Thinkpad SL410 14″ HD Matte -

By 

MagnumMan (Florida) –

  

This model has largely been replaced by the Edge 14 series but this redesign means the SL-410 is a steal compared to the original price that was $300+ more.

Buyers must be attentive when buying these units, though. Lenovo issued a wide variety of options within this series but nearly all of them seem to be hovering around the $500 mark so it’s possible to get a higher end version for the same amount as a base unit.

Base units = 250GB hard drive. High end = 500GB
Base units = 3GB DDR3 RAM. High end = 4GB
Base units = No finger scan High end = Fingerprint scanner

That being said, the basic design is the same for all. You get a dual core processor mated to a tough plastic casing and 14 inch screen.

The major difference between this and the Edge 14 is that the SL-410 has class. The Edge version is a slab-sided black plastic box and that’s the best that can be said for that uninspiring design.

But class has its drawbacks. The card reader slot is positioned on the right forward edge near the crease and two USB ports are directly below, slightly recessed. Inserting a card is largely touchy-feely and USB thumb drives are a trick. Because the USB ports are recessed they are not only tricky to find but difficult to see without physically picked the unit up.

The SL does have a slightly textured finish while the Edge has gone to a smoother, shiny design. Fingerprints don’t hang around on the SL but the Edge will leave evidence of your visit for months to come.

One area the Edge series excels in is that of noise. Essentially, there is none. No fan or hard drive noise that is easily detectable. The SL series has no hard drive noise, either, but fan noise is easily heard. Since the unit runs cool the fan rarely activates but when it does you’ll know it.

The trackpads are different and this is quite obvious. The SL uses a roughly textured trackpad that means fingers must be dry or they will drag. The Edge has a Teflon coated pad that allows easy gliding.

Function wise, though, the SL has a better trackpad design. The Edge often jumped for no apparent reason while the SL stays on target.

Keyboard on both is identical, which is to say excellent. Nobody beats Lenovo in this category.

And both perform identically in the processing department, probably because they share nearly identical dual core processors, but the SL comes with Windows 7 Professional instead of Home Premium like the Edge. Both share the same mediocre but acceptable 3 hour battery life. Humpback batteries are available to jack it up to 6 or so hours.

Is the SL a good deal at this price? You bet. It’s over $100 less than the current version in the Edge series and it does have the classier design. The inclusion of Professional ups the ante a little bit, too.

But is it worth the chase to find the upgrade units with bigger hard drives and the fingerprint reader? All depends upon your needs. I can’t fill up a 250GB hard drive let alone a 500GB version and fingerprint readers are notoriously fickle beasts that often fail or require multiple attempts to recognize a print.

In addition, Amazon has a good customer service policy versus some of the other websites selling these.

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Overall a good purchase. There are, however, some negative comments that can be made. I am not a big fan of glossy screens (prefer matte) and the ‘thermal’ cover (that lets you access RAM and HDD) is not so easy to open – too much force is required to open the cover after undoing the screws that it feels like it might break. The size might also be slightly larger than other 14″ laptops but not by much. The build quality feels good and sturdy as one might expect from a ThinkPad. The positions of USB ports are not ideal. Neither is the charging port. In general, it has most ports one might expect in a laptops these days, including VGA, HDMI, eSATA, etc. Performance has been satisfactory although it can appear a bit sluggish with the default 2GB of RAM. 64-bit Win 7 Pro is a bonus as can be the Office Starter Edition for some.

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Convinced myself to buy this machine more or less because it was such a good deal! I’m even happier with my decision now. The build quality is typical of the ThinkPad line. Because I usually work indoors, the screen is great for me. It’s beautiful, but it’s glossy. So, if you find yourself working in sunlight, that may be an issue for you. Function controls are typical and there is a set of media keys on the left side for quick and easy control. On the right side along with the power button and ThinkVantage button, there are the notification lights for the wireless, hard drive and CAPS lock. The keyboard is a dream to use. The keys give good resistance but also allow for a very smooth typing experience.

I’m not really one for Windows, but I will say Windows 7 was pretty snappy on this machine. I, however, loaded Debian 6.0 on it after the first boot. Everything seems to work out of the box in Linux except for the speakers not muting when headphones are used. This is easily fixed if you search the problem in Google.

Anyway, I recommend this machine to anyone who is a fan of the ThinkPad line, or just needs a smaller machine. It is a little bulky, but I don’t think enough to stop road warriors from using it.

P.S. I kind of assumed the matte tag in the title referred to the screen. It actually refers to the top of the machine. I guess some models have a glossy coating. This one has the same material for all parts of the laptop which I like better. Keeps those pesky finger prints away!

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