Thinkpads Forum

Is it just me or has build quality suffered drastically since the t4x/p models?

I have had this t60 for about 5 months and the s is already rubbing off and the keys are not registering fully 100%. Also the right trackpad button seems to be 'off' - hard to place why - fails to register 30% of the time - the case seems less sturdy.

am i the only one who feels the 'new' thinkpads fail to meet the standard? The last Dell d620 felt more solid to me

h00ligan wrote:Is it just me or has build quality suffered drastically since the t4x/p models?

I have had this t60 for about 5 months and the s is already rubbing off and the keys are not registering fully 100%. Also the right trackpad button seems to be 'off' - hard to place why - fails to register 30% of the time - the case seems less sturdy.

am i the only one who feels the 'new' thinkpads fail to meet the standard? The last Dell d620 felt more solid to me

You're right.
After all, it's "Made in China".

Ivan Ivankovic wrote:After all, it's "Made in China".

.. as were the T4x models too

I hope they are realizing that save save save-attitude isnt always a good way....

I don't know. My T60 seems better than my T42 was. I don't like the shape of the volume/power buttons and I miss the colors in the trackpoint buttons but otherwise it is better.
No creaks, no flex, runs cooler and faster with better battery life, brighter display, thinklight does not shine in my eyes anymore, more USB that are easier to access. I like the WiFi switch on the front.

h00ligan wrote:Is it just me or has build quality suffered drastically since the t4x/p models?

I have had this t60 for about 5 months and the s is already rubbing off and the keys are not registering fully 100%. Also the right trackpad button seems to be 'off' - hard to place why - fails to register 30% of the time - the case seems less sturdy.

am i the only one who feels the 'new' thinkpads fail to meet the standard? The last Dell d620 felt more solid to me

I guess you and I have very different T60s. My T60 is VERY solid and rugged. The letters are not rubbing off the keys. All keys and buttons register 100% of the time.

h00ligan wrote:I have had this t60 for about 5 months and the s is already rubbing off and the keys are not registering fully 100%. Also the right trackpad button seems to be 'off' - hard to place why - fails to register 30% of the time.

Call them up and tell them your keyboard is bad. They will send you another one if you are still under warranty.

Ivan Ivankovic wrote: You're right.
After all, it's "Made in China".

Does "Made in China" possibly mean low quality?

All the thinkpads you can buy on the earth now are made in china
you mean all of them are low quality?

so interesting...

frankausmtank wrote:

Ivan Ivankovic wrote:After all, it's "Made in China".

.. as were the T4x models too

As are the Dells.

Some of the T4x's were made in South Korea.

Ivan Ivankovic wrote:

h00ligan wrote:Is it just me or has build quality suffered drastically since the t4x/p models?

I have had this t60 for about 5 months and the s is already rubbing off and the keys are not registering fully 100%. Also the right trackpad button seems to be 'off' - hard to place why - fails to register 30% of the time - the case seems less sturdy.

am i the only one who feels the 'new' thinkpads fail to meet the standard? The last Dell d620 felt more solid to me

You're right.
After all, it's "Made in China".

Both of you are NOT right, because:

1. Both Thinkpad T4X/p and T6X/p are "Made in China".
2. According to my experiences (and many others on this forum) with T42 x1, T43 x2 and T60 x2, the build quality of T60 is much betther than T42/T43 in most aspects or the same in the rest.

If you don't like laptops that are "Made in China", go to any of your local IT stores and see what you can get from them.

h00ligan wrote:Is it just me or has build quality suffered drastically since the t4x/p models?

Yes, it's pretty much just you and a few others. My T60 is substantially more solid than my T43. Many other forum members have said similar things.

crazyfrog wrote:Both of you are NOT right, because:

1. Both Thinkpad T4X/p and T6X/p are "Made in China".
2. According to my experiences (and many others on this forum) with T42 x1, T43 x2 and T60 x2, the build quality of T60 is much betther than T42/T43 in most aspects or the same in the rest.

If you don't like laptops that are "Made in China", go to any of your local IT stores and see what you can get from them.

This is correct.

Please watch the derogatory comments as they can erupt into flames, and lock an otherwise healthy conversation which in turn gets people upset, which in turn causes them to PM a mod, which in turn upsets me. which in turn causes other problems elsewhere.

carbon_unit wrote:

h00ligan wrote:I have had this t60 for about 5 months and the s is already rubbing off and the keys are not registering fully 100%. Also the right trackpad button seems to be 'off' - hard to place why - fails to register 30% of the time.

Call them up and tell them your keyboard is bad. They will send you another one if you are still under warranty.

I agree -- get Lenovo to replace your keyboard. But I sympathize -- it's hard to tell a defect from a decline in quality, particularly given the recent takeover and the fact that Lenovo is clearly aiming for a more mainstream consumer market (with the impact on build quality to be determined)

But I also agree with the other posts -- I love my new (and first) Thinkpad. I've used other brands at work for years and they pale in comparison re: build. My T60 is a pleasure to use....

turnerpr wrote:it's hard to tell a defect from a decline in quality, particularly given the recent takeover and the fact that Lenovo is clearly aiming for a more mainstream consumer market

And when the sample size is small, 1 in the OP's case.

I consider my T60 WS very solid, almost all T60 are robust, exceptions are the few T60's being discussed in this thread. (I think I owned one of it).

As far as location of their make is concerned, I have two pre-lenovo thinkpads, two X31, one is made in Mexico and other in China. Both has same build quality.

wackydan wrote: Moderator note: snipped overly nested quote

As are the Dells.

Some of the T4x's were made in South Korea.

My T42p was made in México! surely the people on my country works very well. Not a single problem with my machine. Unfortunately after Lenovo took over IBM, México Guadalajara doesn't currently manufacture Thinkpads

T60 is an AWESOME thinkpad, no way is the build quality low.

I concur that my T60p is built FAR better than any of the 3 T4x series laptops that I owned (or the 500+ that I worked on ).

looks like the variation is big in terms of the Build Quality.
Lenovo QA SPEC is loose... tighten it up, need to perform DOE(Design of Experiment) to redefine the quality of Thinkpad