T61 15.4 poor build quality

I just got my T61 15.4
and I expected more, regarding build quality

1. the screen wobble, tiny bit but still
2. there is a little flex in the keyboard
3. the area where the fingerprint reader is a bit lifted resulting
some noise when you press the arrow keys
4. the battery is wiggelling a bit

I went to the lab and this is apparently with all 15.4 models

small things
but still
I expected more

 

I would be disapointed with that. Sorry to hear it.

 

just be rational , think it's price twice and you still expect it to be an IBM quality laptop?

of course not , you get what you pay for , some thinkpad fanatic fans never accept the fact but it is not as well built as it used to be in IBM era, though it is still a bit better than most of HPs.....

you will never get a 5000US quality laptop for a grand or so.

now , it is a cheap plastic fantastic.......

 

lappyforphotoshop is not wrong, some of the ThinkPads aren't as good as people may think, especially the R series. Other Lenovo non-TP series are actually better than some TPs. Right now I think only the X series is exceptional, the T is ok, but not as exceptional as the X.

 

the thing is that even if I did spent
5000US on a laptop it could probably be as bad

you never know these days

p.s - dell's latitude series is the same build quality and a lot cheaper
than the lenovo, food for thought.

 

Build quality has gone down a bit, but the price also has fallen way way more. If you want a Latitude then get a Latitude. I'd still far prefer my T61p over any Latitude offering.

 

I would have to agree. The problem is that Lenovo used to only appeal to the "business" class. Some people on the thread get steamed when you say that they are no longer only "business" class machines. The truth is that you could get tons more features cheaper, from other manufacturers. So the price had to drop. Lenovo took over and probably streamlined manufacturing to be cheap and fast. So naturally quality went down as well.

I have a 600E in front of me that has seen its share of business combat. It still boots right up to 98 and has a near perfect keyboard, screen, and chassis. In fact the whole notebook is covered in the coveted "rubberized" coating which is sweet. My R61 is not nearly as well built as this. But then my R61 was only $1000.

Lenovo had no choice but to drop prices to compete, the money has to come from somewhere. Thats where quality comes in to play. Plus, no matter what anyone here says....they want to keep the non business user interested too.

 

That is disappointing. I thought that the T61 was one of the best quility build laptops in the market
.

 

I say you call them up and replace it with a new one.

 

It still is really good but would you be interested if you had to pay 2 or 3 thousand for slightly better build quality and service? I know I wouldn't be looking at buying a Thinkpad for those prices.

 

All the same on my T61p. I rarely open/close my screen and it already has more wobble than my previous notebook that I used for 2 years. The wobble started to show after only 2 or 3 openings. In regard to #3 though, mine was the same way before I took the palm rest/keyboard off and reseated them, it is completely silent now. Not saying that will definitely work for you, but it might be worth trying.

I have to think that if a company must charge an additional 1 or 2 thousand dollars for slightly better build quality, there's something else very wrong.

 

Screen Wobble? YES - not a lot, but going to be an annoyance if it gets worse. My 14.1 TP60 from work is smooth, solid, and stays put

Keyboard Flex? YES - Slight flex on palm rest to the right of the touchpad. Usually ignorable

Battery Wiggling? YES - My 15.4 WS is sporting a 9 cell battery and there is a little play in it.

 

I was about to pull the trigger on one of these thru their contractors site with the code had it all configured but decided to wait and then I checked here to see what people are saying about these T61 and now WOW are they that bad I was about to dish out $1,600 plus on this, I thought all reviews were good, good thing I held off

 

I have a T61P that I bought almost a year ago and I must say that the build quality, especially for the money is excellent. My screen does not wobble at all, in fact, it is VERY stiff and smooth when I open and close it. There is some flex in the palm region but nothing to be annoyed about, and my battery does move slightly when I play around with it. Otherwise the screen is well protected, and everything is just really solid. I still put it near or at the top for build quality. Just a note, even though I bought it when lenovo took over, I still for some reason acquired the IBM logos on laptop...so I do not know if that means the parts where still better then...I would assume not.
Just my two cents.

 

If you think Thinkpad is bad, go a head and buy a Pavillion or Inspiron...

 

Well, the problem is the aura created here about how solid and indestructible Thinkpads are. There are other business notebooks out there that are built as well as a Thinkpad, some even better, just not as popular due to the lack of publicity (and poor pricing structure).

 

Uh-huh. I know what the feels.

Though, the upper right corner of the screen lid can be pressed down slightly to cause a tiny creaking sound. The screen could be better. The keyboard could be better. But, I'm not complaining much an overall killer product at such a great price.

 

I agree with you. These laptops were originally designed for the business "professional" some 2000 or 3000 years ago. Times change, but the durability has proven to work out well with any user in whatever settings. My Asus whitebook survived Iraq while dell's, averatec's, acer's for sure, and even some toughbooks just could not hang. Mostly cracked cases, overheating HD's, and clumsy users.

You should get what you want. If you take care of your laptop, durability is usually not an issue. Accidents happen, and you are more likely to take a good hit with a Thnikpad over a flimsy plastic machine like an Acer. The lcd rollcage, drivelocking, and matte finish offer good protection all around. You can get skins and decals to to the same on other machines.

Bottom line, GET WHAT YOU WANT.

 

Just for balance, I have to say that my T61p has none of these problems. LCD has a moderate dead zone but no wobble, and is almost difficult to open or close because of the solid hinge. Keyboard flex is minimal to non-existent. Overall fit and finish is comparable or significantly better than my 2003 Dell D400. It is disappointing that your laptop is like this, but all the Thinkpad T61s are not built poorly.

And what laptops are flawless? Even the latest Dell Latitudes can have screen flex or cheap feeling components. If you get something that is 95% perfect and doesn't have any major annoyances, that should be good, right? #3 would bother me, though -- that's why I didn't go for the reader.