My first Thinkpad was a T41P, in between a series from the Xs, then back to T now that the Ts are so easy to carry. I never used Windows on them, first a mix of different distros, then when Ubuntu was released, Ubuntu.

I never had any issues, only on the X220, the SD flash reader was borking my cards and I had to get an external flash reader.

I cannot imagine using something different. So my experience is a bit like yours, this for 20+ years.