Laptop bargains to be had in bkk?

Another angle nobody's touched on: the UK keyboard layout is genuinely hard to find here. Most of the refurbed ThinkPads at Zeer Rangsit or Pantip are ex-Japanese or ex-Singapore corporate units with JIS keyboards, which have a tiny spacebar and a bunch of extra keys that'll annoy you daily. If you're a touch typist it's a real pain.

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honestly the used market here is decent but you're paying for the convenience of having it in your hand. i checked fortune town a few weeks back and saw some t480s units for around 8-9k baht but they were pretty beat up, missing keys and scratched up. for a clean t14s you'd probably be looking at 15k+ which is about the same as a good ebay seller after shipping, and with ebay you get buyer protection and returns

the main thing is warranty - most shops here give you 7 days if you're lucky, whereas UK ebay sellers often offer 12 months. i'd stick with your plan tbh unless you find a screaming deal at zeer rangnam or pantip, but even then you gotta really inspect the hinges and battery health

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ngl the other replies are spot on about pricing but one thing nobody mentioned is keyboard layout. most of the refurbs here come with thai keycaps which have extra characters printed on them, and while you can get used to it the uk layout is way cleaner for typing. if you do find one with ansi keyboard they usually charge a premium for it

also check the serial numbers if you do look around. a lot of the units floating around pantip are ex-corporate leases from japan or singapore that have been through multiple resellers, so the bios might be locked or have weird settings. i wasted an afternoon at fortune town last month testing a t14s that turned out to have a computrace lock on it

stick to ebay mate, the peace of mind is worth the wait

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Krua Dok Mai Kao is solid but I've always found their som tam a bit tame on the pla ra. If you want the real funky version, try the shophouse spots along Soi Udomsuk 26, near the night market end. They pound it fresh with fermented fish that'll clear your sinuses, and it's like 60 baht. Different style from the On Nut places, more Lao-leaning.

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for som tam specifically i'd say the Isaan spots in Chatuchak are underrated, weekdays only though since the weekend crowd ruins the vibe. there's a stall near gate 2 that does tam pa with fermented bamboo shoots, super sour and funky, not something you see much in On Nut. if you're already heading north for Or Tor Kor anyway its worth the detour.

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honestly the som tam at Krua Dok Mai Kao is good but what got me hooked is their nam prik pla raa dip with the raw veggies, that funk hits way harder than the papaya does. think most people sleep on it cuz they just order the som tam and gai yang. also pro tip, go before noon on weekdays, after that teh pla ra gets milder cuz they batch it for the lunch rush

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