I purchased a pre-owened CF-29 Toughbook and have been very satisfied. I use it extensively in a variety of outdoor environments (heat above 100F, rain, snow, dust, humidity), and have been very satisfied with the overal results. This isn't the fastest computer in the world, but when running my field applications, I typically only have one or two programs up at most.
I am running Windows XP Professional, have Office installed, as well as a few specialty programs. Parts are found everywhere on EBay, and replacing parts is easy if you have a little computer "fix it" know how. Mine is the touch screen and I was able to successfully find the touch screen driver on Panasonics website.
Panasonic customer service isn't the easiest to work with, so there are plenty of other qualified computer techies out there that have excellent Panasonic know how.
I give it a 4/5 stars because, though it's a great computer--it's not perfect. There is only one USB port, would be nice to have two or more, and since there is no internal fan, it gets kind of hot sometimes. Other than that, I am very happy with the Panasonic CF29 for what I use it for.
So, these computers rarely break. But they do sometimes break.
If yours breaks, forget about it. Just go buy a new one.
I don't like worrying about my warranties, so although the computer comes with a well-written standard warranty, i purchased
the
$250.00 Protection Plus Warranty Upgrade (Years 1-3) plus i purchased the
$180.00 Toughbook Premier 3 Year Service Upgrade and i also purchased the
$175.00 3-Year On-site Service
My computer broke (i dropped it--not from Six feet, but from about the height of my bedside table...)
Panasonic made me prove the warranty by sending a copy of my sales reciept before they would even talk to me about service.
Then they tried to talk me out of having the on site service, saying it would be faster and easier if i just sent them the computer.
The onsite service guy was nice, but had not been trained on how to fix the Toughbooks, so he took it home with him and sent it to Panasonic.
That was a week ago.
The onsite guy said i should leave my hard drive inside the computer.
He called later and said Panasonic would send me a new computer right away.
Then he called back and said that they would not cover accidental damage...and i should have bought one more warranty...
I pointed out that the warranty covered "non-intential damage"...their representative said that while "non intentional" seems to mean "accidental" it does not mean that "accidental" is covered!
The manager at Panasonic promised to look into my case...but never called me back.
One of my warranties included 'overnight' service.
I was later told that "overnight' means next business night, which, on a Friday, means Monday...but because Monday comes after Sunday, Monday means Tuesday...
Anyway, they have my money, and my computer....and this review.
Buy Panasonic CF-29 13.3" ToughBook (Factory Refurbished) Now
You asked for a review and I will give you one. When the "refurbished computer" arrived, it refused to come on. I had to remove the hard drive and reinsert it. Then battery does not hold charge for more than 1 minute! It is still sitting under the desk. I had to buy a CF-74 from another source and it is working flawlessly. I am so angry and disappointed with the computer, that I did not even call the Proton Computers Inc, the company that sold me the computer. The person that checked it should be fired! I think I call them today, I know it will cost me more to ship it back to them. Amazon is not the culprit here.
Harold, Guyana, South America
Read Best Reviews of Panasonic CF-29 13.3" ToughBook (Factory Refurbished) Here
The Toughbook arrived late, the explanation I got was the delay was due to hurricane Sandy which was on the east coast. The Toughbook was shipped from California which I thought was on the west coast the last time I checked. According to the tracking number it was in FedEx depot for 6 days in Sacremento Ca.I was told it would be shipped in 5-7 bussiness days at the time I purchased it on line. They lost 6 days before it left California.
Now that I have finally received it, I was offered $20.00 off for the trouble but I do not see where they have reduced the price. On a positive note they did add a touch screen that I did not purchase I don't know if that was the cause for the delay, I do like the touch screen it is very handy, so thanks for that.
My biggest complaint is the battery will not charge. I thought although it was a refurbished computer it would at least have a new (chargable) battery. I let it charge for a full day but I could only get about 2 minutes of life once I disconnected it from the power source. This does not work for me in my field, I do not always have access to power.
I think Amazon should review who they deal with, this is a reflection on you. I will always be cautious in the future when dealing with you.
Want Panasonic CF-29 13.3" ToughBook (Factory Refurbished) Discount?
I bought a refurbished CF-29. It worked about 2 years with no major problems. The W key fell off, which just slows down typing a little. Finally it had power issues and is dead. It's darn slow compared to "modern" computers, and the CD drive never worked very well. It was tough--I used it outside and even in the rain once.
UPDATE: I thought it died, turns out it was just a bad power cord. Back up and runnin' like a champ. Still slower than new models and way less memory. Many minor problems (such as the power cord, w key, and a couple plastic parts that fell off) but overall this thing is a work horse. I'd recommend it if you need tough but have a low budget and you don't have overly demanding computing needs.
I got this on Amazon for $250.00. It's a ridiculously amazing deal. Mine came with the attachable dock/drive-totally unexpected, and made me even happier with the bargain. I also got an extra 1gb of ram (total of 2gb).
