I'm in the queue for a Framework 16, but I still haven't totally decided. I'm typing this on my Framework 13, which I proudly received in the very first batch o

I'm in the queue for a Framework 16, but I still haven't totally decided. I'm typing this on my Framework 13, which I proudly received in the very first batch of Framework 13s to go out for sale. I have had a combination of good and bad experiences that make me hesitant. A couple months after getting my 13 it suddenly stopped booting. I emailed the company and everyone I talked to also had their name printed on the mainboard. Ultimately the CEO (nrp) instructed me to ship it back and they sent me out a new one. I thought it was a great experience. Fast forward a couple years and the thing won't turn on unless it's plugged in. Once it's plugged in, it boots up and has a full battery. Very confusing. Turns out it's the BIOS clock battery that's going dead, and the thing is wired in such a way that it can't boot without the clock battery, but the clock battery can only draw power from the wall, not from main battery. And if both go dead, I believe you need to take the laptop apart, physically pull the clock battery out, re-insert it, and put it back together. This means if you are the type of person that leaves you laptop in your backpack (like I am), it can become effectively useless unless you also carry the screwdriver with you. The customer service here is not so great. Their options are: send them your order date and number and they'll send you a new $5 battery (hurrah - honestly it's easier to just order one from Walmart or Amazon than dig up my order number), or you can ask them to send you a new kit that you can solder onto your mainboard that will allow the clock battery to draw power. They claim it's a bit of a tough soldering job, and while I can solder the odd thing, I didn't want to wreck it attempting to fix their engineering flaw. Supposedly the issue is fixed for boards after the 1st gen. I think this is quite poor customer service for a design flaw. The correct answer is to let me ship my mainboard back and have them fix it. It's a bit sad to see them get this so wrong. And this gets on to why I'm nervous about the Framework 16. It's another "1st gen" product, with only a 1 year limited warranty. That does not inspire confidence in any way. If the product was inexpensive, that'd be one thing, but it's not. I also buy audio products from a small company that designs and builds equipment in the US, and they offer a 5 year warranty, as well as out of warranty repairs for a reasonable price. To me, that's become the standard for bespoke engineering at a premium price. I understand Framework can't warranty some parts past the manufacturer's spec easily (though they could certainly figure out how to do it), but the least they could do is cover things like obvious design flaws that they are responsible for. I love the mission, the product is generally great (great may even be an understatement - for a team this small to do as well as they have is incredible), and the people all seem nice and have their hearts in the right place, but $2200 is too much to spend on a 1st gen laptop with a 1 year warranty.