Thinkpads Forum

Well, I have been using the X31 I got from ebay for more than a week now, and I can see a great difference between the keyboards on the X31 and the T60.

I dont know if I have the NMB on the X31, but I certainly don't have anything even marginally close to it on the T60. The X31 keyboard has a fantastic travel and is much, much more sturdy that my 4 month old T60. (Enter key on the T60 is already slightly loose from use)

I don't know how it was with previous T-series thinkpads, but the T60's keyboard is not the best there is.

Anyone else using a X31 and a T60?

gator wrote:Well, I have been using the X31 I got from ebay for more than a week now, and I can see a great difference between the keyboards on the X31 and the T60.

I dont know if I have the NMB on the X31, but I certainly don't have anything even marginally close to it on the T60. The X31 keyboard has a fantastic travel and is much, much more sturdy that my 4 month old T60. (Enter key on the T60 is already slightly loose from use)

I don't know how it was with previous T-series thinkpads, but the T60's keyboard is not the best there is.

Anyone else using a X31 and a T60?

Not exactly, but I'm using an X32 and a T42. The keyboard on the X32 is terrific, as you describe. The keyboard on the T42 is better than on most notebooks, but that is [censored] with faint praise. Compared to the X32, it sucks. There is much less key travel and it feels flimsy.

By the way, if you want to talk keyboards, the classic is the IBM Model "M" which shipped with ibm desktop systems until about 1996. You can find old ones for sale on ebay (I have a few NIB ones I've been hoarding) but they are still made by a company spun off by Lexmark, called Unicomp. They have a website and sell these phenomenal keyboards, with the famous and now forgotten, buckling spring keys.

ken

My previous T42 had the best keyboard i ever used on a notebook
way better than my current T60

Google for the Unicomp keyboards. They look pretty cool. Think we can talk them into a model for X60, T60?

nxman wrote:My previous T42 had the best keyboard i ever used on a notebook
way better than my current T60

This is the sort of thing the people don't usually think about when they upgrade to a faster notebook. Speed is one thing, but most people don't use computers, especially notebook computers, for heavy duty computing. Usability features such as screen size, legibility, the keyboard, etc., are often overlooked but very important features of a computer you are going to use, especially if you use it a lot.

Everytime I read something on this forum, I feel worse for not having bought a thinkpad before Lenovo took over. Funnily enough, in another thread people were getting angry at threads that might have this reaction.

But so many people can't lie ... can they?

Is it too late for my childhood thinkpad owning dream?

Growly, Don't let the nit pickers, whiners and complainers deter you from getting a T60. It's an excellent laptop. I've owned thinkpads and worked with them for many years both professionally and personally and I just bought a T60 after months of reseach on virtually every other laptop out there. Just remember that forums are the place to voice complaints, legitimate or not, and only represent a tiny fraction of the people who own a Lenovo built thinkpad and are very satisfied.

steveg47 wrote:Growly, Don't let the nit pickers, whiners and complainers deter you from getting a T60. It's an excellent laptop. I've owned thinkpads and worked with them for many years both professionally and personally and I just bought a T60 after months of reseach on virtually every other laptop out there. Just remember that forums are the place to voice complaints, legitimate or not, and only represent a tiny fraction of the people who own a Lenovo built thinkpad and are very satisfied.

I don't think (or certainly have no confirmation) that the overall quality of Thinkpads has declined on Lenovo's watch. What I do think is that price competition has forced Thinkpad's makers, whoever owned them, to cut back on some things that at least some longtime Thinkpad owners notice and regret. My 560 had a great keyboard and so does my X32. My T42, which I believe was manufactured before Lenovo had any input, but later than the date of demise of the X3x series, has a very mediocre keyboard.

I did not mean to nitpick, and I love my T60. it is the best laptop I have ever used. I made this post because I think the X31 keyboard is much better than the T60 (which itself is a great keyboard compared to any other laptop) and I was wonderig if anyone shares my opinion. Don't get me wrong.

Thanks guys, I needed that

So, can you buy a x31 keyboard, or a comparable model #, from lenovo and put it in T60? I was told that the T60 keyboard is substituable.

gator wrote:I did not mean to nitpick, and I love my T60. it is the best laptop I have ever used. I made this post because I think the X31 keyboard is much better than the T60 (which itself is a great keyboard compared to any other laptop) and I was wonderig if anyone shares my opinion. Don't get me wrong.

I can justify that the keyboard on X31 is much better than the keyboard on my X60S.

The keyboard on X31 is very soft. Whenever I type on my X60S, the keyboard on my wife's X31 comes to my mind.

I do not own a T60 but I guess it is pretty similar.

Yeah, I've noticed this as well. My old T23 has a very squishy keyboard which was nice, but I liked the keyboard in my T40 keyboard better than it. As far as the X31 I had for a while, I felt it was on par with the T40 keyboard (but remember, the two were current at the same time). The T40 board was much nicer than the one in my new T60, and tended to make less noise. However, the T60 seems to be getting better with use, but how I do wish I could swap the keyboards...

I do like the Windows key though (I know, I am a minority, but it is useful to me.)