Selecting a lap desk
for your laptop computer

A lap desk is a replacement for the bulky desks and comes in handy when you keep moving from place to place or prefer to work even while traveling. But not just any randomly selected laptop desk will cater to your needs properly.

So, how do you select your laptop desk ?

Here we will help you understand the factors that should be considered while choosing the laptop computer desk.

Lap Desk Materials

Lap desks are designed for portability and thus should be light weight. They should be tough and resistant to impact loading which is caused when the desk falls from a certain height to the ground.

Thus most laptop desks are made of polycarbonate material which is light weight, tough and impact resistant in nature.

The surface of the laptop computer desk is made of a soft non-skid rubber that provides the friction needed to prevent the laptop from slipping over the lap desk surface. The rubber is usually UV inhibited and does not delaminate easily.

There are a lot many factors you must consider while choosing the desk for your laptop. We enlist a few deciding factors below which might be helpful in your search for that perfect work surface.

Ergonomic Design

The first and foremost criterion of a good lap desk is that it should be ergonomically designed. There are a number of degrees of freedom available which allow you to position your work surface in an angle that is best suited to you. More the number of angles in which the work surface can be set the better is the lap desk for you. That way you have lot many choices when it comes to positioning your laptop on the desk.

So, go for a design which offers you the maximum number of angles in which the work surface can be positioned.

Ventilation

Laptop generates a lot of heat while processing. When you place the laptop directly on your lap the heat generated is received by the lap causing inconvenience. This can be countered by having a lap desk with good ventilation arrangements. The insulating material prevents heat from reaching your lap. Moreover some laptop desks come with stands that provide air gap for the heat to dissipate to the surrounding atmosphere. This improves the cooling effect and minimizes the chances of hot legs .

Gripping

Good gripping capabilities are a must for laptop computer lap desks. They have elastomers for this purpose.

Select a model that has quality grips on both top and bottom surfaces. Gripping on top surface prevents sliding of the laptop on the laptop desk and the bottom grip prevents sliding of the desk on your lap or clothes etc. Check out for high melting elastomers as they are more resistant to heat and thus have a better life span.

Surface Area

A greater surface area is an advantage to you. This allows for faster cooling and extra space to support the use of accessories like mouse etc.

Cord Management

Check out for a proper cord management arrangement in place in the laptop desk. It should securely hold the power, modem and networking cords in place. Some manufacturers now a days use a Velcro strap for securing the cords.

Weight

Weight is an important concern with laptop desks.

If you are a frequent traveler like me You will never like that extra load. But don’t worry, lap desks weighing less than 15oz are available. However you need to select wisely depending on the laptop size and weight...but natural that your heavy duty rugged machine will need a little heavier desk than needed by the under 5lb instruments.

Portability

Choose a portable model that you can easily fold into your bag and carry without much trouble. Most of the models you’ll find in the market are portable.

Shape and colour

Select a desk that is an extension of your laptop. For example certain models of desks may not suit 17" laptops. Technical details apart choose one lap desk that closely resembles your machine in shape and size. Select a color to complement the laptop.