I am an extremely heavy Framework 16 user (14-16 hours a day every day including weekends). Overall the laptop seems to be quite durable and surviving very well. However there is an obvious case durability issue that needs to be addressed that is related to wear and tear near the palm rests.
Naturally the aluminum surfaces get slightly dull with constant rubbing but it’s barely noticeable and is not an issue since they are replaceable and easily washable with alcohol. The plastic parts with which the forearms and wrists come in contact are a completely different matter, unfortunately.
Left is more damaged because it also comes in contact with the watch wristband but you can see that the paint and plastic get rubbed off and rounded even on the right (I don’t wear anything on the right wrist as it’s my dominant).
In my view the side panels need to not be painted plastic but aluminum. Otherwise the whole case needs to be replaced every 2 - 3 years and loses aesthetics quickly.
Uh, I don’t think that part is plastic. Pretty sure it is a magnesium alloy.
I thought I was hard on my stuff, and have used my FW16 everyday for over a year, and even traveled with it quite a bit now. But it sure doesn’t look like that
That said, if you don’t like the way it is wearing down, you could probably touch up the finish. Or just buy a new bottom cover when it gets too bad for you to stand it: https://frame.work/products/16-bottom-cover-kit
Maybe you’re right! I haven’t actually dug into the sides to determine whether it’s plastic or magnesium (I went by feel only: temp & sound). If it’s magnesium then the paint situation needs to change.
Replacing bottom cover every year to me sounds a bit wasteful. Again, this is purely an aesthetic thing, but the paint keeps coming off the sides, whether they are plastic or not.
Yeah, every year would be quite wasteful. Personally, I like when edges are worn like this, especially on cameras.
But I wear off camera paint no problem and my FW16 looks brand new… Maybe there was an odd batch? And of course if you just need it to stay nicer longer but still scratch it up or whatever, you could add a little protective film or enamel to your replacement parts
