REVIEW – Your mother was always telling you to sit up straight, but how do you do that when you’re slumped over a laptop all day long? One way to improve the ergonomics is to raise the display to eye level with a laptop stand like the XenStand from WellDesk. Let’s take a look.
What is it?
The WellDesk XenStand is an adjustable laptop stand that is made in the USA of Baltic Birch Plywood and has the same DIY type of style as their dual monitor standing desk which reviewed a few months ago.
What’s in the box?
The XenStand has 2 support stands and 2 feet that are used to elevate the stand into higher positions.
Design and features
The WellDesk XenStand is made of nicely finished wood that has sanded, smooth edges with no splinters to worry about. It has a simple interlocking design where the two main pieces fit together to form an X. The stand is solid and stable while still being able to quickly disassemble it if needed.
The back of the stand props up the display of the laptop while the hooks in the front of the stand prevent the laptop from sliding off the stand. I did all my testing of the WellDesk with my 12-inch MacBook, which is the smallest sized laptop that you would want to use with this stand. With the MacBook in place, the back of the laptop is raised approximately 4.25 inches.
In this position, the display is raised for more comfortable viewing. Of course, you will also need to use an external keyboard and mouse for correct ergonomics.
If the first configuration doesn’t raise the display high enough for you, there are two other configurations that you can try. By adding the included feet to the inner notches, the back of the display is raised even higher.
In this position, the back of the computer is raised 5.75 inches off the table.
Last but not least, you can add the feet to the rear notches and position the front edge of the laptop in the larger hooks. As you can see, this configuration will not work for my 12-inch MacBook because the display does not open far enough.
What I like
- Made in the USA of sustainable products
- Easy to assemble
- Three configurations
What needs to be improved
- Almost too wide for 12-inch laptops
Final thoughts
The WellDesk XenStand is a simple laptop stand lifts the display to eye level so that you can use a keyboard and mouse with your laptop to allow you to sit up straight to improve your posture and ergonomics. This stand is easy to assemble and disassemble and isn’t too bulky to take with you in the included drawstring canvas bag.
Price: $37.95 MSRP
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Well Desk.
