The highly portable, rigid and simple Keynamics’ Aviator Laptop Stand is everything Keynamics has promised. Designed primarily for frequent air travelers, the Aviator Laptop Stand extends your drop-down tray and keeps your notebook elevated while giving you the desired ergonomics.

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Specifications

Stored Dimensions: 12.62” x 0.50” x 3.35” (320.5mm x 12.7mm x 85.1mm)

Riser Dimensions: 12.62” x 0.25” x 3.35” (320.5mm x 6.4mm x 85.1mm)

Crosspiece Dimensions: 10.5” x 0.50” x 1” (266.7mm x 12.7mm x 25.4mm)

Riser Spacing: Outer 8.75” (222.3mm), Inner: 5.75” (146mm)

Riser Top Surface Contact Area: 12” (304.8mm)

Designed to fit all laptop and netbook sizes (We recommend up to 17”)

Colors: black, white, grey, pink, lime green, Texas bluebonnet, smiley face yellow

Price: MSRP US$24.99

First Impressions & Assembly

As simple as the Aviator Laptop Stand is itself, the packaging arrived in a plain but high-quality clear bag.

No real instructions were included, however the laptop stand was designed to be intuitive enough for the average Joe to figure out. Consisting of three pieces, all that has to be done is to decide the width of the Aviator Laptop Stand (the largest setting can be used for any notebook size 12.1” and up) and then put the crosspiece accordingly into the v-shaped notch on the two risers.

Design & Durability

We were quite surprised when we removed the stand from the packaging by the noticeably high quality of the plastic used for the individual pieces of the Aviator Laptop Stand. With the crosspiece being over 10mm (0.4”) thick, it is not easily bendable and provides a high degree of stability to the stand once inserted in between the two risers. The risers themselves have a thickness of 5mm (0.2”) each which is perfectly sufficient to stably hold your laptop. We took the stability test further by standing on the assembled Aviator Laptop Stand (one foot one riser), and found that it did not have any trouble holding 85kg (187lbs).

This stability is particularly impressive as the Aviator Laptop Stand is not designed to be carried in one piece but to be reassembled every time it is being moved. Because this is a simple process, reassembling is not an issue and makes the Aviator Laptop Stand easy to fit into any bag or carry-on. The crossbar can be attached to the two risers through the two dove-tails (refer to the picture below for more details) and measures on its thickest part no more than around 32cm x 11cm x 1cm. However, there is still room for improvement as the contact of the risers and the crossbar is not very absolutely secure. A quick-fix around this issue is to use a rubber band to keep them together. Overall the Aviator Laptop Stand is ideal for anyone who requires a high degree of portability.

Additionally, the Aviator Laptop Stand also fits on nearly any flat surface nicely; be it a desk or a drop-down tray on a train or an airplane. There are two ways to place the Aviator Laptop Stand on the surface either like any other laptop stand/ cooler or by ‘hanging’ it off the desk by placing the edge receiving notches on the lip of the surface. This second way is particularly useful in airplanes and on trains as the drop-down trays often do not provide enough space to place any laptop stand/cooler conveniently especially if the person in front of you titles his/her seat backwards.

We tested the stability of the second method by strongly shaking the desk it had been placed on, and, surprisingly, the Aviator Laptop Stand and the laptop on it were stable and we were at no point worried that the laptop may slide off the stand. The laptop’s stability is guaranteed through two stripes of rubber on the individual risers as well as through ‘hooks’ that generally prevent your laptop from sliding off the Aviator Laptop Stand. Furthermore, the stand’s stability mechanism is also reinforced through two stripes of rubber on the other side of the individual risers and the way the stand is ‘hooked’ to the surface.

Due to its design, the Aviator Laptop Stand does not hold well when used on your lap. The two risers are the only part of the stand that one can place on their lap and that is not only very uncomfortable but also unstable. This is not to say it is not usable on an uneven surface (a bed is no issue for instance) but it is clearly not designed for it and it should stay where it is supposed to be: on a flat surface like a desk that makes all its positive features stand out.

In addition, when using the laptop stand on a solid and flat surface such as a desk or a drop-down tray, the Aviator Laptop Stand succeeds at improving your posture while you are working on your laptop. We found that Keynamics is delivering their promises by marketing the Aviator stand that helps prevent hunching; however, at the same time if your desk does not have the appropriate height in the first place the Aviator Laptop Stand cannot do too much for you and that is also the case when sitting on an narrow airplane or train seat. Without any doubt, an improvement is achieved but, compared to the improvement felt on the desk it is limited.

Finally, it is also notable that the black version of the Aviator Laptop Stand is said to be environmentally friendly by using 99% recycled material. This may or may not affect your purchasing decision, but for those whom are environmentally conscience, you can use the stand worry-free.

Benchmarks

As the Aviator is not a “notebook cooler” per say, it should not be expected to “excel” in cooling.

Conclusion

Keynamics claims the Aviator Laptop Stand is easy to use, easy to carry, and easy to assemble. Each of these claims is without any doubt true. Also it is comfortable to use, as long as one does not try to have it on your lap. Build quality is beyond any comparison especially in view of the USD $19.99 price tag. The cooling ability is obviously not the greatest, but as a laptop stand, cooling is not the main promise. Enhanced comfort with minor cooling benefits is clearly what the Aviator Laptop stand achieves.