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Is it better to buy a Lenovo notebook Direct from Lenovo (1-2 week shipping time) or to buy from some reseller (1-2 day shipping time)? From uk research it appears to me that buying through reseller is usually cheaper for the same specs.

Is it possible that Lenovo pass on their 'less well built' machines on to resellers. These machines would not be officially b-grade, but might have fallen slightly short of their standards? The reason I suspect this is that there seems to be almost a 50/50 split in the online reviews where the question of keyboard flex and build quality is concerned. There are many who claim the R500 keyboard to be quite bad and with too much flex, while others who claim no flex whatsoever.

Another reason why I ask this question is that I recently visited a reseller who kindly allowed me to test a Thinkpad SL500 model. I found the keyboard to display far too much flex for even a consumer grade machine. Yet many of the online reviewers did not seem to mention this and the machine keeps getting good reviews for build quality etc.

This leads me to think that there are variations in build quality even within items considered 'brand new' and factory sealed?

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closed as not constructive by Molly, Diago Jan 11 '10 at 7:04

This question is not a good fit to our Q&A format. We expect answers to generally involve facts, references, or specific expertise; this question will likely solicit opinion, debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion. See the FAQ.

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Is it possible that Lenovo pass on their 'less well built' machines on to resellers.

Highly doubtful. If you purchase from a reseller you should get a Lenovo warranty. If there is anything wrong with your laptop you can instantly return it.

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Its just that prominent keyboard flex is quite disconcerting. On something that costs over $800, I really don't expect things like this, even if the rest of the system is build robustly. So would this be considered a 'fault'? – nitbuntu Jan 11 '10 at 0:48
It really depends on if that was their design intention. Maybe you have a much more keen eye for things like this, or maybe it was a bad model -- it may have happened over time as others tested the model (which I'd consider a fault). I'd try out the same machine at another retailer if possible before coming to a final conclusion. – John T Jan 11 '10 at 1:07
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For what it's worth, I bought a Lenovo S10e netbook directly from Lenovo UK. It arrived in a week or so. It's a good netbook, but I had to send it back for the the keyboard to be replaced within 6 weeks.

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in any case, check the return policy (and if possible) the reputation of the reseller.

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