It is such an amazing vehicle!! You’re gonna love it. :)

The problem with cheaper vans of this size is that the large thin panels (like the roof) will flex and bend when you go over bumps. That causes slight changes in internal air pressure as you’re driving which you feel in your ears. Adults generally don’t mind, but children will dislike it and babies will often start crying (think about how babies cry on airplanes for the same reason).

So, for cargo, or for driving adults around, yeah, this may be a great deal, but for families, it’s probably a no-go.

If you watch reviews of this particular van, that’s a problem that is specifically called out.

I just bought a VW ID. Buzz, and based on the reviews, I think the extra 50% price for the Buzz is worth it. The Kia seems like it would be an ok van for cargo, but not for a family.

Mitch is very very dead. They’re just waiting until it’s politically convenient to announce it.

McConnell and Graham in one week!?

It’s like _____, but it sucks. But like, in a good way. Like the old Internet. It sucked, but that’s what made it so good.

You mean all of those people who say, “what’s a seatbelt gonna do if the plane crashes” didn’t actually give any thought to why else it might be important?

For email, I use Port87. I have a label specifically for job applications, and when I’m done (get hired), I block that label.

How many butthole pics do you think they received?

Ah, ok. Well I don’t think Framework has done much in the way of cost. The 13’s battery is listed on their site for $70, so it’s about on par with other battery replacements, if not a bit more expensive.

I understand that I can sell it. Why would I? I wouldn’t be able to get a better laptop for what I sold it for, so I’d just go through all of that hassle to have a similar laptop. Unless they somehow don’t depreciate and I’m just unaware of that…

I already paid the money for the Framework. They tricked me. They got my money. I already lost.

When it eventually dies, I will not consider another Framework. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me… you can’t get fooled again.

That’s good. This was mine two weeks after the warranty expired.

I would be more inclined to give them a pass on maybe a bad batch of cheap batteries if the laptop didn’t have a nearly 40% price premium over competitors. If you’re going to charge a much higher price, I’m going to expect a much better product.

I’m not sure that there’s any such thing as a “generic laptop battery”. They’re still made to fit one or maybe a handful of models. AFAICT, buying a replacement Framework battery is about the same as buying any other laptop’s replacement battery. I’ve replaced 4 different laptops’ batteries in the past 5 years, and the Framework was the second easiest (after the Thinkpad that you literally just slide the battery out of), but even the most difficult one wasn’t that hard. So as far as hassle, I’d say the worst offender still isn’t that bad.

1. Thinkpad (unknown model, slide out mechanism, no need to open chassis)
2. Framework 13 (chassis easy to open, unscrew old battery, screw in new one, easy connector)
3. Acer Spin 5 (basically the same as the Framework, but you have to pry the chassis a little)
4. Dell XPS (unknown model, chassis much harder to get into, but once in, basically the same as Framwork and Acer)

Batteries just aren’t that hard to replace.

Framework uses batteries that die after a few years (mine turned into a spicy pillow after 25 months). My M1 MacBook Air from 2020 still has 88% battery health according to the OS.

My Framework lasts about 5-7 hours on battery. My MacBook lasts about 15 hours on battery.

Replacing the battery on my Framework cost me about $80. Having Apple replace the battery in my MacBook would cost $160.

Let’s say my MacBook’s battery is about to go bad (it’s not). Battery replacement every 6 years, vs battery replacement every 2-3 years (let’s be generous and say 3 years) with Framework. That means after 6 years, both laptops will just be getting a new battery, and you will have spent $160 on new batteries for each one. Sounds like there’s no benefit to Framework battery-wise.

Lol, who is the target audience then? It’s certainly not regular people. They will never take apart their computers. The Framework is 100% marketed at tinkerers and DIYers. (It’s literally called the DIY edition when you buy it.)

I’m not a computer repair person. I have repaired my own computers, but that’s not my job. So I’m not sure if that’s what you meant, but no, I’m not a professional repair tech.

I don’t own that ASUS. I own a Framework. I regret buying it. It’s absolutely not worth the extra price. I’ve already had to buy a new battery for it after two years, because they use cheap, shitty parts, despite charging out the nose for them. So yeah, I wish I had just bought an ASUS.

I’ve fixed tons of screens on laptops. Generally it’s harder than Framework, true, but it’s not impossible. Even if you have to pay a shop $800 to fix the screen, you’re still coming out cheaper than the Framework.

There’s zero financial reason to buy a Framework, ever. It will not save you any money. That being said, some people want to buy them to support the company, or because they like the repairability/upgradability, and sure, those are valid reasons to buy them. But don’t spread lies saying it will save you money. They are expensive products with mediocre build quality.

The price is 38% higher than a comparable ASUS laptop. That also doesn’t include Windows. (Which is how I would buy it, but most people would want Windows on it.)

Now let’s say you upgrade it. That’s another $600 for a new motherboard down the road, plus maybe new ram and ssd, but we’ll say it stays on DDR5. That’s $2570 for the laptop and one upgrade, compared to $2460 if you buy two ASUSes. And what do you get for that money?

Framework:

1. A laptop.
2. A motherboard with no RAM and no SSD. Maybe you could use it one day if you invest a bunch of money into getting more parts and one of those cases. Then you’ll maybe have a mini PC after you spend a lot more money.

ASUS (or, just normal laptops I guess):

1. A laptop.
2. Another whole god damned laptop that you can use for something else or give to a family member or sell or something, because it’s an entire laptop.

To be clear, I’m not saying their laptops are bad. I’m saying they’re mediocre and overpriced. They’ve got some really neat features, like how easy they are to repair and upgrade, but if the price of buying one laptop from them, then upgrading it once is the same as buying three comparable traditional laptops, then I really don’t see the point.

That’s because they’re really expensive and actually quite mediocre. I really wanted to love my framework, but the build quality is way worse than the price tag would suggest.