Granted, this is a one-person, one-sample comment but:
I just bought and returned a Lenovo ThinkPad E545. I bought it knowing it was a $450 laptop, but knew that the keyboard should be great b/c ThinkPads traditionally have some of the best KBs in the business. Plus these days, you can generally get a solid, low-end laptop in the $400-$500 range.
Serviceability was also an important decision point. I don't want to have to remove the KB or the entire bottom clamshell of the laptop just to add memory or swap the HD. ThinkPads are traditionally targeted at enterprises that issue them by the hundreds and serviceability is paramount.
I had planned on putting an SSD in there and doubling the memory. In my mind, I had created an $800 laptop for about $600.
Well, it didn't work out too well.
The KB was great. The rest of it, not so much. The Bluetooth worked for about an hour and then died. BT mouse worked one minute, the next it was gone. Couldn't pair the lappy with my phone either. Dead BT.
The wireless was spotty from the get-go. The screen was very bright, but colors were a washed-out mess no matter how low you set the brightness. The FN/F-key combos worked when they wanted to, sometimes requiring multiple key presses to get the hardware to recognize that I was trying to do something.
Additionally, the touchpad felt a bit flimsy. Probably b/c the touchpad had a click feature to it. You could physically click down on the touchpad vs. just double-tapping on it or using the separate "mouse buttons" above the touchpad.
Possibly, Lenovo's higher-end models are better made, but I can't say with certainty since I don't own one.
I just bought a Gigabyte Q2556N, which is really just a rebranded Clevo W650SZ. Granted, it's in a higher price bracket and has better specs (by a long shot) but my recent attempt at "getting a great laptop on a budget" blew up in my face. Hoping for a better experience with the Gigabyte.
YMMV, but IME Sony VAIOs and any Toshiba laptops are known "bad bets." I've had very good luck with both Dell and HP laptops, bought directly from them. I also have a 9-year old Acer TravelMate that still works, cracked screen hinges and all. About 3 years ago I bought a high-end (about $1,300, IIRC) Asus for a friend which is still working.