Spy Finds is a weekly series that unveils the coolest products that you haven’t heard of until now. Each product is curated by our editors who want to help you discover cool finds you didn’t know you needed.
Like most people who work from home, I spend the majority of my day at my desk. Working from home can often mean that my hours extend beyond the traditional 9-5 workday, which causes a blurring of the lines between work time and personal time. My desk is where I complete the majority of my work, but it’s also where I spend Saturday mornings ordering groceries, sending emails to friends and catching up on any movie trailers I may have missed throughout the week (if I close my eyes, I can almost smell the popcorn and feel the sticky floors of movie theaters that I never thought I would miss).
Making my home office space a place that I’m comfortable spending the majority of my time is important not only for my mental state but also for my physical state. Carpal tunnel is no fun. That’s why I was excited to see that FluidStance, the makers of the popular balance board, had launched a new multipurpose, ergonomically designed laptop stand. Would this turn my workspace into my happy space? I’m not sure that’s actually possible, but it definitely helped.
I was already a fan of FluidStance and their high-end balance board, which provides an impressive workout that helps break up the monotony of going from sitting to standing throughout the day at my standing desk. Spy also reviewed The Slope last year, the company’s first desk organization tool slash whiteboard.
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We spoke to Joel Heath, the founder and CEO of FluidStance, who said the company was inspired to create the Lift in the wake of the pandemic, which has forced many office workers to set up shop at home.
“Ultimately, we want our customers to have a healthy work experience, whether they are at home or in an office,” Heath told Spy. “As our customers were settling into their new remote and modified work environments, we really wanted to be flexible and listen to consumer demand to create products that were useful, environmentally-friendly, and drew from the best qualities of our existing product line,” said Heath.
“The Lift was a response to a need to de-clutter your workspace and enhance your productivity. It certainly compliments the other products in our portfolio in that it can be easily integrated into a workspace that is already using the Raise, Slope and Wall.”
What Is The Lift?
So, what exactly is the Lift? Well, it’s a heavy laptop stand with several useful benefits. The 100% solid steel unit is a laptop stand and whiteboard in one. The entire laptop stand, aside from the felt-covered pad on top, can be used as a whiteboard, giving customers a convenient place to jot down notes directly under their laptop. The stand comes with a whiteboard marker and eraser and has an 11.5” by 6” dedicated whiteboard surface.
Not only is the sturdy stand extremely stable, but it’s also topped with a thin felt pad that ensures the laptop won’t slide or slip even if it’s not placed squarely on the stand. As someone who is constantly reaching between my full-sized monitor and my laptop to plug in and unplug the HDMI cord that connects the two screens, this is a big benefit. I no longer have to worry about my shoulder accidentally grazing my laptop, which yes, I should move out of the way, but you know — deadlines, laziness, etc. The bottom of the stand features silicon grommets that keep the Lift in place and resist any sliding.
FluidStance also told us that the Lift was made to be environmentally friendly. The whiteboard can help cut down on the use of paper, and the company used a low emissions process to make the long-lasting laptop stand. The Lift is also made with 16 gauge cold rolled steel, which is one of the most recycled materials on Earth. We also like that the felt pad on top of the laptop stand is made entirely from recycled bottles. As with all FluidStance products, the Lift is made in California and is assembled and distributed in the USA.
In addition to using the Lift on my desk to raise my laptop closer to eye level, I also like using it in the kitchen when I’m following a recipe. Having my laptop raised makes it easier to glance at the screen every time I forget an ingredient, which is often, and I like not having to worry about any water or food spilling on my laptop.
What We Liked About the Lift
In our testing, the Lift is durable, stable and can be used in an office setting, a workshop, the kitchen or even in the bathroom while you’re streaming a movie from the tub (don’t knock it till you try it). The Lift is made to be as environmentally friendly as possible and we like that it works both with traditional folding laptops and Microsoft Surface laptops. Bringing a laptop closer to eye level and holding it on a diagonal is more conducive to an ergonomically friendly setup and is a great option whether you are using your laptop as a second screen or as your primary screen, with the stand leaving lots of room for a full-sized keyboard.
Combined with a standing desk, the Lift is an ergonomic home office hack that can spare your back, neck and wrists from unnecessary strain.
What Needs Work
The Lift is made to be raised and tilted at an optimal level for correct ergonomics, but depending on your height, you may want to be able to slightly adjust the stand. The weight of the stand and its closed bottom also means that it is not a viable option for people who want to be able to sit on their couch or bed and work on their computer. Because of the steel frame, this laptop stand weighs about five pounds, which is on the heavy side.
We also wish the Lift was a little cheaper. If the price is giving you pause, then we would definitely recommend checking out the Slope desk whiteboard from FluidStance instead.
The Verdict: A Nearly Perfect Laptop Stand
Even with the caveats we mentioned above, we would still highly recommend the Lift. Laptops are a huge investment and paying a little bit more for a stand that holds your computer in place and has a heavy-duty base is money well spent. We like being able to jot down notes and reminders on the whiteboard, which has saved our desk from turning into a dumping space for piles of tiny pieces of paper over the last few weeks. One accidental coffee spill at our desk was a minor inconvenience instead of a bona fide disaster thanks to the easy wipe-down surface of the Lift, which performed its job of lifting our laptop high above the spill.