Originally Posted By: Volvohead
Just to underscore the obvious: not all Lenovos are created equally. An Edge or "E" series Lenovo is not part of their "Thinkpad" line. And they're priced accordingly.
Anyone expecting metal hinges, alloy cases, magnesium roll cages, and a good keyboard with spill drains on a $500 Edge model is going to be sorely disappointed.
The X100 series is a little closer to a real TP, but still has a good bit of plastic. That one's a "tweener". Still, it's better than an Edge for materials and build quality. If all I had was $500 to spend on a Lenovo, I'd get an X100 series. My wife tosses about an X100e, and it's been rock solid. I think the current one is designed for education, so might be hardy where it matters.
But you get what you pay for. A Thinkpad with the more traditional features and build cues costs more money. Like $800+.
I just picked up an X120E on closeout. I love it. Excellent build quality, top notch touchpad and trackpoint, and its powerful enough to run 1080P to my 51" TV. I am very happy with it for what it is. I wish they made the X series available with a faster CPU in North America, even an i3 would have been more than enough. The E350 in the X120E is a tad underpowered but again for what most people need, it is adequate, and the computer is built well enough it will actually last! I just have to upgrade mine to an SSD and call it a day.
My 6+ year old Lenovo 3000 N100 is still working perfectly minus a battery that now only holds about 10 mins of charge.
My mom has a T60P and is also rock solid. Her battery actually lats still about an hour, not bad for like 5 years old ish.
