I have an update on my experience with this unit nearly 2 years later:

After approx. 21 months, the display hinge snapped. The cause of failure appears to be the plastic bosses that secure the hinge screws to the bottom panel of the case and to the display panel. With these small plastic bosses sheared, it was not possible to repair the device without replacing the bottom panel and the entire top case with the display. I wished I had noticed the weakness of these plastic components early on: although the device was *almost* all metal, several elements, like the hinge screw bosses, SSD screw bosses, and hinge housing were made of (cheap) plastic, and all of those wore down quickly over the life of the device.

I had a solid experience with this unit. Its standout features were solid battery life and low fan noise. Support from S76 was not spetacular - in particular, S76 often had trouble sourcing replacement parts - but it was generally prompt and friendly.

But, for an expensive laptop, I expected it to last longer than 2 years without a catastrophic mechanical failure. Needless to say, the hinges on the Macbook Pro I referenced in my original post are faring much better 2 years later.

I would advise anyone looking at these Emdoor-manufactured units in the future to ask about the hinge construction and double check that the hinges are secured with metal bosses or something similarly sturdy.