As a veteran teacher, I have managed several laptop carts and seen firsthand the wear and tear from hours of student use (and abuse). Many devices are not built to withstand it all.

That’s not the case with the Acer Chromebook C871. Its rugged construction and reinforced design help it stand up to daily wear and tear.

The laptop’s keyboard is one example: With many laptops, it’s easy to remove keys but difficult to replace them. The C871 comes with mechanically anchored keys that ensure the keyboard stays in good condition. The keyboard is also resistant to spills, thanks to a gutter system that routes liquids out through the bottom of the chassis. To test this, I held the laptop over my kitchen sink and poured about 10 ounces of water over the keyboard, which continued to function as expected. The touchpad is also water resistant.

In my drop test, the C871 withstood a fall from a typical table height of about 48 inches. The device landed on its front right corner and bounced a couple of times before resting on the floor, but it remained operational. I was hard-pressed to even find a scuff mark on it, thanks to the rubberized shock-absorbing bumper that covers the edge of the entire frame.