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The Road Warrior Review - Wizard Multi-Configurable Laptop Stand from Lapworks

I'm a big fan of Lapworks products such as their signature line of Laptop Desks and their Aluminum Laptop Stands.

Aside from his own, in-house designs Like the Laptop Desk Futura and the recently-released Gamers Desk, Lapworks president Jose Calero from time also finds third party laptop products to sell on the Lapworks website, and the Chinese-sourced Wizard Multi-Configurable laptop stand is one such item.

The Wizard is a multi-purpose, fully adjustable, off-the-lap or on-the-lap notebook stand designed for for comfortable, ergonomically-sound use on a sofa or chair, on the floor, in your bed, laying down or sitting up or in between.

This product is configurable to just about any position, angle or height up to 24 inches, lifting your notebook off-your-lap and positioning it for comfortable viewing and better body English to help avoid sore wrists and stiff necks that prolonged laptop usage in awkward positions can cause.

The Wizard is supported by a pair of three-limbed hinged articulating legs that adjust and lock in a vast number of angles, positions and viewing heights via 360° incrementally locking joints. Its support tray almost 22” long so it can accommodate virtually any laptop (the 17" MacBook Pro or PowerBook fits with ample room to spare). There's space for mousing with narrower machines, and it can also be used as a lap desk on your lap without extending the articulating legs.

Because the support tray is generously thick Aluminum so it also will absorb heat from your notebook more efficiently and dissipate, is reversible, with ribbed for slip-resistance plus a wrist rest faced with soft rubber, while the flip side provides a smooth surface on which to work comfortably with a raised, rounded edge that prevents pens and pencils from sliding off. The Wizard Laptop Stand also comes with a set of 6 fabric-covered elastic bands to hold a book or magazine open while reading in comfort.

The Wizard can be folded flat into a 1.5" x 19" x 9.5" slab in a few seconds for convenient storage under a bed, in a closet, or behind a sofa.

In setting up the Wizard, it's worth investing a few minutes carefully studying the vast range of adjustments possible. With the three leg limbs plus the support tray itself all articulated at 10° increments, getting it all configured with both sides symmetrically synchronized takes a bit of concentration, although the adjustments themselves are simple and quick with the spring-loaded pushbutton adjusters at each joint hinge. I did find that the pushbuttons have a tendency to sometimes stick in the depressed position, but were easy to pop back into their locked position with another press. Once you've done it a couple of times, the setup goes much more quickly.

For use on a bed, I found that (at least) two modes were possible:

However, lying-down computing is only one of many uses the Wizard supports, others being a desktop laptop stand to raise the computer to a comfortable viewing level for use with an external keyboard and mouse, a breakfast table, TV dinner table, reading stand, study table, bed desk, or as a lap desk. When and wherever you need a work surface or a small table tray the Wizard can easily adjust and lock into place, quickly and efficiently to accommodate your needs.

The maximum height (24") in "T.V. tray" mode is slightly short of two feet , a bit low for most couches and too low for most chairs.

The Wizard's generous width also makes it impractical for use on many sofas or chesterfields, compared with, say, the more compact Laptop Laidback stand, and while the unit is relatively light at 5.29 pounds (less than most laptops), it is very bulky for packing along on road trips (although lighter and easier to fold up than the Laidback).

I do have some reservations about the Wizard's ruggedness and resistance to wear and damage. The articulated hinge joints are made of plastic, and may well prove adequately durable, although metal joints would be more reassuring. and I'm especially concerned about potential damage from side loading of the support legs, especially with the lever-arm stress at long extensions.

On thing I personally dislike is the texture of the rubber wrist pad - specifically the tactile feel, and the rubber "inner tube" look is inelegant. IMHO "traction" material is exactly what you don't want in a wrist rest. Something with a smooth and slippery finish - either padded or hard, would be preferable.

I'm wondering how well the Wizard will hold up over the long haul. Perhaps necessarily, given the multiplicity of all those adjustable joints, the Wizard just doesn't have the same feeling of solid rigidity that the Laptop Laidback does. although handled with reasonable care it should last a long time.

Wizard Laptop Stand Specifications:
• Overall Dimensions: 22” x 11-7/8” x 1-3/4”
• Table Top Dimensions: 17-3/4” x 11-3/4” x 1-3/4”
• Weight: 4 Lbs. 8 oz.
• Color: Gun Metal Gray
• Materials: Aluminum, Plastic & Rubber

The Wizard sells for $99.95.

For more information, visit:
http://www.laptopdesk.net/wizard-laptop-stand.html

Incidentally, if the Wizard looks familiar, it is indeed virtually identical to another product sold under the "Lapdawg" brand name - the only significant difference I can detect is the Lapworks logo on the Wizard, and it's hard to imagine that both products don't roll off the same assembly line in China. However, the Lapdawg is priced at $130.00 (includes shipping).


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cmoore@macopinion.com

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