Reply #5: I've Had...

[N4457S]

...Thinkpads issued to me off and on for most of my career, and the quality is nowhere near what it was even five years ago. That being said, the build quality and ability to withstand the occasional bump going through airport security is still better with a Thinkpad than with a Dell or HP or any other brand that immediately comes to mind. They still have stainless steel hinges and they still have good strong keyboards on them...

...for now. When they don't, I'll start looking for something else.

I bought a Sony Vaio when I began consulting five years ago. It's Chinese and I've been very, very unhappy with it since the day I took it home. It should have been a better product for what I paid for it.