T400/R400/T61/R61 owners -> your opinion on battery wiggle?

[caramerdo]

Hi all!

Having been burned after spending 2000€ on a Acer laptop which broke its hinges twice after two years of use, i'm very picky about build quality for my next computer.
I have narrowed it down to the T400 or T400s, but unfortunately the T400s is too expensive for me and the new high-nit WSGA screen on the T400 looks too good to pass on.

My only complaint is the battery wiggle, which seems to be present since the T61/R61 series. It is a weak point. Sure the laptop has a magnesium roll cage, but what if I drop it on the ground and it lands on the battery side, won't it break? What's your take on this and its impact on durability?

[dr_st]

My only complaint is the battery wiggle, which seems to be present since the T61/R61 series.

In some extent, it has always been present. May or may not be worse with the T61 and later, dunno. I can check how T60, T61 and T400 all compare, if it is interesting to you.

what if I drop it on the ground and it lands on the battery side, won't it break? What's your take on this and its impact on durability?

Well, first, don't drop it.

Second, if you do, then the battery might break, and you will replace it. But I don't think it can impact the durability of the entire chassis.

[caramerdo]

Well, i'm not planning to drop it, but with my kind of use (8 to 10 hours a day, allroad), accidents are bound to happen!
Oh well, i'm buying the T400 anyway, that's the only thing which annoys me.

[RealBlackStuff]

You could always glue a piece of cardboard/carton on the side of the battery, to stop it wiggling.

[caramerdo]

I'll do that, also heard double sided tape works nicely.
It feels cheap doing it to a new computer though.....

[dr_st]

Just tested it, and there is hardly any difference at all between the T60, T61 and T400 extended batteries as far as wiggle goes. They all have some wiggle, but hardly anything to be concerned about. Certainly not anything worth a cardboard/tape mod, IMO.

[MagicBoy]

I've seen the odd dropped T61 and T400. Battery took the brunt of the damage, unit worked fine with the new battery. Nothing much to worry about.

In my opinion the the T61/T400 don't feel quite as solid as ye olde T40 series but they're still a lot better built than the usual competition.

[caramerdo]

I've seen the odd dropped T61 and T400. Battery took the brunt of the damage, unit worked fine with the new battery. Nothing much to worry about.

In my opinion the the T61/T400 don't feel quite as solid as ye olde T40 series but they're still a lot better built than the usual competition.

That's what I though - the battery seems the only weak point in this laptop. However, I can always buy a 4-cell battery (which doesn't wiggle) and use an ultrabay battery instead of the cdrom.

[dr_st]

However, I can always buy a 4-cell battery (which doesn't wiggle)

It does wiggle. The amount of wiggle isn't any less. It's just harder to grab and trigger this wiggle.

You really are picturing this as a much bigger problem than it really is.

When your laptop falls and lands on the battery, it's not the wiggle that's gonna make it break. If anything, the more wiggle it has, the less rigid and thus more shock-proof it is.

If anything, I'd be happy that when the laptop falls, the protruding battery absorbs the shock, even if I have to replace it later. Much better than the corner of the laptop taking it, possibly damaging the motherboards.