I’m sure most of you have used a laptop before and you know that they are not always the most comfortable to use. A desktop’s keyboard and monitor are adjustable to make them more comfortable, but when you have a laptop you are stuck with what it gives you. A laptop stand makes it possible to adjust a laptop so that it is more comfortable.

Features

• Get the comfort of a full desktop computer system with notebook portability
• Smooth one-step lift and tilt functionality promotes true ergonomic viewing with Constant Force (CF) Technology
• Use with or without a docking station
• Vented platform allows for cooling air flow
• Allows for writing on a convertible notebook

Adjustability is the reason you would get a laptop stand and the Ergotron Neo-Flex Notebook/Projector Lift Stand has all the adjustability you need. The stand allows you to adjust the height and tilt of the laptop. The laptop holder can also expand to support a large or small laptop.

Design

The legs of the stand are in a Y shape. This provides the optimal support while keeping the size small. There are also wheels on the two front legs. This lets you swivel the stand.

The arm that extends up from the base has two hinges, one at the top and one at the bottom. This allows it to be adjusted up or down while still keeping the head flat. There is also a small screw at the base of this arm that will tighten the tension on the lower hinge. This allows you to keep the stand in a lower position, but not all the way down. I still had to press down on the stand to get it to lower completely, and it would come back up as soon as I released it.

The head of the stand is where the laptop sits, this part is also adjustable. The head can tilt, and also expand to support a larger laptop. To expand the head you can pull out on the sides to make it wider, or pull down on the rest to get the laptop to sit lower on the stand.

Performance

I have never used a laptop stand before, so I really didn’t know what to expect. When I first set it up I was excited to be able to try it out and see if I could make using a laptop more comfortable.

At first I tried using the laptop directly on the stand. I found that this was not very easy to do because of several reasons. First the stand would not sit flat, which meant it was up high and I really had to have my hands raised which made them tired. I could lower the stand a little and then adjust the tension screw to keep it low, but it would not stay all the way down. Second, the head could not be locked into place so if I pressed hard on the keyboard it would cause the stand to tilt. I would then have to stop typing and tilt the head back into the position I liked. Having to do this over and over made it impossible to use.

After trying this for a while I finally realized that to be the most comfortable while using this stand I had to have an external keyboard and mouse. With an external keyboard and mouse the stand was only used to raise up the laptop so that it was more at eye level.

Warranty and Support

As I checked the Ergotron website for information on the warranty, I was surprised to find that they provide a 5 year warranty on almost all of their products. This is actually quite exceptional when you compare it to most other companies who only provide a 90 day or 1 year warranty. Unfortunately, after reading further I found that the Neo-Flex products only get a three year warranty. This makes me wonder why they would lower the warranty on this product. Is it more prone to breaking because of the moving parts? Is it more cheaply made? Only time will tell.

Conclusion

With a little more work Ergotron could have a very useful product. The stand needs the ability to lower completely and stay lowered. It also needs the ability lock the head in place so that it does not tilt. Because it lacks these abilities and I use my laptop mostly while sitting on my couch, I would not have much use for a stand. However, if you use a laptop while sitting at a desk with an external keyboard and mouse, then this stand would be great because it could lift the laptop so that it is either at eye level or level with an external monitor. As always compare prices before purchasing.