said, it's already ordered and I maybe the hassle of canceling and reordering will not be worth it (especially since it would incur in further waiting time).

I'm not really on a tight budget because I was thinking it would be at least $350.00 more than what I'm paying now (which would have a lower hardware spec). Both series are selling at a really good price now. Besides the 8% increase ($100) seems not to be so significant.

BTW, the thinkpads do look good. Maybe not in the sense of a flashy fashion laptop like some dells and hps, but in a sleek, sober look. Well, at least IMO.

 

I prefer the simple boxy black thinkpad look to the new look of silver/black combo or white which the dells and many manufacturers use now. The simple black is sexy in its own way.

 

Well, I'm going through with the T61 order. I called them earlier today and they said my laptop will be ready to be shipped on Monday! Not gonna screw that up for $103 bucks, especially with the added size and weight benefits of the T series.

Thanks for all the feedback and opinions.

 

Yeah. Youll probably have your t61 before I get my r61 ordered weeks ago. I'd give them another 100 if they'd just ship the darn' thing.

 

Yes, you made a good choice. You will like your new Thinkpad I've had my T61 15.4" model for about 4 months, and still love it everytime I use it ! The best laptop to date that I have owned.

 

can someone clarify the weight difference??? why does everyone say the r61 only weighs a couple ounces more??? On lenovo's website, it says its 4.5 vs 5.4 lbs. Thats seems pretty significant. Am I missing something???

 

are you comparing the 14'' and 15''?

and yes, it's only a couple ounces different between the r61 and t61 14'' size

 

im talking about this

look where it says weight. They are both starting weights, I cant imagine one being 15 and one being 14. The T61 weight looks a bit off at 4.5. I'm not sure if the superscript on the R series is the reason??? But removing the cd drive should reduce the weight no??

 

According to the website, the T61 weights 5.0lb and the R61 weights 5.2lb (both are the 14.1" version). For the 15.4" version, the T61 weights 6.3lb but they don't provide any info for the R61.

I really don't know how they have that 'starting at' numbers, but could be just the bare minimum for the laptop to work.

Info on T61 here and info on R61 here.

 

just to make sure, is the 14.1'' considered as "portable" ?

 

It's portable, but I'd say it fits better in the 'thin and light' category. At 5.0lb, the T61 is not that bad (5.2lb for the R61).

There are other more 'portable' laptops such as the X61 (2.7lb).

 

Ordered my 14W T61 Aug. 12th with a one day coupon... the T61 actually came out ~$8 CHEAPER than an identically configured R61... lenovo is probably clearing out inventory in light of the new T400/T500, but still, shouldn't the R61 have remained less than a T?