Thinkpad keyboard quality

[madcow]

Thinkpad keyboard wears out so quickly. After two years of use, the keyboard is starting to shine. My thinkpad t60 is already showing some shinning and it's not even two years old. The used x60s I bought already shows some serious shinning on keys on the left side and the labels of some characters have disappeared. I also have a Gateway E-100m which I had it maybe a year longer than the T-60 but the keyboard still look like the day I bought it. There is no shine on the Gateway keyboard. I always here people saying how great the Thinkpad keyboards are.. but I doubt they are great. They do feel like real keyboard though. But the Gateway E100M is almost the same.. but quality wise.. the gateway is better.

[Marin85]

I don´t know how your keyboard looks, but the shine on your ThinkPad keyboard is caused by your fingers oil I have had my ThinkPad for more than 2 years now and the keyboard is pretty much the same as it was in the beginning (regarding shine, typing, characters etc).

Cheers,

Marin


EDIT: Ah yes, I forgot to mention that a friend of mine had a 5 year old Gateway. The keyboard felt like the keys of a Chinese tetris console (from the portable ones)...

[madcow]

No, the shine is the the result of oil on the keyboard. It's the wearing of the surface on the keyboard.

[Marin85]

No, the shine is the the result of oil on the keyboard. It's the wearing of the surface on the keyboard.

Well then we are maybe talking about different things I would say my keyboard was more or less shiny from the beginning on, it doesn´t have (and it has never had) the plain plastic look you are probably referring to (my guess).

[iamdmc]

I have the same issue. I wouldn't call it a quality problem, but rather a normal wear-and-tear issue. Every ThinkPad I've used (and indeed every Laptop I've used) develops this "shine".

The surface of the keys and the palmrest is initially somewhat "rough". With use, the pressure from your fingers, the oil from your skin, and the heat from the laptop dissolves/erodes the plastic and make it smooth (and shiny). I use my ThinkPad for up to 10 hours a day, and have been doing so for the past 2 years. It's reasonable to look at my keyboard and expect a certain amount of shine on the keys most often used (ie. any vowels, common consonants). If I look at my "Q" or " \ " keys I see almost no wear - reflecting how little those characters are used in the languages I type in.

But anyway, it's not just "oil" on the keyboard. I clean my keyboard at least monthly with rubbing alcohol and water.

[Brad]

I found the T4x series keyboards much more resistant to shine the the T6x keyboards. I would take some time for the T4x keyboard to develop any shine but almost weeks for a new T6x keyboard to start to look shiiny on its most used parts.

Brad

[iamdmc]

You may be right

I have an unfortunate question to pose...
How much did the T40 cost when you purchased it?
...and the T60?

But it could also be that your usage of the T60 keyboard is relatively higher than your usage of the T40 keyboard during ownership. I would say that the trend is for people to use their computers more than they used to - even 2 years ago. The computer is quickly becoming moreso adopted as "THE" electronic for entertainment, information, work, play, etc.

[bananaman]

I love ThinkPad keyboards!

My experience (mainly X22, X41, X61) is that some of the keys start to shine up within a year, but I use my laptop several hours most days. Wear also depends on how you use it.

The X22 keyboard got so shiny after a couple of years that I replaced it. It was like having a new laptop! Keyboards are less than $100.

[iamdmc]

Tip: On eBay they cost about $40 shipped (new)

If the keyboard works and the shine isn't enough to distract me (which it isn't) then I just stick with function over vanity

[winston.oyy]

Because of my T43, I can never go back to a desktop ever. Desktop keyboards simply cannot make it in comparison to a ThinkPad keyboard.

[iamdmc]

You know Lenovo sells ThinkPad keyboards for desktops

I also prefer my ThinkPad keyboard to any desktop keyboard I've tried

[hausman]

Lenovo sells ThinkPad keyboards for desktops ... I also prefer my ThinkPad keyboard to any desktop keyboard I've tried

Does that blanket statement also include ThinkPad keyboards for desktops?

[iamdmc]

From what I understand they use the same process and materials to make both laptop and desktop ThinkPad keyboard (note: not ThinkCenter or other IBM non-ThinkPad keyboards) and are reviewed very well. I've been looking for a good price for one for a while. If they made one with BT interface instead of USB I would buy one

[winston.oyy]

Those USB UltraNav keyboards are kinda expensive! Ouch... but then again, I doubt I'll go back to a desktop when a laptop can provide everything nowadays, and at a decent price too. Though I won't rule out a Eee Nettop with a ThinkPad keyboard, touchscreen with a superior keyboard sounds tempting

[TheRedFox]

My X31's keyboard is quite nice action-wise. The keys provide a good amount of resistance and click, and return to you really fast. One of the keys is broken, because I was obsessively putting it on, and taking it off. I've repaired it to a state of working, but I need to press kind of hard onto it. The backspace is too small, but the letter keys are full sized which is really nice. The keys have a lot of shine in the middle, but it doesn't really bother me; almost none towards the edges of the keyboard, as well.

[madcow]

Why can't the keyboard be high quality? I mean do you ever see a powerbook keys go shinny after years of use? The feel of the thinkpad keyboard is great..but it needs to be more durable..

[hausman]

do you ever see a powerbook keys go shinny after years of use?

Perhaps the wear/shine is there but you can't see it because the keytops are white?

[bluesceada]

My Z61e keyboard has had a lot of use and now has also shiny keys... it had spilled coffee, oke and mineral water over it, while the water was too much and even made the Thinkpad shutdown! (instantly removed battery and ac, then dried until the next day, it worked like a charm, I was happy over the shock from the day before!)

After the Coffee it was partially sticky, I cleaned it with letting water flow through they keyboard while pressing the keys and the stickiness went away... same procedure with the Coke... good that there are those holes to let water flow out again

It still works like a charm! Yes it has shiny keys, but who cares.... I normally don't look at the keyboard while writing

[bill bolton]

I mean do you ever see a powerbook keys go shinny after years of use?

Yes.

If you pound on any keyboard the caps will go shiny. Get used to it!

Cheers,

Bill B.

[archer6]

Personally I find the ThinkPad keyboards of my T4x, & T6x all of equal quality, rigidity, and the finest keyboards I've used. In the last decade I've had nearly as many PowerBooks, then MacBook Pros as I've had ThinkPads. In my opinion the Mac keyboards are quite good, yet they are no match for a ThinkPads keyboard.

I use my workstation class ThinkPads 10 hours everyday, and yes they become shiny. To which I say so what? Its no different than the classic patina that develops on a professionals leather briefcase. A sign of use, a bit of character of you will. As individual as the person who uses it. When it comes to durability, they are simply stellar. My ThinkPads are used to get work done, not to admire unused. Yes I take extremely good care and clean them weekly, yet I also enjoy their functionality and the brilliant tool they are.
.
Cheers...
Posted via BlackBerry

[dtakias]

If you are under warranty, Lenovo will be more than happy to send you a replacement keyboard.
You just say that buttons became sticky or something like that and they will send you a brand new without asking for the old one back.

When my T43 was under warranty I used to request a new keyboard every couple of months

[archer6]

<snip> If you are under warranty, Lenovo will be more than happy to send you a replacement keyboard.
You just say that buttons became sticky or something like that and they will send you a brand new without asking for the old one back. <snip>

This is no longer true. I just received a replacement keyboard for my W500 and it was shipped in a box with a letter of instructions on returning it with the included shipping label. They specifically said that if the old keyboard was not returned I would be charged for it.

Cheers...

[dr_st]

When I first got a T60, I felt there is no difference in keyboard quality between that and the T4x.

Now having typed a lot on many different T4x/T60 machines, I can say that it's not quite true.

The funny thing is that all keyboards I typed on where NMB. So I am comparing NMB to NMB only.

There is noticeably more flex and springiness in the T60 keyboard. The T4x keyboard is more solid and only flexes a bit if you press it very very hard. If you press the T60 keyboard so hard, it will flex a lot. Now, since you need to press hard, it is not normally noticeable, but the springiness is noticeable and the keyboard feels different between the T4x and the T60. I prefer the former, although the latter is still great.

[archer6]

When I first got a T60, I felt there is no difference in keyboard quality between that and the T4x.

Now having typed a lot on many different T4x/T60 machines, I can say that it's not quite true.

The funny thing is that all keyboards I typed on where NMB. So I am comparing NMB to NMB only.

There is noticeably more flex and springiness in the T60 keyboard. The T4x keyboard is more solid and only flexes a bit if you press it very very hard. If you press the T60 keyboard so hard, it will flex a lot. Now, since you need to press hard, it is not normally noticeable, but the springiness is noticeable and the keyboard feels different between the T4x and the T60. I prefer the former, although the latter is still great.

In my experience how solid or stable a keyboard feels, and the way it delivers tactile feedback is more a product of the brand of keyboard than the model difference between the T4x and T6x ThinkPads I have. Having used NMB, Chicony and Alps keyboards myself, I find it's really a matter of personal preference. At the end of the day the overall typing experience on most ThinkPad far exceeds that of the competitors.

Cheers...

[dr_st]

In my experience how solid or stable a keyboard feels, and the way it delivers tactile feedback is more a product of the brand of keyboard than the model difference between the T4x and T6x ThinkPads I have.

I imagine it must be so... I used an Alps on a T61 only briefly, and liked it less than the NMB. But my experience comes from direct comparison of NMB vs NMB on T4x and T60...

At the end of the day the overall typing experience on most ThinkPad far exceeds that of the competitors.

Very much so.

[killer]

If you are under warranty, Lenovo will be more than happy to send you a replacement keyboard.
You just say that buttons became sticky or something like that and they will send you a brand new without asking for the old one back.

When my T43 was under warranty I used to request a new keyboard every couple of months

Naughty, naughty, naughty!! Nothing wrong with asking for more porridge but don't take the p!ss because it has to be paid by someone.

[ajkula66]

archer6 wrote:

At the end of the day the overall typing experience on most ThinkPad far exceeds that of the competitors.

Very, very true-at least in my opinion.

Now that the IPS LCDs are gone for good from full-size ThinkPads, the reason stated above is the ONLY thing-apart from sheer habit-that keeps me personally from switching to another high-quality brand of laptops...

[dtakias]

Oh I wasnt aware about the new keyboard return policy, seems that Lenovo is changing the rules! At least you still get it free of charge as long as you send the other back...

As I received my new X301 a few days ago all I can say is that the keyboard feels definitely not as solid as the one my T43. I am bit dissapointed actually as I was expecting something better from a $3000 laptop!

[archer6]

<snip> Oh I wasnt aware about the new keyboard return policy, seems that Lenovo is changing the rules! At least you still get it free of charge as long as you send the other back...<snip>

No, actually this is nothing new... no change.

When one buys a ThinkPad it is covered by the warranty against manufacturing defects. If the tech support department decides to send out a replacement part, the only way they get paid for that part, is to have the customer return the defective part. Once they receive it then, and only then, do they get paid for the warranty claim. This is no different than if you buy a new BMW or Ford for that matter. They must return the defective parts to the manufacturer for reimbursement.

lf this was not the case all kinds of people would be abusing the warranty and asking for parts to be replaced that are not defective. Do a few slip through the cracks?... yes I think they probably do. Thus a few people may get away without returning their parts. But I can tell you first hand that in the box with my warranty replacement keyboard was a letter that was no different than the one I received from IBM when they owned the ThinkPad division six years ago, and sent me a new hard drive to replace the defective one. In addition to a letter instructing the customer to return the part, they also include the packing slip, label with pre-paid shipping costs, as well as a strip of tape to seal the box. So they make it as easy as possible on the customer.

Cheers...

[bluesceada]

I just got a new 8-cell battery for my X61s as the other "new" one was maximum at around 89% of what it should normally have.

They gave me just the option to return it, in case I want them to dispose/recycle it.

So now I either keep it as backup or sell it on ebay as "defective"...