raindesign mStand Laptop Stand, Space Gray

Bought the 360 (swivelling) version for use with 13" Macbook Pro Retina with USB keyboard and mouse.Lifts the screen by about 17cm/6.75", and has an overhang (~6.5cm/2.5" deep, ~7.5cm/3" high) allowing laptop and keyboard to overlap a bit. Overall, puts the laptop much more into my usual eyeline, and lets me have it a bit closer than normal. (Perhaps a bit more height wouldn't hurt, but I'm at the taller end of average (187cm/6'1") and don't have long legs.)Good points:* aluminium construction looks nice, feels solid, and matches the Macbook* decent ergonomics (see above)* swivel base rotates easily* shape very sensibly includes a lip to hold the laptop steady - some products seem to rely purely on having grippy surfaces for the laptop to sit on, which (call me old-fashioned...) I suspect won't prove as reliable in the long runLess good points:* it may only apply to the swivel version, but I'd say you definitely need an external keyboard and mouse - there's no wobbling if you're typing on a USB keyboard, but if you try to use the laptop keyboard it becomes apparent there's some give in the stand and a bit of play in the swivel mechanism* the box claims the stand is a good heat sink, but since the metal of the laptop never actually makes contact with the metal of the stand I suspect it will prove ineffectiveI'm happy to give this 5 stars - but if you're especially tall and/or don't use an external keyboard and mouse, it might not suit.(Also note that it's a single piece of metal and doesn't fold at all. If you're thinking of putting it in a bag, better make sure that bag is big enough...)

Does wonders for your posture and looks good doing it. Great stand and the swivel feature is one I didn't know I needed until I got it. Impressed by the quality and sturdiness of the stand as well. Highly recommended!

If you can get it for under 50, do so as it's a great stand. :) Been using one for years and got a second for a gift.

I wanted a simple and neat laptop stand that can elevate my laptop as well as help with cooling/ventilation. Now, I use a Dell XPS 13 Plus which weighs 1.28 kg. I found three similar looking options on Amazon, namely:1) the BUTTERFLY-US aluminium laptop holder (£18.99) – left in photo2) the RAINDESIGN mstand (£39.99) – middle in photo3) the BESTAND aluminium laptop stand (£42.98) – right in photoSince they all look rather similar and all had good reviews, I initially went with the cheapest option, thinking that they are all just a bend piece of aluminium. Not so!On receiving the BUTTERFLY-US aluminium laptop holder, I noted that it has a good weight, the surface finish is a light matt grey. The 4 little rubber pads stuck onto the bottom surface and the 4 rubber pads on the top surface are small and rather thin. The square hole in the top surface is a good size and would provide good airflow. However, some of the metal edges are a bit rough with sharp burrs which can scratch you laptop or cut you hand if you are not careful. The angle of the top surface is quite horizontal. The thin strip of foam stuck onto the front hooks to protect the front edge of the laptop was already coming off and clearly the adhesive is too weak. The main issue was that the top surface is quite springy and flexes when typing on the laptop keyboard. If you typed at speed, it would actually start to bounce. If you rest your palms on the front edge of the laptop with too much force, the whole thing could tilt forwards.So, I decided to try the next one up which was the RAINDESIGN mstand at more than double the cost of the BUTTERFLY-US laptop holder. The Raindesign mstand comes in either gold or space grey - the silver option is only available for the version with the rotating base which I didn’t want. So, I went with the space grey one. The surface finish is a mid-grey, slight smoother than the BUTTERFLY-US laptop holder. They call this "space grey". It looks smart but I would have preferred a brighter silver finish to match my Dell XPS13. The 4 rubber pads stuck onto the bottom surface and the 4 rubber pads on the top surface are larger than the BUTTERFLY-US and a tad thicker. Since these just use adhesive, other users have reported that they came come loose when the heat from the laptop softened the adhesive. For a £40 product, you would expect a more secure fixture. The single raindrop-shaped hole in the top surface is quite small and would only allow limited airflow. The silicone pads stuck onto the front hooks to protect the front edge of the laptop are nice and large, covering virtually the whole metal surface of the hooks - these are the best of the 3 laptop stands that I compared here (see photo). The top surface slopes forward a bit more than the BUTTERFLY-US and is certainly more rigid and better damped. However, there is still a slight “bounce” when typing fast and there is also a slight tendency for the Raindesign mstand to tilt forward if you rest your palms on the front edge of the laptop. This is somewhat disappointing considering the good reviews from many Amazon buyers and also from other professional comparison review sites.Since the BESTAND is only a few quid more than the Raindesign mstand, I decided to give that a try. The Bestand has a very high-quality textured silver surface that stands out from the other two. While the 4 silicone pads on the bottom are stuck on, the 4 protective silicone pads on the top surface are inserted through the full thickness of the top surface. This meant that there is no chance that the adhesive on the pads would “melt” with the heat from the lap and allow the pads to come loose. The silicone pads are about 2mm thick which raises the laptop to allow better airflow between the stand and the laptop. The 3 longitudinal ventilation slits on the top surface potentially provide airflow to the widest area underneath the laptop. When typing on the laptop, there is absolutely no give to the top surface. The only slight downside to the Bestand is that the silicone pads on the front hooks to protect the front edge of the laptop are quite small compared with those on the Raindesign. Time will tell how durable these are.In summary, even though these three fixed-height metal laptop stands look similar on paper, they are very different in the flesh, especially when tested side-by-side. If you just wanted something to elevate your laptop screen and you always use a separate keyboard anyway, the BUTTERFLY-US will suffice at a low price. However, if you wanted to type on the laptop keyboard directly with it on the stand, the Bestand is the one to go for. Even though it looked like a simple piece of bent aluminium, there had clearly been a lot of attention paid to small details and the quality is superb. In my opinion, the Bestand is well worth the extra cost if you wanted the most rigid laptop stand that also looks sleek and oozes quality.My search for the best laptop stand is complete. I shall happily keep the BESTAND and return the other two.

Very high quality stand, elevates the laptop to a good height and is great if you use an external monitor as the two can sit side by side. The rotating base on the bottom is a nice little feature, although in my setup I don't use it that much. The hole at the back for cable management is definitely useful. The rubber pads on the top part are nice to protect the metal from scratching, and the metal lip at the front stops your machine from slipping. Overall a great stand that matches Apple laptops very well.

Beautiful Apple-esque minimalist design and does exactly what I wanted.Even my 17inch Macbook Pro looks, sits & swivels great with this stand.With the screen open fully you can feel it is a bit screen heavy with the front of the stand sometimes struggling to hold (through friction) the front of the laptop in place. Not enough to warrant a star downgrade, just something to be wary of as you adjust the screen angle. On the plus side the 17inch sits perfectly on the stand for maximum aeration. The parts of the laptop that get the hottest during resource hungry tasks are constantly exposed to the air.It is probably more perfectly suited to the 15inch (and smaller) but I think it is still the best swivel stand out there for the old school 17inch Macbook Pro.

I have had one of there for several years and bought another for my partner when she started working from home. It's solid metal and unlike many of the competitors does not have to be assembled so will never fall apart or need to be tightened up. It's similar in style to Apple's monitor stands, but the sheet metal is a bit thinner, and the edges are slightly rounded.