I just got my Sager 8130 today and looking at what the insured value was, it was actually only around $1350 wholesale from the supplier. So shipping, middlemen, and taxes dinged me for about $150.
From experience, I'd say the build quality and looks is on par with several VAIO models although I opted for the cheaper model body that was not rubberized with the special finish and is just textured plastic to save money that I need for an SSD.
Keyboard is as good as any Apple/VAIO keyboard except it is not backlit. The screen is a 15.6" AU Optronics matte model (another thing I specified) and it is much better for bright environments like office lighting than the glossy screens many modern high end laptops go for. Has THX certified sound and even a low frequency driver (subwoofer) internally.
The Sager is made by Clevo in Taiwan. Clevo makes several of the Alienware models for Dell.
What is upgradeable and what did I choose?
CPU (2.2GHz i7 2720QM)
RAM (8GB)
GPU (GTX 460M 1.5GB)
HDD (750 GB 7200RPM)
Optical Drive (HDD Caddy)
Wireless Module (Stock)
Optional internal TV Tuner (CATV port exists), already has HDMI, DVI, USB 3.0, Firewire, IR
Optional internal SIM card reader (for 3G/4G, etc.) - maybe already installed, I see the slot for a SIM card
Even the LCD screen is swappable for glossy or higher gamut models (Matte)
Basically I can upgrade everything if I want to or the place I bought it from can do it for me. I purchased it from
http://www.fortnaxnotebooks.com/ which is in Calgary and the guy was great. He replied to my e-mails everyday within minutes. I think if I dealt directly with Sager or even a big company like Dell, I would probably not get that level of communication or I would be forwarded to Indian tech support. I've called Apple support before and while it was decent, I still needed to press a bunch of numbers and wait several minutes to get to a real person.