I went to a store in order to try one out. I wanted what was in 15" model in a 13" form, but ok - I went out to at least check out the 15" model. Even though I knew it was too big for my needs. What really surprised me was how bad the keyboard was on new models. What's up with that? It feels like a cheap plastic mockup of a keyboard. That turned me off completely. I hope they get their act together within a year and push out new models which are better. I'd buy a 13" version if it had what 15" has inside, but it doesn't. Other laptops look like crap too. Razer (14) is either unavailable in Europe or reading about it and looking at videos makes it look like not suitable for anything - bad battery life and crappy vents (makes for screaming noise and heat down the road). Shame, what would otherwise be a great laptop. Microsoft's Book thing is also semi-unavailable, can't buy it (asked Microsoft, they've said it's not really supported (retail) in Europe - wtf?), with Dell I had nothing but bad experiences so it's a no-go from the start... situation is kind of dire.
I'm still happy with the high-end Lenovo ThinkPads (currently using a W541) - not as awesome as in the early 2000s but still very solid, well-built, great keyboards, matte screens (but check if you mind this, I'm not sure if every model has them) and with trackpoint, which becomes a must when you get used to it.
I'm glad you've found something that works for you. I've had to use the W520, W530, W540, and W541. And sorry to be so negative, but they all suck. At least the W541 doesn't have chipset errors like e.g. W520 (x2APIC). But for 2016, I find the W541 behind times. So just a heads up to others on HN thinking of buying.
It's a huge, bulky machine that still manage to feel like cheap plastic. The trackpad is awful. It has all the obsolete ports you'd ever want, but no HDMI. The screen is okay, but 1080p. It's so heavy and unnecessarily large. The big battery pack sticks out of the back and means it won't fit into many laptop bags. And they're shockingly expensive.
Finally pulling the trigger on a 17" System76 Oryx Pro today with baseline specs aside from the screen and graphics card. It's got so much room for expansion that I'm comfortable looking at it as a 10 year investment. Going up to 64GB and room for 4 HDs, makes it a very comfortable futureproof purchase.
