Lenovo/Ibm Makes most durable laptops

I've had many laptops over the years and the most durable (quality of materials, and it not breaking) world have to go to my ibm t60 this thing is biuilt so well, I hav enever had a problem with it. And a really great feature is the fan intake on the side of the laptop instead of on the bottm of the case. found that very valuable because it wont suck in dust from the surface its on like fabric or bedding if i want to use it in bed while im sick or laying down. And the spill proff keyboard really works i tested it (unintentially) at a coffeshop it drains right out on the bottem, it made a mess but didnt ruin the laptop.

 

i concur.....

 

the spill proof keyboard (after taking it apart) is really simple and after seeing how it works i wouldn't trust a spill on my keyboard. I guess its okay as long as you dont move the laptop till it drains

 

it is not suppose to take a lot of fluids, only 50 cc, otherwise it will spill over into the motherboard.

 

can you describe to me how it works, I have always wondered if the spill-resistant keyboard is just another marketing gimmick...

 

i believe it's 60ml

 

there is drainage channels on the magnesium chassis of the laptop to drain the fluids away.

 

Not a gimmick. Here's my story:

Inside the Box Blog Archive Spill Stories

 

Those must be really conservative estimates. I have knocked over glasses and had more than 8oz spill all at once smack dab on the keyboard.

 

The spill-resistance is reassuring but it's a case of...

I don't want to find out!

I am guilty of leaving a drink by my laptop sometimes but I know that I can't afford to be without my baby so I will move the drink promptly.

 

Don't tell this to Toughbook and MBP owners....

 

But... but... but the artsy interview-style video said my notebook has Unibody construction!

 

Indeed.

I've seen and bought laptops for my self and family and none stood a chance against my older R61.

Flimsy keyboards, bad and lose screens and overall bad build quality.

 

ive always wondered, if you spill something on your thinkpad, do you keep it still and let it drain or turn over the laptop? ive heard mixed things about this for laptops that are " spill proof " and have drain holes.

 

From what I know, you keep it still! Turning it over may lead to the water/ liquid traveling to places it should not.

 

keep it still, but make sure you lift the laptop away from the table surface, otherwise the drained water may ingress into the bottom of the motherboard through the ventilation holes on the underside of the laptop.

 

Keep it still and level.

Here's what Lenovo has to say about what to do:

Quoting from Inside the Box Blog Archive Spill Stories

If you do spill on your ThinkPad, what you do next will directly affect the extent of the damage.

1. First, don’t panic. The natural inclination is to reach over and turn the system over as quickly as possible. This is the worst thing you can do because it can spread the spill around.
2. Reach over to the power button and hold it down to turn your system off. Don’t do a normal shutdown. Just turn it off. Then unplug the power from the system.
3. Wait a few seconds to allow the drainage holes to do their job and allow as much liquid as possible to drain from the system.
4. Pick the system up, keeping it level. Once you have lifted it high enough, briskly turn the system upside down so that the keyboard is facing down. Allow the system to drain as much liquid as possible. Give it a gentle shake or two and let it sit that way for a few minutes.
5. Call Lenovo support and ask what to do next. If you are the DIY type keep reading, but if you have any doubts whatsoever, give us a call.
6. Take the keyboard off and determine the extent of the spill that has seeped into the system. You can also rinse the keyboard you removed using distilled water and use a hair dryer to thoroughly dry the system.
7. I’ve personally heard accounts of people taking their keyboards off their systems and running them through the top rack of the dishwasher when they have really sticky spills. The water jets are able to clean the crevices better. Lenovo absolutely does not support this, but if you are faced with having to replace a keyboard anyway, what have you got to lose? Use the top rack because the heating element gets too hot and you don’t want a pile of goo at the bottom of your dishwasher. And for Pete’s sake, don’t think you can run your entire system through the dishwasher.

 

@JaneL...thanks for posting this. I had no idea about #4! So, Lenovo does recommend that you briskly flip the laptop over. I did not know this.

Thus, @"abop": obviously I was wrong. I stand corrected.

 

Make sure you get through step #3 before you do that, though, so that as much as possible has already drained out through the drain holes. Let the containment tray and drain holes do their job.

They say wait a few seconds. When I dumped a glass of water and ice in my X300, I lifted mine off the desk and, keeping it level, carried it to the kitchen and set it down (level) in the sink to finish draining. I had a meeting that was starting, so I left it that way for about an hour before flipping it over.

I also removed the battery immediately (while keeping the X300 level) as well as pull the power cord loose.

Oh, yes, and in case I haven't mentioned this, keep it level. ;-)

 

@JaneL: Right...thanks. I also read your experience via a recent post you made elsewhere! And, I was actually wondering about your flipping over the laptop. Now I know why!

 

Hey outside of the fully rugged toughbooks ( some of the business class rugged toughbooks suck ) I AGREE with the thinkpads being most durable, as for crapbook pros ..... well their fashion accessories more than a hard working machine

 

I also agree that (next to Toughbooks) the Thinkpad is one of the most durable laptops out there.
I've owned MANY laptops, and NOTHING comes close to the build quality of the Thinkpads (especially the T and X series).

 

I completely agree.. ThinkPads are the most durable notebooks outside of fully sealed construction/military use notebooks I've ever seen.

Maybe the usage patterns vary, but my ex's two year old HP DV9000 was pretty much on its last legs and looked like it had been through a meat grinder. Hardware issues abound, the fan was completely inaccessible to clean out(I ended up having to take the entire system apart to blow it out), and the palmrest was so flimsy that a large chunk had broken off, exposing the motherboard. In comparison, my nearly decade old T21(even before the rollcage days) had survived far worse and as quite well intact. I even used it for a spell last week while my other rigs were out on warranty service.

I'm pretty much convinced that consumer rigs are meant to only last a couple of years, tops... HP, Dell, and the like want their consumers to come back time and time again, and the care put in their designs reflect that. ThinkPads are in an entirely different place as far as that goes... you buy a new ThinkPad in order to upgrade to newer hardware, not because your old machine is falling apart.

 

I also thought that was interesting, it's a natural to turn the laptop over to get the water out.

 

But only after you let the drain holes do their work!

http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo-ibm/499028-lenovo-ibm-makes-most-durable-laptops-2.html#post6467463

 

I just broke off the piece of plastic above the usb port with my usb modem. That did not happen with my previous hp laptop... Maybe it is because I was using it in tablet mode thus increases the chance of the modem damaging my laptop. Urrr.... feel so bad inside.

 

I'm confused/surprised. Do all modern Thinkpads have spill-resistant keyboards? Does the W510?

 

Lenovo Thinkpads all had the spill resistant keyboard (not sure whether SL and L series had them).

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@Warakawa, this accident was bound to happen with the usb 3.5G modem. Luckily, for me it were the usb modem that broke rather than the usb port on the thinkpads.

After the accident i only use E71 as a wireless hotspot, when i need the 3.5G internet.

 

sorry for going off topic, how is the speed compared to usb modem (assuming you were using huawei's)

 

I am on three, the speed is about the same as a E169G. Three network in Melbourne is the limit not the modem. Maximum download speed i can achieve is around 220 kb/s at around 1 am.