Useful Laptop Stand

My employer issued me a small Toshiba laptop computer that gets very hot. When I work with it on a desktop, it makes the desk surface so hot that heat eventually soaks all the way through and radiates down to my legs. That makes me hot and means that it's uncomfortable to use this computer for a day-long session.

As a stop-gap measure, I used a broiler pan to slightly elevate the laptop above the desk surface and this was much better from a heat standpoint. However, it looked funky and made the computer keyboard a little harder to use. The department secretary finally suggested the 3M LX500 Notebook Computer Stand and I ordered it.

What It Is

The 3M LX500 Notebook Computer Stand is a plastic shelf upon which you place a laptop computer. The shelf can be set from 4-6 inches in height, adjustable in 1/2-inch increments. Everything is made completely of plastic and it feels a little flimsy, but so far everything has held together well.

The shelf surface has grooves on either side for the installation of helpful accessories. Included with my LX500 was a bracket on which you can mount a 3M document support. This is one of those devices that holds a sheet of paper upright near the computer screen so you can easily read the document as you type. The LX500 came with a support bracket for the document stand and not the actual document stand.

In addition, the LX500 came with a little side shelf that could hold a few pencils and pens or maybe a pad of Post-Its. I installed the shelf and use it for a small pile of scratch paper that I like to keep handy.

Since the 3M LX500 lifts the laptop several inches above the desk surface, you must use an external keyboard and mouse. The underside of the shelf is well ventilated and my laptop no longer seems to radiate so much heat.

The LX500 is made from dark gray plastic and it had to be snapped together before use. It came with four non-skid pads that stick to the shelf surface to keep the laptop from sliding. In addition, there were also four rubber feet to keep the LX500 from sliding on the desk surface. I used the non-skid pads on the shelf but not the rubber feet on the bottom.

I didn't pay for the LX500 and don't know its exact cost. Epinions shows that it costs around $23.

Using It

I have my LX500 set for a shelf height of six inches. This eliminates the heat transfer into my desk and makes it much more comfortable to work at my computer all day. In addition, the well-ventilated shelf seems to keep the computer cooler overall, and that has to be a good thing.

Another benefit of the LX500 is that it moves the screen of the laptop up higher, giving the computer's screen a more comfortable viewing angle. It also moves the screen a little closer to my eyes, which makes it easier to see. All in all, these are two major benefits of using the 3M LX500.

On the negative side, I regularly hit one corner of the LX500 with my mouse hand as I lift the hand off the mouse. This is more a function of my cramped desk surface than the LX500 but it is annoying just the same. And as I said above, the all-plastic construction of the LX500 seems a little flimsy, although it's held together well for the month I've used it.

Summary

Overall, the ergonomic improvements from using the LX500 are worth it. I'm definitely more comfortable working at my desk without all the heat from the laptop computer. I also prefer the viewing angle that the six-inch rise gives me and prefer the slightly closer viewing distance. Finally, the 3M LX500 makes it easy to use an external keyboard with my laptop computer. An external keyboard is just more comfortable for me to use than the keyboard on the laptop, so that's a good thing too.

The 3M LX500 Notebook Computer Stand is a useful ergonomic tool for those who primarily use a laptop computer in the office. It looks a little ungainly but it does make using a laptop much more like using a regular desktop computer. It's not perfect but it is a good thing to have.

I recommend the 3M LX500 Notebook Computer Stand.