Antec USB-Powered Notebook Cooler

Buying one of the Antec USB-Powered Notebook Coolers is an easy choice, out of the many and sundry choices available here and elsewhere. I think that most of the other reviewers here have covered the key points well, and I see no reason to go back over and re-hash everything that has been said before, so I'm going to make this review short, and sweet, with some personal-use caveats thrown into the mix.Let's be honest about this now, because we are all here to get the best deal on the best quality for our hard earned $$'s, aren't we? Well, look no further than this great performing notebook cooler by Antec. When you can pay at or about $25 shipped for a cooler that does its job silently, surely, and *safely* in terms of isolating the notebook's heat away from our legs, laps, and thighs, then that's a bargain to be taken advantage of, right?I think so, and add to it these personally noted plusses++ for the Antec USB-Powered Notebook Cooler and we have Wavey Davey's 5-Star Performance Award, earned again in the heat of competition with all those other pricey, and dicey coolers by other manufacturers.First, the design is KUHL, isn't it? I like the "Star-Design" with the strong, but light ABS plastic (mine are in black and silver) bottom which cradles the aluminum alloy top conductive surface area, the part that actually touches the notebook. And you want that part to be metal if possible, because its convective ability is superior to plastic or coated cardboard, whatever those other notebook coolers are using: the Antec's construction is superior to the other coolers for sale here and elsewhere.Next, the fans are double-ball bearing fans and they are dead-on next to silent at a rated 27dB (decibels) noise factor, which is minimal, and XLNT at best. Those fans move a LOT of air through and around the bottom vents of your average notebook, and pass it out through the sides where most notebooks have their exhaust vents. The fans have a High and Low switch which is nice, but through my uses this past year with two very different notebooks, one a newer Sony FW-series and the other being an Acer 5920-series, I've just left the switch on "Low" and it does the job virtually silently.There's a very, very bright Blue LED near the fan switch on the right side for the tell-tale "I'm working and ON" sign, and most people probably consider that LED waaay too bright, and it is! The only real detraction to an otherwise stellar design concept is that LED, and it's so bright that it will pierce a room's dark, and silent night and light it up a bit! So I've taken a piece of black electrical tape and taped over both of the LED's on our coolers, and it solved that small problem.The fans do accumulate a good portion of dust and dirt if you are leaving the cooler on 24/7 as we do ours, so a simple removal to the outside/garage area, and a blast from your air compressor (if you have such a device, and I do) will blow all that away for another go at cooling effectively and efficiently. I clean our two coolers monthly, as they are on 24/7, literally all the time, because both notebooks are doing Folding@Home for Stanford University when they aren't being used for normal things, so the coolers have been getting a good workout at our place.There's a substantial warranty in place with the Antec Notebook Cooler also, as I recall it's a 3-year factory warranty-- so even if you manage to burn it out and use it up in that time Antec will replace one if it fails under warranty. That's another positive point to be made versus the other coolers here at Amazon and elsewhere.In closing, because I promised to make this a short and sweet review, I feel very good about purchasing two notebook coolers of such high quality and excellent design and functionality for about $50, getting one on sale here for less than $25 and the other one for just more than $25. I just do not think there's anything else for sale that works as well, costs so little, and has a great 3-year warranty from the manufacturer to back it up should anything go wrong in 3 long, hard years of notebook cooling service!This is the unit to get, and I wholeheartedly endorse the Antec USB-Powered Notebook Cooler 100% across the board. I'm giving it Wavey Davey's 5-Star Seal of Excellence! You just cannot go wrong with one of these at or about $25 shipped, so forget the rest, this is the best!Wavey Davey 8-14-2009

I first purchased one of these coolers about three years ago, after reading many reviews on its wonderful cooling ability. The price back then was > $40. At around $20 these days, it's a steal. Having purchased two of these (and another sent as a warranty replacement) for my laptop for work, I have a lot of experience with this product.This cooler works differently from some others. Instead of blowing cool air towards a laptop, this unit siphons warm air away from it. First, there are two fans that pull hot air away from the underside of a notebook, then expel that air through two vents on the bottom of the cooler. Secondly, the aluminum top plate acts, somewhat, as a heat sink. Thirdly, the four rubber feet on the top allow for proper airflow between the computer and the fans. These three components allow for amazing cooling ability. Normally, heat rises through the keyboard when my computer is on, especially under heavy load. When running this cooler on high, which is the setting I have had it on since day one, the top of my laptop is actually cool to the touch, and the bottom is only slightly warm. Turning the cooler off is when you realize just how good of a job it is doing. Heat is the enemy of all electronics, and this will certainly add life to laptop.As for its durability, this is difficult to judge. I have had other, less capable coolers that have not outlasted the three Antec's I have owned. I typically run them 24/7, except when I turn the laptop off overnight. Airflow generates static electricity. I have pets, and over time, the fan blades attract dust, hair, and dander. In fact, the first unit I had started making a very annoying clicking sound that only got worse as time passed.After owning it for only six months, Antec agreed to a warranty replacement, with pretty much "no questions asked." If warranty service is a key selling point for you, Antec customer service is top notch. The replacement was sent quickly, and it was a brand new unit, not a reconditioned one.The only difference was that the replacement unit came with a different USB adapter than my original one. The original unit had a USB cable that had a "pass-through" connection. This basically allows for dual use of the same USB port on your laptop. After I emailed customer support about the switch, they promptly sent me the original cable and told me to keep the new cable as a backup.The replacement unit lasted until it developed the same issue just recently. Being that the original unit was no longer under warranty, and the unit now costs around $20 on Amazon, I simply decided to order a new one. This unit also shipped with the same USB cable as the replacement unit. It seems that Antec is no longer including the "pass-through" cable, and the product literature reflects the change, when compared to the older product manual. I simply transferred the older cable to the new unit, as the connection is the same. Also, going forward, I will be using compressed air on the fan blades periodically. Hopefully, this will help to abate the dust, hair, and dander problem that has plagued my previous units. I'm sure this will help the units to perform better and last longer.For those who find issue with the bright LED, I have been using the electrical tape trick, and I've had no issues. Also, the four rubber feet that elevate a laptop above the cooler are difficult to install. However, be sure to twist the feet while pushing them in. Once you get them in correctly, they will NOT fall out. Personally, I see this as an upside, as this type of rubber foot tends to fall off of many types of equipment.All in all, this cooler is unmatched in it's ability, given its still portable nature. Even when I've had issues, Antec Customer Service has been quick to properly resolve them. Many of my family and friends have this model, and all are happy with their purchase. Five stars all around!

J'ai acheté ce produit depuis un certains temps maintenant et il fonctionne très bien. Refroidit bien le portable, peu bruynat. J'en suis entièrement satisfaite.

Il prodotto ben si adatta al notebook. Si avverte Il fruscio delle ventole, ma non in modo tale da infastidire. Ma la cosa più importante e che il raffreddamento è sincero e il mio notebook non è mai stato così freddo. Ottimo

Der Notebookkühler ist einfach perfekt.Einfach in den usb steckplatz einstecken und schon gehts los.Keine installation nötig.Der Kühler hat 2 Leistungsstufen dies kann man über einen Schalter am Rand regeln.Gerräuche macht der Lüfter keine ob langsam oder schnell.SEHR LEISE!!!!Verbraucht auch sehr wenig Strom.Mein Notbook 15,4" steht ein bisschen drüber aber das macht der Stabilität des notbook nicht aus.Das notebook steht wackelfrei auf dem lüfter.das usb kabel des kühlers kann man im kühler unter einer exrta klappe für das kabel verstauen.perfekt zun mitnehemen.Fatziet:-niedriger strom verbrauch-edeles design-perkter Stand-sehr leichte bauweisse-2 Starke kühler die das notebook perfekt kühlen-Sehr leise-usb anschluss-schaltet mit dem notebook aus

What can I say? Before I bought this product my laptop used to heat up to untouchable temperatures underneath and unbearable ones towards the top of the keyboard. To say nothing of cutting out every now and again.After putting the cooler underneath the effect is immediate and as the title says amazing. My computer is running cool, the kind of cool that was only at start up or a few hours after shut down before. The fans are quiet as the other reviews have said and make no odds when it comes to general noise levels even on the higher fan setting.I have a larger laptop and the cooler seems to accomodate it with no problems, there's storage for the lead for when I'm on the move and all in all this is a sweet little product. So much so that my husband has asked me to order him one too. I'd heartily recommend it. And have.

Il prodotto mi sembra valido, ho sicuramente ottenuto il mio scopo, cioè quello di raffreddare il notebook. Ha la possibilità di impostare due velocità per le ventole, ma già alla velocità minima compie il suo lavoro. E' silenzioso .