X40 durability?

[andrewstuartallen]

Hi all,

My first post here....

My first ThinkPad is on the way from an ebay seller and I'm very excited. It's a refurbished X40, and its first job will be to accompany my wife on a 1-month trip to China.

My wife doesn't always "baby" equipment the way I would, so I'm trying to get a feel for how likely it is that the X40 will still be working after a month of travel in her care. Can any of you share stories of X40s that survived (or didn't survive) accidents?

Any recommendations for protective cases that wouldn't take up a lot of space in a carry-on bag would be great too.

Thanks for your wisdom!

Andy

P.S. Please forgive if this turns out to be a double post--my network connection went down as I was trying to send it.

[underclocker]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the purchase of a fine machine.

I've had an X40 for about 2 years now that I use for travel. I'd say it's fairly durable, but you have to watch out for too much pressure on the LCD. The machine only weighs 2.7lbs., so you can guess that the LCD cover is thin.

Many X40's develop "pressure" spots on their LCD's from, well, pressure.

I haven't had any problems with this one, but I consciously make sure it is not poorly positioned in my carry-on bag. Occationally, I use a cushioned sleeve (from eBay).

Other than that, it travels well.

[Ravenheart]

Underclocker, are you saying that pressure from the outside (with the case closed) can cause spots?

My used X40 has some spots, and I've been wondering about them

[Ravenheart]

andrewstuartallen,

I recently got this case on Amazon that the X40 fits into nicely and is really solid and protective but maybe a bit bulky (but it can hold a docking station, AC adapter, cables, etc.) And it was only c. $25. On the other hand, they seem to be out of them now.

It is listed as the Dell Inspiron 710m 12.1 Leather Laptop Bag Notebook Case J9763.

[skijon]

I'm a highschool student, and I've been using my x40 for 4 years now, and its still working. its been dropped a few times from table level; and carried daily in a backpack thats picked up and put down many times a day. I keep it in an apple 12" notebook sleeve and havn't had any issues. there is some idk scraching maybe, or pressure damage from keys on the keyboard, but these jsut make the screen look dirty, and don't affect the performance.

I love the battery life, and the lightness of this computer, and will prob get an x61s for university next year.

hope this helps,
Jon

[SteveS]

I have used both T43s and X40-X41 extensively on the road in the last few years. Both are rugged, able to withstand drops and bumps. The X40-41 were designed to absolutely minimize weight, and some robustness was traded off for fewer grams of weight. One item in particular is the keyboard. The actuator on the X40-41 is one piece while the T4x series use a two piece actuator. The owner needs to be very careful when cleaning the X40-41 keyboard. Wiping it sideways with a cloth can catch a key and break the actuator arm, something I have done on two occasions, The keys on the T40 keyboard are less susceptible to this kind of damage. The one time I had a key cap pull off of my T43, it only popped off the actuator without breaking it, and could be re-installed (with some difficulty).

[underclocker]

Underclocker, are you saying that pressure from the outside (with the case closed) can cause spots?

My used X40 has some spots, and I've been wondering about them

Absolutely. Especially on the X-series because they have the thinnest and lightest lids (lease protection).

[Quattro]

I'd definetely recommend some sort of sleeve. "Booq Vipers" offer very good protection IMO.