A source for factory refurbished X20/22/23/30/31/40

[jnumiker]

This is my first post on the forum and I am about to join the ThinkPad commmunity with a X22 I just purchased from https://www.eritech.com/results.php?manuf=IBM. I was going through eBay for a few weeks for a reasonably priced X22/23/24/30 and was not finding any auctions I was really comfortable with. After a bit of searching I stumbled upon the above site and bought the X22 with the following description "Pentium III-800 MHz (512KB), 128MB RAM, 20.0GB HDD, CD-Rom and floppy Dock, 12.1 XGA(1024x768) TFT LCD, Modem, 10/100 Network Card, Li-Ion battery, Win 2000, IBM Factory Refurbished, 90 days warranty" for $495. I called the outfit and confirmed that it comes with the media slice dock with an optical drive and floppy and what really sealed the deal for me is that they told me that with the factory refurbished systems the manufacturer includes a new battery. I purchased a 256MB PC133 memory upgrade from newegg for <$40 and I have a PCCard for wireless (I would have liked internal but it isn't the end of the world) so I am hoping that this ends up being a great system and ok deal for me. I was hoping to spend less than $500 (a little more than a PDA) as this will not be my primary computer or even notebook and have done that.

My existing computer is a Dell Inspiron 8600. The company I work for is a Dell partner and I got a sizable discount on that model on top of a deal just as it was going out of production and it was a deal I couldn't refuse (P-M Dothan 1.7 Ghz, 512MB Ram, 60 gig Hitachi Travelstar 7200rpm drive, NVidia GeForce 5650Go 128MB, DVD burner, 802.11g and bluetooth for ~$750 almost a year ago). The problem with that machine though is that, while it is a very nicely configured and fast machine, it has a very creaky unsturdy plastic case and it is rather large (15" widescreen) and heavy. It is a great desktop replacement machine for sitting on my desk 75% of the time and traveling occasionaly but I always feel uneasy when I pick it up and travel with it as the plastic creaks and it just feels like you have to treat it with kid gloves.

I am going back to school and I was looking for a truely small portable laptop that I could carry around in a backback to take notes and keep track of assignments and my schedule. I considered a PDA but figured I was better served by a small laptop as I wanted a real keyboard and version of Word. From what I have read about the X series it fits the bill as far as size and weight and it also has a reputation for being sturdy to the point I won't always be worried about breaking it (though anything has to be more sturdy feeling than my Dell).

Do you think I made the right choice? Was $495 too much to pay for such a dated machine? Anybody have any experience with this outfit or IBM Factory Refurbished equipment? Any advice for me with my new X22?

Jason

[ddutta]

I think this is a decent site with decent deals. $495 is not at all a bad price if you want a ultraportable for basic browsing/office work. I have a X22 for the last 3 yrs and I am so happy with it that I will probably extend my warranty by another 2 yrs.

Can you extend the warranty on these?

[verktyg]

There are a lot of TPs that come off of lease. IBM used to sell some off of their web site in their refurbished section. I would check around the internet for other vendors. Also, check eBay, if nothing else it's good for checking prices. There are a number of sellers who have a very good reputation which you can check up on.

Finally or firstly, ask Bill Morrow if he has any thing to meet your needs and check the for sale section of the forum.

[jnumiker]

I got my X22 a couple of days ago and am pretty happy so far. It was as described - besides from a couple of minor blemishes on the back of the screen and the corner of the palm rest it is in perfect condition. It looks as if they replaced the keyboard with a new one and the unit did include a brand new IBM battery (it appeared new and the Thinkpad battery utility info screen says this month is when it was used for the first time). The stickers indicate that it was likely off-lease as you say but, if that is the case, the person who had it did not use it much at all based on appearences. I am very pleased with the size and build quality of the X22 and coming from Dell it is a night and day difference - at least from the Inspiron model I have. I was worried about how well it would run Windows XP but was pleasently surprised how well it runs even under battery power with the CPU throttled down.

The one thing I was not all that pleased about with the purchase was the packaging of the laptop. The box seemed like a well re-used older box that was too big and the laptop came loose from these foam inserts it was packed with and seemingly flopped around in there more than I would like. Other than that the transaction and laptop have been everything I hoped it would be.