T43 flex in right-side palm rest????

The T43 that I purchased is very sturdy (as one would expect), however, there is one weak point that I have started to notice and that is the right palm rest. There is some flex on the right-side rest and if I put a bit of pressure on it(minimal amount) I can actually see the flex and can hear a slight creaking sound. My concern comes from the fact that there is no such flex and certainly no such creak on the left-side rest, even with considerably more pressure then the right-side. Does anyone know if this is something that is normal or if I should be concerned about it? I am newbie to the thinkpad line and thus I do not have any experience with former IBM build qualities. The reportedly high build quality was a determining factor in my decision to purchase one so any help with this would be appreciated. Thanks!


Hands

 

The palmrests of the T4x series are known to be rather flexible. The flex and creaking is common. You may be able to solve it by removing the palmrest and putting something credit-card sized underneath.

What surprises me is that your left palmrest doesn't flex - after all, there's even less there to support it than on the right. Mine flexes a great deal, though it doesn't creak. Is your laptop 14.1" or 15"?

 

Mine is the 14.1 inch. That is strange that yours has flex on both sides. Which do you have? I figured my right-side flex might have been because i oppted for the fingerprint reader or someting along those lines. Thanks for the tip about inserting something underneath the palm rest that may very well be a solution if it gets to the point that I can't take it anymore .

 

I have a 14.1" T43. I don't find it strange that it flexes on the left side, as there's absolutely nothing to support the palmrest there; just a thing strip of metal above the PCMCIA slots. That's why I'm so impressed yours is solid.

 

It's odd that on an otherwise very solid-feeling notebook they have left long thin pieces of plastic unsupported. A few little plastic bumps (feet, posts, ...) would help a lot.

 

I think all the T-4x series suffer from this--have read articles going back years. My T-41 is a bit creaky.

 

I agree. When it's closed, it feels so solid (well, some have a screen that doesn't quite close flush, which really lessens the solid feeling) but opened up, you get to see all of that thin, unsupported plastic. Flexes and creaks everywhere.

I guess that's just the price you pay for such a thin laptop.

 

The palmrests on my 15" T42 only flex if I press down really hard on them. Nothing of the sort happens if I just keep my hands on them during routine work.

 

On my 8 month old T42, I get flex on the right side as well. Nothing wrong with the left side though.

I remember that this caused me great distress, as I paid so much for IBM quality, but after a while I just thought it didn't matter much.