Old vs. Current Thinkpad surface texture

Initially I thought the new Thinkpads' smooth finish feel a bit cheap. But again using a Thinkpad that has the coarser texture, it's now apparent the smooth finish is much more comfortable especially on the palm rests. However, my notebook is in and out of a backpack daily and the lid is already showing some wear in just a month. While handling it too I'm really missing the rubber coating the previous models had.

 

My ThinkPad Yoga lid scratches very easily. I've just reached the point where I don't want to let it bother me too much. What's important is it is a strong and durable material, even though it can cosmetically get damaged. Between the old and new, I'd prefer the new

 

Can you please post a picture of it? When you have time of course.

 

What is the wear like? On the older Thinkpads, the rubberized texture was super easy to wear off, particularly at the corners and edges. I had thought eliminating that would make the surface more resistant to abrasive wear.

 

In my experince, the new lid material does not wear of (other than some scratches) at the edge or the corners.

The palmrest is textured with a different material, it is more like the classic rubbery material, and does not wear of. Unlike plastic palmrests, the new palmrest does no get glossy, only dirty, and the grease can be cleaned of very easily.

 

what is this talk of rubbers/plastics/metals not wearing? is this some parallel universe?

 

Even my Z61t and the other myriad of older ThinkPads I have owned for more than ~6-12 months average I flip laptops, never really had any wear. Of course it sat on a desk 24/7. My biggest gripe about the rubberized surface was grease/oils are hard to clean off of it (yes I love to eat and use my computer at the same time).

 

The expectation isn't to have no wear, but one of how much is acceptable in just a month. Based on what I'm already seeing I extrapolate what it might look like a year from now and I don't think it's going to be great. Unlike the old rubber coating, the corners and edges are doing fine. It's the main area on the lid that's wearing. I can see small scratches and places where the surface is losing the grain that's there in the finish. Most of you likely don't move around with your machines the way I do and won't experience it to this extent. It's easy to clean by just wiping it with some gentle cleaner.

 

I carry my T440s all around school with me. It has been 3 months and I have no wear at all on the lid. Mind you I do have some marks on my palmrest from the screen bezel pressing on it when the lid is closed.

 

I love the classic thinkpads, but never was a fan of the rubberized coating. If you get a chance compare the 15.4" R61 to a T61, the R model doesn't have the ruberized coating but it is textured and is easier to clean. In comparison also look at an SL series that has polished plastic that shows every tiny mark. My favorite surface would be on this R series.

To clarify, I don't really dislike the rubberized coating, but it doesn't wear well and doesn't deal with stickers well at all.

 

I too prefer the R-series lid texture as well. It is annoying when it comes to selling one of my TPs and the excellent shape it is in is broken by the easily scuffed rubbery lid!

 

I always preferred the textured plastic lids over the rubbery coating of the T-Series. Maybe because an R60 was my first ThinkPad, who knows. This is also something I like about my L520, which also had a matte textured plastic lid (unlike the SL-Series, which had a smooth plastic lid).

I just bought an old ThinkPad Z61t (which is really old, doesn´t even have a Lenovo logo on the clearplate). Its not a Titanium-model, it has a rubbery lid, and since its used, the corners are already worn off...this is one of my main problems with the older rubbery material. The second is that its just very hard to clean.

 

Yep. Count me in as well on that observation.

Count yourself lucky. Titanium lids - as desirable as they may be from a collector's standpoint - wore out horribly fast. Likely the worst option seen on ThinkPads - ever - when it comes to the durability aspect.

I'm reasonably certain that most - if not all - Z series ThinkPads sported an IBM logo. Can't recall seeing a new one on any of them.

Nevertheless, Z61t was one of Lenovo's most interesting designs. Enjoy yours!

 

Huh I've owned 3 Z61t's, how is it any different than any other normal ThinkPad (besides it only being offered in 16:10 flavor).

 

Some of the Z series were available with Titanium lids which looked extremely cool when new, but the clear coat of the lacquer wore out *really* fast turning beautiful swans into ugly ducklings...

 

Yes, I'm about to sell my immaculate T420... immaculate, that is, apart from the unavoidable (and un-removeable) smudges on the lid from opening/closing and picking it up.

however, I prefer the black textured case material of the T420 over the smoother plastic of the T440 that's sort of a dirty-gray color.

 

Thanks!

I like the design of the Z61t very much (apart from the Titanium lid, which look really nice, as ajkula mentioned).It is not plagued with the asymetric design like the T61/T400 and it is the smallest 14" 16:10 ThinkPad (only slightly bigger than the T440s, which is the smallest widescreen 14" model). Also, the Z61t is very rounded for a ThinkPad from this timeframe, which is also unique about the Z-Series,

Whats also unique is the form of the chassis: http://www.notebookcheck.com/fileadmin/_processed_/csm_lenovo_ansicht_rechts_58fa38a0a6.jpg A very nice machine and definitve a worthy part in any collection.

But thats a bit off topic...

The T440p seems to be made out of slightly different materials and coatings than the T440(s). No rubberized palmrest, different lid texture.

 

Unless the early ones are different, the T440s doesn't have a rubberized palm rest.

There's a LOT of variation in texture. Comparing only a couple units can be very misleading. Their quality control is very very poor. My third unit has quite a bit rougher texture compared to the first two. It doesn't affect anything but really indicative of the quality when there's this much variation.

 

Ah I didn't know you were referring to the Z61t Titanium edition. Yeah they are really rare, I've only seen 1-2 on eBay in 4-5 years.

 

My X301 has a rubberized feeling palmrest, lid, and keyboard. I really love the rubberized feeling, but as noted, DOES get very dirty / oily from the hands. The only thing that has that rubber feel on my T61 is the lid, and since it rarely leaves my desk, still looks brand new.

 

Are the surface materials different between T440 models? I absolutely love the grainy black material on my T440p, it picks up smudges but they're easy to wipe off and overall it gives the laptop a nice look and great feel (and scratches don't show too much on it which is fantastic since I throw this thing around in my backpack every day)

 

All T440s have rubberized palmrests. However, just as with past ThinkPads, the chemical composition has changed again. There are different kinds of rubberization on ThinkPads, some can be described more like a smooth texture (T420) whereas others can be considered proper rubber. (X300) Due to the different compositions, some may be more susceptive to damage, wear or dirt.

As for me, I much prefer the rubberized coating, especially on the palmrest because it prevents the plastic from wearing off and becoming shiny. Just look at some old T40's oder X60's or whatever and you'll know what I'm talking about. It looks utterly terrible and very cheap.

If it was up to me, I'd rubberize every single part on my ThinkPads.

 

You fine people are absolutely killing me with this "rubberized" discussion.

Guess I'll stop at B&H at my way from work to check out the finish on both T440p and T440s...