My wife and I both got the original model from 2021, and we've been using them every day since then. Mine is a beefier DIY edition running Linux. My wife's is the cheapest pre-built edition running Windows.

Like you, our previous experience was with really cheap laptops, so I can't compare it to a MacBook or ThinkPad. But what I found is that for the specifications I wanted - 32 GB of memory and 1 TB of storage - a Framework was like half the price of a MacBook or ThinkPad at the time. Based on that, I've been very happy. My wife could have gotten her specifications - 8 GB of memory and 250 GB of storage - for less money elsewhere but she wanted something repairable, and Framework has delivered on that, so she's happy too.

I frequent the Framework forum so I'm aware of the known issues, but I just haven't experienced any issues, or they haven't bothered me. People have complained about the firmware updates, but I'm just impressed that I'm getting firmware updates at all, even three years later, either through LVFS or installers especially for Linux users. I did get the stiffer hinges last year, and it's nice that they made those available. Using the Framework installation and battery tuning guides for Linux, I have no complaints about battery life or drain during sleep / standby. We'll see if we can actually still upgrade these in a few more years; that will be a big test for Framework.

For someone who's not tech savvy at all, I'd recommend buying from Apple or Best Buy so that they have a place to go for support. But for the typical HN person? Yeah, I'd recommend Framework.