Ergonomic Laptop Stand Review

 Our society has increasingly become more and more reliant on portability. This concept has translated to our computers to the extent that more people are working on laptops. Laptops are ideal for getting work done wherever you might be but they also tend to lack proper ergonomic setup. Enter the Xen Desk by WellDesk, which is trying to solve this problem of mediocre ergonomic design by computing companies. To be completely transparent with all of you I was sent this laptop stand to test and review for the company. I wasn’t paid or sponsored to write this article but wanted to expose my readers to a viable solution. Below is my honest opinion on what I believe the stand does well and what could be improved on.   

 

What I Liked About The Xen Stand

• Quality construction and materials
  • The stand is made of 100% reclaimed birch
  • Only four pieces make up the design 
  • Comes with a quality carrying case
  • Compact and disassembles quickly
• Fits most laptops
  • I have used the stand for my 13” MacBook and also my 17” Lenovo Yoga
  • The Lenovo also flips into a tablet and the Xen Stand works great for that as well
• Hand and wrist positioning while typing
  • Throughout the weeks of using this product, I found that the stand worked well for intermittent typing
  • The stand keeps your wrists in a neutral position but does have the wrists slightly above the elbow. If you follow this blog and my Instagram, you know that I’m not a fan of this aspect. That being said, I would rather have a neutral wrist over an ideal elbow and wrist positioning.
• Multiple Configurations
  • The Xen stand has three different configurations all of which are less than a 30- second switch out
  • Having multiple configurations allow the user to keep the screen at eye level whether they are standing, sitting, or in a less than favorable ergonomic setup
• Open design allows the laptop to keep cool
• Price point
  • You pay under 50 bucks for a well made ergonomic laptop stand

What Needs Improvement 

• The corners of the stand
  • The back edges of the front portion of the stand (see pic below) have square edges that tended to poke into the soft tissue of my forearm after long periods of typing

• Stand Movement
  • Aggressive or hard key presses typical of gaming cause the stand to move ever so slightly
    • I wouldn’t recommend this for gaming
• Prolonged Typing isn’t Feasible
  • Typing continuously for 20+ minutes will have your wrists sore
  • 5-15 minute typing bouts are ideal

Who Would I Recommend This Laptop Stand To

• Anyone that runs a duo monitor setup
  • Steamers, editors, photographers, music producers, etc.
• Anyone that does a lot of reading on their laptop or watches a lot of videos
• Anyone that does a lot of computer work with intermittent bouts of typing
  • If you do steady 20-30 minutes of typing at a time I don't think this stand is for you

  All in all, I would recommend this stand to someone that is performing casual typing or running a duo monitor setup. The pros far outweigh the cons here. I’ve linked the WellDesk site here, specifically to the Xen Stand if you want to find out more about it or purchase it.  Thanks for reading and if you have any further questions let me know below.  Dr. Drew FTW! Blog