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SL3 and contact dermatitis? Have a few questions.

kurfac3alv

New Member
Hello,

I'm hoping someone with some surface knowledge could inform me of a few things.

I'm about to replace my current laptop that's old and falling apart. This laptop that I have is a custom Sager one that I got through
a gaming pc builder business. It's made of a strong plastic and wrapped in faux croc leather just to be sure, but I got it, both for gaming,
but also because the laptop before that one, a samsung laptop, was a metal laptop that ended up giving me some nasty/gross water blisters
all over my hands. It took me a while to figure out what was going on but I eventually realized it was the laptop. Apparently there are some
of us who are allergic to nickel and cobalt. I'm sure there was some nickel in that metal chasis, although most say they are aluminum. I'm not really a chemist
and don't know how to better understand what companies are making their product out of. So now I'm left wondering if anyone has had any such experience
or knows of how these recent surface products would relate to this. Have companies phased out potential irritants? What exactly is the SL3 made out of? All I can find is
'aluminum' on the microsoft website.

I really don't want to go the custom route again. I just want a slim, small laptop that'll be good for school but in particular I really want the sandstone
Surface Laptop 3 13'. That's my dream device. I know there's the alcantara model but I plan on keeping this laptop for a long time and want to be sure it won't get dirty or gross
after a while and I wasn't sure of the cost of replacing the laptop bottom. Besides, it's the sandstone laptop I really want, but am wondering about it's metal situation.
I can always wrap it, wear thin gloves, get a prescription, etc. I know all that but am also kind of hoping I won't have to. I'd hate to wrap it and hide it's color or look or take a steroid as my doctor suggested. That samsung laptop had a rough, raw metal texture but I'm hoping the smooth, minimalist texture of the SL3 proves a better fit.

Any thoughts/input?

Thanks in advance!
 

sharpuser

Administrator
Staff member
Microsoft's aluminum cases are magnesium alloy-based, which differs from an Apple cases which are zirconium with copper, nickel and sometimes niobium. The Surface case can build up a patina slightly, which can be cleaned with alcohol wipes. Apple's formulation avoids a tarnish with age, due to the nickel. The Surface case can be scratched slightly easier. Vinyl skins adhere to both formulations equally well.

This is sometimes discussed by reviewers. See this article in Forbes, for example.
 
OP
K

kurfac3alv

New Member
Microsoft's aluminum cases are magnesium alloy-based, which differs from an Apple cases which are zirconium with copper, nickel and sometimes niobium. The Surface case can build up a patina slightly, which can be cleaned with alcohol wipes. Apple's formulation avoids a tarnish with age, due to the nickel. The Surface case can be scratched slightly easier. Vinyl skins adhere to both formulations equally well.

This is sometimes discussed by reviewers. See this article in Forbes, for example.

Thank you for passing along this information. I really appreciate it. I also heard from someone at Microsoft and apparently this SL3 does have some nickel in it but there's also a coating, so I'm waiting to hear back on what the coating is made of. Again, thanks!
 
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