T520 keyboard flex

T520 corner keyboard keys flex more than previous models, for example my T60 keyboard is solid.

 

Ok...

And my anecdotal evidence indicates that the T420/W520/T520 keyboard flexes less than previous models.

Such is life with mass production.

 

Just got T520 and i notice a little flex around the 'right', 'left', 'up', and 'down' arrow keys toward the bottom right of the keyboard.

 

Barely any flex on my W520 despite an empty UltraBay. I have to press pretty hard for it to show significant warping.

 

Each of us typically has access to a statistical sample of one. The way we talk about "the" < ThinkPad model > keyboard of the entire < ThinkPad model > line (although there are more than one keyboard suppliers, and who knows which instance of such keyboards is in any person's < ThinkPad model > instance) is quite entertaining.

Love can be irrational.

 

Yep. I've got access to several W520/T520s and a couple more T420s, but I still wouldn't say that my anecdotes are worth anything. A statistically significant sample size for a model that's shipped in *at least* the five digit range is way more than anybody here is likely to have personally tried.

In other news, blanket statements are always wrong.

 

You must have a huge desk and multiple hands to maintain that kind of concurrent and significant "access" to multiple laptops on a daily basis.

Anyway, the above pronouncement does not solve the "keyboard flex" problem that someone is experiencing (and no one else can deny by any manner of posturing).

 

Please don't put words in my mouth. I never said concurrent, nor did I say daily. My employer settled on the T420 and T520/W520 for their latest round of hardware upgrades. Over the course of my work I use quite a few, but rarely for any extended period of time. Still, even a minute or two of hands-on support is enough to get a feel for the keyboard. My point was that *even with* a larger than normal sample size, my anecdotal evidence is still pretty much worthless. I was trying to concur with and support your post. Sigh. Let's move on.

At any rate, to the OP I'd recommend removing and re-seating the keyboard. Failing that, you can remove the keyboard and try to warp it slightly (slightly!) such that it bows a bit deeper in the areas where you feel "flex". If you're still bothered by it, try using some index cards to shim the areas that you feel are flexing.

 

Thank you most kindly. This is exactly what people who come to this forum looking for solutions to their problems want to hear.

Please, do not treat people voicing their laptop problems as if they're trying to devalue the "brand."

 

Here's my past experience:

600E - no flex, superb.

T42 - some flex solved re-seating the keyboard and using tape and little pieces of thick paper placed strategically

X40 - no flex, perfect

X200 - some flex, solved the same way

T420s - some flex, solved the same way

X220 - no flex, just perfect

My take on this: it's random.
Is it acceptable? I DON'T THINK SO.
Is it worth returning for "repair" or giving up on Thinkpads? NO, I CAN FIX IT.

 

I don't. My only issue with posts like the original one is that making statements as though it's an established fact is quite misleading if you only have a sample size of a couple machines. As I've said in other threads, "the plural of anecdote is not data". Had the OP said "My T520's keyboard seems to flex more than the keyboard on my T61. How can I fix this?", the response would be quite different.

Personally I do think that minor flex is tolerable if not quite acceptable, if only because (short of hand-checking each and every machine after final assembly) there's not really a cost-effective way to produce a keyboard that has "absolutely no flex" -- and I suspect even hand-testing each keyboard would raise the price too much for most customers. Imperfections in mass-produced goods are part of life, and are present in goods sold under pretty much every brand in existence. Lenovo's products are no different.

 

Thanks for adding some insights. I wish this forum, under mature moderation and with frequent contributions by members like yourself, gradually moves away from confrontational responses and toward constructive problem-solving suggestions, even if an OP (or any of the commentators) gets "vexed" by any experience.

Responses like "you deserve that kind of service with your attitude" or "I don't know what you're talking about; I have no such problems" do not help at all. And it is quite entertaining that some members make the point of "protecting the ThinkPad brand" in various self-styled manners.

Rational approach: "Keyboard flex does exist. Keyboard flex may be fixed by the owner by doing such and such." End of story. Good enough?