poor quality 8890 pics

it seems like there is a lot of interest in the painted sagers. i guess i am the lucky californian who ordered the cyan/purple chameleon that was mentioned in a few posts. i ordered on 9/22 (or was it the 23rd?) and the very next day the painting option became available. i e-mailed pct to have the order amended and was able to catch them before the computer shipped (apparently it was all ready to go and was to be sent out from sager the next day). the total time from ordering to receipt of the computer was over 5 weeks and i received it on halloween. during that time a few things happened that made the wait a little less painful. adam granted us a $100 rebate for the extended painting time, there was a price drop on the laptops (laptops that had not shipped yet were given a refund for the difference) and i was upgraded to the uxga display at no charge (a part that was painted which they thought was sxga/uxga turned out to be uxga only. i could have waited for the sxga part, but did not mind the upgrade at all!). i hope that sager had to absorb the cost of that and not pct. please forgive the low picture quality. i only had an older camera, but i plan to borrow a better one and post more pics.




posing with the pctorque hat that came with the order.




next to my sony vaio sr7k (10" screen, just under 3 lbs)



comparing the cyan vs. purple

overall, the paint job was very good (there are a few minor imperfections, but you have to look pretty hard to see them). i paid about $300 extra for the chameleon paint option, but i do not know if i would pay the $620 that is now being charged. since there have been a few reviews on the 8890 itself (all better than anything i could post) i decided to post pics only. if anyone has any questions, please let me know.

the paint is very good quality. i'd be impressed if i saw a car painted this way (probably a pimp-mobile if it were this color). the paint and clear coat is much thinner than i tought they would be. you can still see and feel the original surface texture. it appears to be pretty durable, but i do plan on getting some type of padded sleeve to protect it when i am carrying it in my backpack. my cat jumped on it and left no marks when i yelled at her and chased her off. after looking at the color for a few days now, i can say i love the cyan/purple. it is not too flambouyant unless you are in very bright (outdoor) lighting. i would imagine the lighter chameleon colors, like the red or gold, would scream, 'notice me!' i prefer a little more subtlety. dm's paint job was impressive. if pctorque did not offer a paint option i would consider going his route. i do not know about voiding the warranty immediately upon getting the computer though. maybe after a year or so i would have it done.

the attention to detail is very good. for example, the round scroll button between the touch pad buttons was masked and the edges were painted. however, the masking job around this button was not perfect. if you look close enough, you can see very slight smudging (i will try and post pics if i can get the camera to capture enough detail). to the painter's defense though, it would be very much like trying to mask off the surface of a dime and painting the edges. there are 1 or 2 other very minor mistakes like this. if you order the paint option, you will be guaranteed to have a very unique piece of equipment. i doubt there would be too many people that would opt for the new, higher priced painting. for the price i paid i would definitely wait 5 weeks to have it done. oh yeah, the hat was free.