Brand Reliability

[muledevin]

Hi all,

I'm shopping for my first laptop and I've done quite a lot of research up to now. One thing that worries me is reliability, by which I mean both (1) long-term durability and (2) opening the box and realizing that the "h" on the keyboard or the DVD drive or the wireless card is not working on my new computer (I've read A LOT of such stories in user reviews, though I admit that frustrated people tend to be quite vocal).
The thing is that I'm just about to move abroad and I'm ready to pitch in a little more money for a better quality product, because I won't be able to run after a customer's (dis)service from a third world country.
I'm assuming that the brand name is important (it says something about the quality of the engineering, right?), and that given my situation refurbished/used is a big no-no. So my question is twofold:
-Are there any brands that have that reputation of (almost) never selling anything with production defect?
-Is there any source of information I could go to find out about that kind of question? There are a lot of reviews out there, but it seems that reviews never take in account production defects (unless the unit they tested had a problem, but that's not a very scientific approach), customer satisfaction or long-term use...

Thanks a lot!

[bootleg2go]

If reliability and build quality are at the top of your list of requirements then you should look at IBM & Toshiba

[Big Calhoun]

My recs are Toshiba and Sony. Tough machines, stable, reliable.

As to your question specifically, all manufacturers are subject to product with defects, although some are prone to it more than others. I see stories all the time about Sony laptops and own several...never a single manufacturer related problem. I always suggest to people that you 'google' the laptop model you're interested in and look for reviews. Usually those terms will bring back a good amount of user and professional reviews. Sometimes, Epinions is a good site to check. You'll see a bias review from time to time, but most people are pretty objective.

[Brian]

This conversation is always fun, but I'd put Fujitsu and IBM on the top of my list, with Toshiba, Acer, some Asus models and some HP models on the second tier.

Editor in Chief http://www.bargainPDA.com and http://www.SPOTstop.com

[Slat]

quote:

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Originally posted by Big Calhoun
[br]My recs are Toshiba and Sony. Tough machines, stable, reliable.

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I second that notion. Although you most certainly have to consider IBM when you think of "quality". Many here swear by Fujitsu so they would be in contention as well, although I personally have not had any experience with that particular brand.