Home > Consumer Reviews > Remanufactured IBM ThinkPad T22 26478EU 14" Notebook PC (Intel Pentium 3 Processor "900 MHz", 128 MB RAM, 20 GB Hard Drive, DVD)

Although I did not buy one from amazon, I have personal experience working with over a hundred T22's. This was a popular model among many corporations during the past five years, and now is being replaced with the newer T43 which has the P3-M/Centrino chipset. So many of these you are seeing for sale now are being retired from corporate use. One nationwide chain had a contract with IBM which would amount to at least 14,000 T22 Thinkpads in just their local offices across the US. My opinion of this laptop is that they are dependable and extremely well-made. Their biggest advantage, though, is their size which makes them great for travel. They each weigh in at around 5.5 pounds but seem much more compact than that number would describe. That being said, there are a few things to watch for and take note of.

Build quality of these models is excellent. I have a new Dell Inspiron 6000 that has many more features and a great LCD screen, but just feels cheap in comparison. The lid (screen half) on the Inspiron does not seem to latch evenly onto the base. So when closed, it wobbles a bit by perhaps a few millimeters. Every single one of the used T22's I examined did not have this problem. The Dell also has a flimsy CD/DVD tray while the T22's seems much more solid and heavy. All the compartments underneath, such as the battery and memory covers, seem to fit well and are easily removed.

The main thing to watch for on the T22 is pressure marks on the TFT screen, which will leave white or lightened spots on darker backgrounds. The screen can be replaced and is not terribly complex if you're skilled at taking things apart. The spec components can be upgraded easily and the CardBUS/PCMCIA will accept new WIFI cards, etc. A VGA-out is on the back so connecting a second monitor is easy, along with 10/100 Ethernet, modem, USB, keyboard and mouse ports. It also has microphone/headphone jacks, S-Video out, serial, parallel and infrared ports.

One point of interest on these laptops is that they do not have touchpads, only an eraser-nub pointer in the middle of the keyboard. Some users won't mind this at all and in fact you might get used to it quickly. The best option is a wireless notebook mouse like the one Microsoft makes which you can get here on amazon. The reason I prefer that model is you can fit the USB receiver into the underside of the mouse for traveling.

As far as Windows, I have not tested 2000 next to XP. Both will probably be fine. Make sure you look on Lenovo-IBM's website for a range of drivers/utilities if you want all the nice features originally built in to the Thinkpad. This includes the on-screen volume/screen brightness controls and the "battery maximiser" (yes, there's no Z). What that does is gives you details about the battery's performance, how many times it's been cycled and how healthy it is. Expect at least 3 hours from a good battery.

In summary, buy the T22 or spend 2-3 times as much on a slightly faster notebook that's of lower quality. Unless, of course, it's a new Thinkpad.

This remanufactured IMB ThinkPad was a great investment! I received a "looks new" computer for half the price of a new one. You cannot even tell that it is used. The computer speed is fast and it is compact and light. It is in excellent shape. The only downside is that the battery that should have a 4 hour charge only holds a charge for 1 hour. But another $55 for a new battery and I'm ready to go ~~ and well worth the money. Still a bargin!!

AWESOME LAPTOP!!!!!!!! Ibm thinkpads are known for rock solid reliability which is VERY true.

Pros- everything! this laptop has been around for about 4 years and still is a very popular laptop....you can see why. Blazing P3 processor 900mhz, big tft lcd screen. Although i did not buy this from amazon i bought it with 256mg ram wich was not a problem. I use this with a linksys wireless network with the new ie7 internet browser (Internet Explorer 7) and it has a fast reliable internet connection almost everywhere in my house...not to mention hotspots.

Cons- None at all!

Overview- A great laptop with rock solid reliability ideal for heavy travelers....I use this in airports and is just as fast then it is at home. Perfect laptop for 21st century computing.

I purchased this notebook and had a small problem with it. Customer Service was great in solving the problem. In short, EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!

AWESOME LAPTOP!!!!!!!! Ibm thinkpads are known for rock solid reliability which is VERY true.

Pros- everything! this laptop has been around for about 4 years and still is a very popular laptop....you can see why. Blazing P3 processor 900mhz, big tft lcd screen. Although i did not buy this from amazon i bought it with 256mg ram wich was not a problem. I use this with a linksys wireless network with the new ie7 internet browser (Internet Explorer 7) and it has a fast reliable internet connection almost everywhere in my house...not to mention hotspots.

Cons- None at all!

Overview- A great laptop with rock solid reliability ideal for heavy travelers....I use this in airports and is just as fast then it is at home. Perfect laptop for 21st century computing.