A can of compressed air may be useful too, and a bottle of isopropyl alcohol and cotton buds are good for cleaning, but not on the screen. The only tools you need for servicing a ThinkPad are a set of small screwdrivers and a nylon spudger (for taking the screen and keyboard bezels off), and possibly a pair of tweezers. Corporate bulk purchasers don't usually go for it. Not only will it have better brightness, colour, contrast and viewing angles - you will most probably more than make up the investment when selling it.

When buying a new ThinkPad, consider taking the IPS screen option if possible, as it doesn't cost much. When buying a used ThinkPad, remember to check that the BIOS is not locked with a supervisor's password and that Computrace is not enabled and activated.

For IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad laptop enthusiasts.