You are correct.
The hinges are not good and the CNC lid won’t change that. The higher force hinges as they are the same design just stiffer may not either especially with the wide tolerances (inherent from design IMO).
I believe you are correct that they have been less open and transparent with some issues/taking the damage control route which is understandable to some extent but doesn’t inspire confidence as you say.
I’m personally starting to losing faith in this company with each interaction. From the ongoing hardware issues I’m personally having (documented on the LTT thread) to communication issues with support as well as other staff interactions. That Framework exist is already a good thing for the direction of the industry though.