Thinkpads Forum

Whats your thought on the lenovo branded laptops? Are they as solid as the thinkpads? Basically I am asking if you would reccommend them. A lot of people come to me for buying tips and help, so I need to know if I can point people on a tight budget to Lenovo 3000s.

It would be great if one can order it with my favorite os pre-installed; eComStation.

IMHO they are rotten - they cannot even be compared to ThinkPads - they feel cheap like a Dell from 2 year ago and they don't have a trackpoint which is a deal breaker for me.

I will recommend ThinkPads to anyone that is willing to spend the extra cash, if they are not then I normally recommend Samsung or Acer as they give a lot for your money without being just as bad as Dell, I would not recommend Lenovo 3000 to anyone as they are no better than an equivalent Dell or Acer but are still more expensive.

Lenovo are on a silly path with Lenovo 3000 - why try to beat the generic boxes at their own game - they should have concentrated on their strengths and carved out a niche market in quality, best on the market, machines.

Apple is worth more than Dell without all the associated hassle of the scales that Dell have - they are the ones to emulate but Lenovo just keeps bringing ex-Dell executives who dont understand what the Think brands true strengths are.

Heh, I'm probably the only one here that actually owns a Lenovo laptop, and I'm happy with mine.

That said, I'd hesitate to recommend the low-end models of any laptop manufacturer, Lenovo(ex-IBM) or otherwise, Thinkpad or otherwise. They probably have a decent chance of getting a reliable/decent laptop, but I wouldn't bet on it.

At the very least, I'd strongly recommend that they go to a store and actually put their hands on a display model. I'd also recommend that they buy the extended warranty, 3-years if possible (not the ones from the brick-and-mortar retail stores, but the ones direct from the laptop manufacturer).

For someone on a tight budget, I think a 3000 model is a good choice. It's not supposed to have the look and feel of a thinkpad. It's supposed to be more appealing to a normal consumer, rather than the stark, black all business look of a thinkpad. It still has thinkvantage technologies (called Lenovo care) and is still backed by IBM global support. Not a bad purchase for under $1000.

The company i work for told me i must buy 2 notebooks for 2 employees so I purchased 2 of them and they are really good notebooks and worth the price and more.

While I do not own one. I have followed these since their introduction. They have received some pretty good reviews from a variety of sources. It seems to me that some of the posts that I have read here, especially the ones that are judgemental, harsh and critical are inaccurate.

It's important to take into consideration the goals and objectives of Lenovo and their choice to build a laptop for this segment of the market. They are not supposed to have a TrackPoint as that is one of the exclusive features (within Lenovo) reserved for the ThinkPad.

They are not suppose to be compared to ThinkPads as they were not designed to compete with each other. The Lenovo models are value priced laptops. The ThinkPad lineup is targeted at professionals with a need for power, performance, and is some cases a workstation class computer.

archer6 wrote:They are not suppose to be compared to ThinkPads as they were not designed to compete with each other. The Lenovo models are value priced laptops. The ThinkPad lineup is targeted at professionals with a need for power, performance, and is some cases a workstation class computer.

Well, regardless of the original intentions, the two product lines are competing with one another. While the Thinkpads are certainly not competing at the low end, the mid-to-high-end Lenovo models are certainly viable alternatives to the Thinkpads, feature-wise. I have a mid-range N100 (see my sig), and it's just as powerful as many (most?) Thinkpads. It is, admittedly, missing a trackpoint erasehead mouse, though.

(Unfortunately, my model doesn't seem to be available any more. That's really unfortunate, as the closest model, feature-wise, is around $200 more than my model.)

not a Lenovo owner yet, hence why i'm plundering information here, however i did have the opportunity to play with an N 3000 at the local store. i suppose i could be more politically correct, but since i'm not, i'll just flat out label it as junk as far as craftsmanship. in Lenovo's defense, all of the other non-business class units were the same. none were rigid at all and when i pressed a key a bit hard, the surrounding keys would move with it. in the case of the 3000, i felt a really soft spot on its bottom when i picked it up. this was a vent or speaker cover or something and when i pressed on it a bit harder it cracked more and i nearly stuck my thumb right through it. everything i've read about the ThinkPad's, on the other hand, indicate they are very good machines. i also saw statistics somewhere that put the TP's on the top of the pile as far as satisfied owners and trouble-free performance, the apple being #2.

If I needed a new computer and I was on a budget, I would spring for a Lenovo 3000 n100. I am wanting to get a new widescreen T60.

atomMan wrote:i did have the opportunity to play with an N 3000 at the local store. i'll just flat out label it as junk as far as craftsmanship. in Lenovo's defense, all of the other non-business class units were the same. none were rigid at all and when i pressed a key a bit hard, the surrounding keys would move with it. in the case of the 3000, i felt a really soft spot on its bottom when i picked it up. this was a vent or speaker cover or something and when i pressed on it a bit harder it cracked more and i nearly stuck my thumb right through it. everything i've read about the ThinkPad's, on the other hand, indicate they are very good machines.

Your experience is indeed reflective of the difference between the Lenovo Line and the ThinkPad Line. While I would not label Lenovo laptops as junk, as they certainly are not. They are a well made average budget price laptop. Just the niche they were designed for.

I would rather look closer at the various considerations and differences.

1) As component prices come down it's easier for Lenovo to offer performance that is "close" in some cases to a particular ThinkPad configuration.

2) Due to the nature of laptops and the wide variety of configurations if one CHOOSES to compare the two, find a Lenovo & ThinkPad that are configured similarily.

3) The style, size / thickness and composition of plastic that is used for the case makes a very big difference. This is an area where the manufacturers can truly save some money. So, if one MUST compare them then place a Lenovo Laptop next to the R model or Z model of ThinkPads. Then a person can see how robust and durable the case is on the ThinkPad compared to the Lenovo. However it's not to suggest that the Lenovo is junk, because it is not.

5) A TRUE & FAIR COMPARISON would be to place a Lenovo next to a Dell Inspiron, or Acer, or some other lesser brand than the ThinkPad. Suddenly the Lenovo looks quite good. Especially since it has a keyboard that is far superior to those other brands. This is the very reason that I suggest that Lenovo and ThinkPad are not competing. Even though one could choose to do so. It would be like comparing a 30k Hundai with a 30k Mercedes. No contest.

Both these model lines (Lenovo/ThinkPad) are designed for different market segments and to compare them is doing oneself an injustice.

atomMan wrote:i did have the opportunity to play with an N 3000 at the local store. i suppose i could be more politically correct, but since i'm not, i'll just flat out label it as junk as far as craftsmanship. in Lenovo's defense, all of the other non-business class units were the same. none were rigid at all

Is it possible that after being handled by thousands of customers, these display items have been damaged or at least compromised a little bit? I wonder if a Thinkpad can stay rigid after going through the same treatment at a local store.

pianowizard wrote:

atomMan wrote:i did have the opportunity to play with an N 3000 at the local store. i suppose i could be more politically correct, but since i'm not, i'll just flat out label it as junk as far as craftsmanship. in Lenovo's defense, all of the other non-business class units were the same. none were rigid at all

Is it possible that after being handled by thousands of customers, these display items have been damaged or at least compromised a little bit? I wonder if a Thinkpad can stay rigid after going through the same treatment at a local store.

You bring up a very good point. I have yet to see any laptop hold up well in the retail store environment. It's as though they turn a thousand gorillas' loose...............

archer6 wrote:
You bring up a very good point. I have yet to see any laptop hold up well in the retail store environment. It's as though they turn a thousand gorillas' loose...............

On most common retail store floor models, I have consistently seen stuff like horrendously smashed LCDs, damaged optical drive trays, and keyboards ripped to shreds on what would otherwise be pretty expensive laptop models. So, unless it is a visually clean and structually sound model, it would not be representative to the customer trying to decide what a "new" model would end up looking and feeling like.