Abused CF-28

HI All,
My used CF-28 came in and I am very unhappy with it. Not the computer but the condition of the computer. It's a piece of ****!! It has been very abused. In addition to a lot of scratches, the rear dust cover is missing, the large door on the right side is being held on by the latch only, the door over the options pocket is secured by only one hinge and the latch. All other connector covers are gone!! It gives the impression of having been in the back of a van and it just rolled around for ten years. It's very rough. But there is an upside.

The computer seems to work perfectly. I'm impressed. After obvious extreme abuse it still works. WOW. If I had any doubts about the toughness of Toughbook's, they are gone now. Whoever owned this machine got their moneys worth from it.

It looks like it is in pain. I can't stand to look at it. I feel sorry for it. I am returning it for a full refund this morning.

In the meantime, I found a CF-29 that seems to be in fine shape and well optioned. It is comming on the Big Brown Truck today. Hopefully, this one will be the one to keep. It cost more but it is more machine. Wish me luck.

Sparky

 

Where did you buy it from?

 

HI,
Until the refund shows up in my account I'm silent on the subject. Even then, I may not disclose my supplier. I think they are legit and this one just got by them. I really don't want to hurt their business. It was not off eBay. So, I'll think about it and see how the future unfolds.

Sparky

 

Ah, ok then, cause if it was off eBay/CL/etc. it would be understandable if images were not shown. Either way, I don't think it's right that a used unit came in such a way unless it can been accounted for in detail.

Hope everything will be resolved soon!

 

HI,
Boy, I really agree with you. But it is the risk we take when we buy used, unseen stuff. Even with pics, the real condition is not known until it is in hand. Used is a risky business and our only defense is to find good, reliable, honest sellers. Not all are.

Generally, I have had very good luck buying used. I do try to stay away from eBay for anything but inexpensive items. It seems that every shark in the water ends up there.

Sparky

 

Although the seller should have made the physical condition clear in the description, keep in mind that what you described is not atypical for an off-lease toughbook. I've seen many that look like they've returned from a war zone (And in fact, perhaps they did!) but otherwise were working fine.

 

HI gravitar,
I belive it. But that doesn't mean that I would want to own machines that look like junk. At least they are not expensive which is their only attaction to me. I would rather spend more and get more. I'm funny that way.

Sparky

Edited for spelling & typos (my bane!)

 

Well I can understand that. I wouldn't want mine looking like he** either. Every place I take mine, it attracts a crowd. I want to leave everyone with a positive impression of my toughbook, not walk away thinking it's junk!

 

For resale, I want mine to look their best, but my newest one came to me looking fairly beat up. On the other hand though, I've also dropped it off of the fender on my car and onto some warm exhaust manifolds then down to the pavement. I'd have felt really bad adding more scratches if it wasn't ugly.

I was just really lucky and happy the screen managed to catch on an air line under the hood and closed it shut... so the LCD is still good.

 

HI,
I guess it is all a matter of priorities. I know some folks who couldn't care less about appearance as long as the gadget works and the price is right. I can respect but not emulate. My now returned CF-28 worked perfectly and the price was right. I think this would satisfy those folks.

I am into high end audio. Part of the attraction for me is the beauty of the equipment as well as the sound. One look at my Oracle Delphi turntable almost brings tears to my eyes. It is truly beautful (sounds good too). In this way Toughbooks remind me of my Audio Research tube amps and preamp. Not beautiful in a conventional sense but their straight forward but classic fuctional looks exudes their intended purpose which they do with exquisite ability. So too the Toughbooks.

Many of my fellow engineers view gadgets only from a functional point of view. They do not have one ounce of appreciation for the art of design. I find programmers a bit more sensitive to artistic attributes. Why the difference?

I'm in love with this new CF-29 that came in yesterday. It's an exercise in functional art. I always thought of laptops as cookie cutter designs. Oh, some are smaller and cute, others big, macho, and very functional. But they all look like they emerged from the same dream. Not so with the Toughbooks. They have a look that screams "Look at me, I'm the champ! Punch me and I'll always get up. Drown me and I'll come up still collecting data. And I'll do this with beauty and style. And I look different; not cut from a cookie cutter".

As I write this the CF-28 is over on my desk playing a CD of aboriginal Australian music (good, interesting stuff) through excellent Monsoon computer speakers. This is a machine I will fall in love with-I already have. Is this weird? Probably.

I need to find an appropriate name for it. All my computers have names but careful thought is needed. It's not something one rushes into, right? It's like naming one's child. Hmm, maybe Godzilla? Nooo, he (she?) was ugly.

Well, I'm off to install a printer driver on the CF-29 for my HP 450.

Sparky

 

I've been pretty lucky on the CF-28s that I've bought recently. The most recent was absolutely perfect! No scratches on the screen at all and only one tiny scratch on the case!

 

HI Toughbook,
Most of my used buying experience is with hi fi and photography equipment. With very few exceptions, I have done very well. I have never been "stung". There have been a few cases where I was unhappy but the seller always made good. But, you must admit, buying used unseen is risky. I always hold my breath until the box is unpacked, the batteries installed, and I can listen, or take a few pics or, in this case, do some computing. Then I can relax.

BTW, I just noticed that Bob Johnson has a couple of CF-28's for sale for $450 to $500 for anybody who might be interested. They look like nice but I suspect that the prices are more than many folks on this board want to pay. Here's the link:

http://www.bobjohnson.com/

This post is being typed on my new CF-29. It's now on my home wireless network. The built-in wireless LAN seems to work well but I have yet to test it for range. I hope it reaches to my garage workshop where I do a lot of computing. I'll do that tomorrow.

I have spent the better part of two long days testing, installing software and getting to know the machine. I have not found anything that does not work perfectly. It burns CD's and even the floppy drive is perfect. I'm getting used to the touch screen which I think I will like a lot. OTH, the touch pad has a much different feel than the Dell pads I normally use. So far, I don't like it as well. Some of this is getting used to it. Time will tell.

I did a crude main battery life test today by disabling the the power save modes and just letting it run with normal (about 60%) display brightness while I did other trip related things. I got 2 hours before the low battery alarm, set to 10%, came up. Not very good. I suspect the battery is on the way out. Does anybody know what is normal with a known good battery? Other than knowing it holds a charge, I have not life tested the second Multimedia Pocket battery.

The machine came with 256M of Ram. I want to increase this to the max of 750M. Will do that after I get back from my upcoming trip to Moab, Utah. This trip will give the machine a good GPS workout in my Jeep. I have already modified the Jeep mount to accept the CF-29 and its power supply.

I should mention that XP Pro works very well on this machine. I expected that the OS might be a bit cumbersome on a 1.2G, 256M machine. But, performance is snappy and quick. It says a lot for both the computer and XP Pro. All of my computers run XP Pro so obviously I love the software.

All in all, I am a very happy camper. What a great machine!!!!!!!!!!

Sparky

 

My CF-28 arrived yesterday. Bought off eBay, it was as represented. Not nearly as battered as I expected, and came with a decent battery, Panasonic AC adapter, Combo drive, GPS, and touchscreen. I balked at the $35.00 UPS charge, until I got the box. Packed really well, and this is one heavy laptop. I have just started to explore it. So far, so good. I bought it as a showpiece for my new computer geek job.....

 

Sparky... Good score! Sounds like you have a good plan. Try using the "Battery Refresh" option in the BIOS... Make sure you have the multimedia battery in there too!

mbstartech... Yup... Shipping for these bricks is expensive. I just shipped one to Arizona with $2k worth insurance and it cost me $66! YIKES!!! I wasn't prepared for that! The guy said he would send me some business.
Have fun playing with the new toy... And do some mods already, would ya?

 

FedEx gave me the best rate at $19, and that shipped the book (with CD drive in it), floppy drive, power adapter, extra external CD drive, and some very good packing in a sizeable box. I only insured it at the selling price of $300 though.

These are not light laptops though, that's for sure.

 

thats why I call it a notebook, very few would use it on their laps for long periods, unless you want a good workout on your quads!

 

i've found that they fit in a USPS flat-rate box nicely. I wouldn't try this with anything other than a toughbook but I haven't had a 28 get damaged yet!