[pizza234]

I had a Thinkpad x200s, and all in all, nothing came/comes close to it (tolerating the slightly thicker build, which is inevitable for highly serviceable machines).

I've been an MBA user as well, for reference. I use the mousepad little to none though. Possibly (but I'm not sure, since I haven't tried) IBM had such capillary distribution to support the quite bizarre use case of selling and repurchasing a new machine every few months.

Sadly, the line is over, and this type of build is obsolete nowadays.

[KozmoNau7]

X220i here, and even though modern browsers and applications do tax its CPU (leading to shorter battery life), I still get at least 5 hours out of a new (and inexpensive) 9-cell battery. Build quality is simply second to none, the hinges are still perfectly tight with no slop, even after 7 years.

[trash_panda]

x220 user myself, great little machine. Hard to break. I upgraded the disk, 16 GB RAM and new battery. I once dissassembled it completely to replace the CPU thermal paste and was surprised by how easy it was. Now I'm confident that whatever breaks I'll just fix it.

[davidandgoliath]

x1 (gen c5) is amazing as well. After almost a decade as a macbook user, i'm impressed by it & back to linux! :)

[pimeys]

I have one of those from work and running NixOS in it, everything works perfectly and I love the machine.

Btw if thinking of a X1C for Linux use, I'd skip the latest for now due to them changing how the sleep works and it having issues even with Windows (losing battery while sleeping). The fifth model is great though, if you're not looking for the 8th gen CPU and HDR screen.

[davidandgoliath]

C6 definitely has too many drawbacks, but, I'd love to have the little camera cover. I'll have to 3d print one...

[KozmoNau7]

Unfortunately they don't pop up very often as refurbs, and they tend to be overpriced when they do.

[dorfsmay]

> tolerating the slightly thicker build, which is inevitable for highly serviceable machines

I'm in the same boat, and I actually think the lack of serviceability is a feature. On the x220 you can change the disk, the memory and the keyboard just by unscrewing a few screws. On newer laptops, including the whole Thinkpad line, you'll eventually end up breaking little pieces of plastic involved in holding the bottom of the machines, regardless of how much care you take, using the right tools etc...

Especially considering that the gain is to be thin, which really doesn't add much to laptop. If you're restricted for space, then the width is the key factor (try to use anything bigger than a 13 inch on an airplane!). "Thin" seems to be a pissing contest between laptop manufacturers, which the marketing departments then took care of convincing buyers that it was an important feature.

[noir_lord]

I upgraded the RAM on my T470P a while back and there wasn't anything to break really, the clips where robust and it was 7 screws to take the back off.

It wasn't noticeably different to my R50 a long time ago.

[anderspitman]

I think I'm going on 7 years with my x220. It simply refuses to die, and I love it.