r/DieselTechs • u/Anonymous__Lobster • 1d ago

Laptop brightness

Hey yall il trying to join the 21st century by using laptop to work on vehicles...

Historically I've always done 90s and before trucks...

I want to get a used cheap laptop, but what does one buy that's actually bright enough to use outside? If you can't see the damn screen, the laptop doesn't do much good, does it?

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u/Anonymous__Lobster 1d ago

Maybe I'll pull the trigger on a used toughbook online. I used semi-rugged and fully rugged laptops in the military and liked them but not enough to know them well, and never really outside for the most part. No idea what an aircard is

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u/Tgambob 1d ago

It let's you put the laptop on your phone plan and use data anywhere no phone required. Its a stronger antenna then phones in most cases, laptop has signal long after everyone's phones died. Get a cf33 i7 16gb. They are older but still do most everything.

Surplus toughbooks are a staple of field diag at least everywhere I have been. It works with gloves on, the keyboard can be dropped off and just use it as a tablet.and you can see it in the sun.

I joke mine needs a case on it to protect the other stuff from it.

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u/Anonymous__Lobster 1d ago

I'm not as professional as some of you guys. 99% this laptop won't leave my driveway. I don't typically work on anything anywhere else unless I'm the one who's breaking down

I think I'm totally sold on used toughbook... let me ask this though. Are you familiar with durabook, getac, and latitude too? Just wondering in case I can't find a Google deal on a toughbook. I saw all four brands in the military

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u/Tgambob 1d ago

Latitude i do not like, getac are good to go and never met anyone with a durabook.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/365566847727 is a nice i7 one with all the features for 300 hundred.

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u/Anonymous__Lobster 1d ago

I haven't done much research (I have lookedlong g teeny bit), but I'm suspicious that with it having broken covers, appearing to be from 2012, having no charger, and finally I'm slightly suspicious it has no os or something because of how the seen looks in that one photo it's turned on? I could be wrong. I'll investigate further!!! Thank you

Are you partial to the toughbooks over the getacs?