Clevo In Canada

Hi!

I've been doing a bunch of research in preparation for buying a new gaming laptop, and have settled on a clevo based machine, in part thanks to the stellar build quality they possess - but there's a hitch.

I'd originally decided to buy an Eluktronics machine, because it had all the specs I wanted, only to find out that they won't ship to Canada (at least via amazon) so, I started looking around for a Canadian reseller - only to realise there's a veritable pile of them.

So, TL;DR - who/what should I look for in choosing a reseller? There seems to be a lot of love on this forum for HIDevolution, but if I turn my head to the side a bit, I can find ten topics loving some other reseller/merchant just as hard. Eurocom seems the most local of them all, but has pretty dismal reviews in a couple places. Pro-Star seems to ship to Canada, but isn't exactly a reseller. Perhaps that's a better option?

For the interested, the model I'd been eying (and thus, the one that I'm going to most closely seek to get from someone else) is this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NBUH1HO/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=APTJB2SEQO65W&th=1

 

ReflexNotebook is the Sager reseller in Canada.

 

Pro-Star is like HIDevolution and Eurocom in that they build, ship, and repair Clevo notebooks in-house. Sager is simply a brand name that's slapped on Clevo machines. They're sold by different places, such as XoticPC and LPC-Digital, but service work is performed by Sager itself.

I'm not sure how ReflexNotebook operates. I'm guessing they would perform service themselves, since they could easily get parts from Eurocom. Plus they wouldn't have the hassle of international shipping to send the machine to Sager in the US.

 

Hi there @MentalThinking.

We do indeed ship to our neighbors in the north, and although we're not a Sager reseller, we're still a [Clevo] reseller (see @saturnotaku's post).

Do what's right by you; buying locally might be your best bet insofar as warranty/service goes, and as far as shipping and handling go, but talk with the resellers a bit before you drop a lot of money on their product. We're happy to help, too─ you can PM me with any questions or concerns.

 

Thanks for the replies so far!

@saturnotaku - thanks a lot, that's almost exactly the sort of answer I was hoping for. I'm almost 100% certain I want a clevo chassis, and am basically down to figuring out now who I want to put shiny bits inside of it, so your post was quite helpful. A lot of the articles/reviews I've read seem to agree that the clevo chassis is well made and sturdy, plus, I just plain love the aesthetics of it - I love the idea of having a beastly machine that doesn't look like a gaudy gamer's twelve year old self was consulted in the design phase.

@Prostar Computer A quick browse of your website (I freely admit I was more interested in the comp specs offered than the shipping options) seems to imply that shipping is free to Canada? And other places seem to say that there's no duty on electronics, though again, I haven't specifically searched for shipping yet - cart before horse and all that. I have many friends who're located south of me, so it's not impossible to have an item shipped to me from them, if I found one I loved enough - but as you say, warranty and service concerns do exist. Prostar is still on my list, though.

I've got more reading to do, and some specific pm's to send, but I'd welcome anyone's input on purchasing a clevo based model from any resellers or custom builders, especially those in Canada - even if you'd just like to pm me a link to a review topic I may have overlooked. I'm specifically interested in individuals with longer ownership periods that can comment on the quality of their machine and the service they received not just at the start, but over time. I'm most curious about cooling and mobility - I've been a desktop guy for so very long that I find myself quite worried that I'm underestimating the weight of the machines when it comes to daily travelling, or overestimating just how reliable the cooling systems are - i.e. should I be worried enough to invest in cooling pads, or have laptop fans etc come far enough that the average user can do without such things?

Though ultimately I'll need to decide for myself who works best for me, I've noticed a lot of available reviews were either short term review-specific ownership, or short term honeymoon period reviews. I'm hoping to invest in a machine to last for at least 3-5 years, and would love to hear from people who've done so.

 

Hey @MentalThinking I am also a Canadian Resident who was in the exact same position as you!

After doing tons of research like yourself, I've decided that Eurocom is probably the route to go.

Any company that is based in the United States WILL charge duties. On top of that, you still have to pay taxes. AND on top of that, shipping fees which may or may not include brokerage fees. After spending way more time than I'd like, the math tells me that there simply isn't any reason to go with a US reseller as costs are usually $200-$300 more for the exact same product.

That only factors cost however. If you think that a certain companies warranty is worth that price to you, then perhaps it may be worth it. But after reading tons of horror stories of Canadian buyers who need to RMA back to the US in case of problems, I decided that I simply can't justify going to a US reseller.

So going back to Eurocom, obviously this is anecdotal and my two cents about them; YMMV. I've emailed them several times with my questions and concerns about their products, and from what I've read on the forums, they're pretty reliable. Even better that they are Canadian(based in Ottawa I believe). After hours of research, since I'm kind of obsessed with buying my new dream machine once I have graduated, I decided Eurcom's Sky mx5 R2 is going to be it. http://www.eurocom.com/ec/configure(2,396,0)SKYMX5R2

If you want to check it out and configure it yourself, that's the model I'm getting(holy **** i'm excited).

And if that doesn't convince you, if you're a student, they offer a freaking 10% discount, literally no other company I have talked to offers that.

Last, but not least, if you're worried about receiving a ****ty unit, look no further than a member on here I've recently talked to, @woodzstack

He lives close to Eurocom so he gets his units very fast. What you can do is order the laptop, send it to him, and he will basically be the middle man/ ultimate Quality Control for your unit. He does things like testing and repasting the unit, but ask him for more details as it's his service!

If you're paying a premium for the product, you best be damn sure you get the most out of it!

Anyways, if any of that helped you at all, I'm glad! I basically haven't seen any experiences or research posted on here for my Canadian brethren, so if this helps anyone at all actually i'd be happy.

TL;DR: Check out Eurocom fam, it's probably worth it.

 

Priority Shipping (I believe we use FedEx for this) to Canada covers Customs' brokerage fee, but doesn't cover any taxes that may apply (HST, GST, or PST). Ground Shipping to Canada does not tackle the brokerage fee and taxes. On either method, we pay for shipping and handling to you, though.

Thanks for considering us! We do offer roundtrip shipping & handling on warranty services if you select the appropriate warranty option, also, for whatever it's worth, though you'd still potentially be facing said Customs fee and/or taxes.

 

Hey! I was also in your situation a few years ago and decided to go with Eurocom. I've found them really good overall. I have a WS230SS and its still going strong 2.5 years later. My fan broke down a few months ago (out of warranty) and they shipped me one at a reasonable cost and gave me some instructions on how to do the replacement. They always get back to you pretty quick if you have any issues and it's great to support a Canadian company.

 

I am a Eurocom reseller/partner, and have close relationship with Eurocom, and offer my services internationally as well as locally, services or purchases, or if unsure, just contact me.
I was mentioned by @Adobo9 (TY btw !) so thought to add this in.

 

Thanks folks!

@woodzstack I'll send you a pm!

Still eager for input, and welcome further replies.

 

Sounds great !

 

BTW that model is the MX5R2 and I REALLY like it, it's a very good laptop, i had a few users buy one recently and I immediately wanted to buy one for my wife, because I thought it was such a fine laptop for exactly what it is, I can talk your ear off on it really. Very solidly built for a BGA laptop (because some here do not condone BGA laptops, but they are what they are, and have a place)

 

@woodzstack Tagging you because I wasn't sure quoting you also alerts you to my mention. This is my newbie flag flying high, but.. why is there hate for that type of laptop? And, what perhaps makes it worse than some other options? I had to google the term, but I didn't really find a lot of real information as to why they're good/bad - just some obviously anecdotal opinion and plain-and-direct facts as to what BGA meant in the first place.

I'll probably pester more via pm, but I think I need to raise my post count to send them, which is the biggest reason besides curiosity for this post.

 

well heres some likes and reputation and a formal "WELCOME TO NBR"

 

@woodzstack Thanks, haha.

I'm sure I'll love it here, provided I don't get lost down some sort of learning rabbit hole. There's so much knowledge to be had, I feel like my brain is about to switch off until I promise to stop reading about computers for a bit.