One of the first reviews that I wrote for DragonSteelMods was for a laptop desk from LapWorks. Today, I return to my roots to look at two new laptop desk/thermal mat solutions.
The first is from the folks at Thermaltake, who are known for their various PC cases, components and desktop accessories. They have a released the uniquely named iXoft, which is a thermal mat, that is light weight, portable and fits laptops from twelve to seventeen inches.
The other product I will be looking at today is the equally uniquely named Lapinator Plus from a company aptly named – Lapinator. Now this sounds like a laptop desk worthy of a certain governor from California. The Lapinator Plus provides eighteen inches of work space and is designed to be comfortable as well as cooling. Weighing in at 15 ounces, it is certainly one of the lightest laptop desk solutions available.
Lets see how these two products stack up and how well they keep a laptop cool and comfortable. Lets get started.
Thermaltake iXoft / Lapinator Plus Comparison Review
Reviewed by: Tomas Ratas
Sponsor: Thermaltake / Lapinator
Tech Specs,Features or the Basic Info:
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Features:
– Revolutionary Fanless Design for absolute silence 0dBA.
– Exclusive HeatShift Technology for ultimate laptop cooling
– Ultra light weight for easy transportation and carrying(only 640g)
– iXoft can be used as thermal mat on laps for better comfort
– Application for all types of PC Notebook (12"~17")
– Does not require power so PC Notebook lasts longer!
– Versatile: Can be used on lap, or desk.
Specifications:
P/N:
Black: R15ON01
White: R15ON02
Weight: 640g
Dimension: 353x305x12mm
Material: Sodium Sulfate Decahydrate Na2SO4.10H2O
Noise Level: 0 dBA
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Features:
-Thinsulate blocks 95% of laptop Heat!
– 18 inches of workspace
– Only 15 ounces (18 x 12 x 1 inches)
– Keeps your Laptop cooler
– Comfortable and Stable
– Ergonomic – helps prevent CTS
– Great for those 17" notebooks
-18 x 12 x 1 inches
Specifications:
Weight: 11 ounces / 15 ounces
Dimensions: 13 x 12 x 1 inches / 18 x 12 x 1 inches
Color: All black
Style: Rigid platform, flexible edges, compressible legs
Thinsulate Ultra Insulation
The Lapinator Plus uses 3M’s Type B Thinsulate insulation as the main barrier to the heat generated by laptop computers. The Lapinator Plus employs Type B Thinsulate, typically used in footwear, which is pre-compressed and will never lose its ability to block the heat. The cross-linked molded foam bottom also acts as an insulator.
Heat Dissipation
When a laptop runs on a desk, the wood or metal surface acts as a "heat sink." This is never more evident than when using your laptop in your lap. It doesn’t take long to realize that your legs also act as a heat sink. This heat conductivity creates a "hot spot" right under your laptop that makes it much more difficult for your laptop’s cooling system to work efficiently.
The Lapinator Plus’s surface and core plastic layers are not heat conductors. This means that laptop heat dissipates. Your laptop is not sitting on a "hot spot" so it’s cooling system works much more efficiently. Almost all of our competing products claim that resting your laptop on heat conductive materials is a good thing! It isn’t.
Ventilation
The Lapinator Plus provides two levels of ventilation. First, in addition to the insulation, the Lapinator Plus delivers more airspace between it and your laptop than any other "in your lap" product. That space is created by two 3M self-adhesive bumpers that lift the back of your laptop 1/2 an inch off the Lapinator Plus’s surface. The combination of the non-conducting plastics and added air space maximizes heat dissipation.
The second level of ventilation is provided by the Lapinator Plus’s offset "legs" that lift the insulation up and off of your lap. This space created between your lap and the Lapinator Plus permits body heat to dissipate keeping your lap extra cool!
The Surface
The Lapinator Plus’s durable polyethylene top provides a non-skid surface that still allows for easy laptop position changes during use. For those laptops without their own rubber feet (older Compaqs), or if an extra measure of stability is desired, please use the self-adhesive bumpers which prevent any movement. Though the Lapinator Plus’s surface may distort a little bit during use as it dissipates the heat, its melting point is well over 200 degrees.
The Bottom
Another problem that frequently occurs during "in your lap" laptop use is the tendency for the unit to slide towards your body. This slippage results in a rather uncomfortable typing position. The bottom of the Lapinator Plus consists of a flame-laminated colorfast pique cloth that will neither slide on nor snag your clothing. Its also comfortable when wearing shorts.
The laptop/Lapinator Plus combination easily slides across a desk or table when the need for space arises. Our customers pointed out that during a phone call or meeting they no longer had to stand, lift, and move their laptops.
For quick and portable storage the Lapinator Plus’s legs compress, allowing the Lapinator Plus to easily slip into the outside pocket of your laptop bag. However, when weight is distributed across the Lapinator Plus during use, the legs will not compress.
Velcro
Each Lapinator Plus employs a 4 inch strip of One Wrap Velcro in the center of the back of the unit. This strip will neatly and securely contain the power, modem and network cords often attached to your laptop at home or in the office. Through the stress of normal use, laptop power connectors and cables can contribute to failure of the receptacle or be damaged themselves. The Velcro strip secures your cables and prevents this stress.
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A Better Look at Things
(iXoft)}
A Better Look at Things
(iXoft):
The Thermaltake iXoft arrives in a plastic clamshell package. There is a cardboard sleeve which covers half of the iXoft mat. On this sleeve, one will find a list of features and a picture of a laptop on the iXoft. Through the clamshell package, one can see the actual mat which is predominantly black with a red border.
Flipping over the package shows the thermal specifications and the composition of the iXoft as displayed on the back of the cardboard sleeve.
Once the iXoft is extracted from the plastic clamshell, one will find the mat and cardboard sleeve. Did I mention how much I hate the hermetically sealed plastic clamshell packaging? They are a pain to open and invariably half the time; you get cut on a sharp plastic edge.
The front of the iXoft has a textured surface with elevated areas and dimples. The appearance looks like a bulletproof vest. In the top left corner, there is a red and white iXoft logo and the middle bottom features the Thermaltake logo, name and the motto: COOLall YOUR LIFE. There is a red cloth border surrounding the black material.
The back surface is a black corduroy cloth material and is flat. The mat weighs in at 640 grams. The texture of the iXoft can be described as a firm bean bag feel. According to the back sleeve information, the mat looks like it transitions between solid and liquid states with changes in temperature. When first taken out, the mat crackles when you bend it because it is in a solid state.
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A Better Look at Things
(Lapinator Plus)}
A Better Look at Things
(Lapinator Plus):
The Lapinator Plus arrives in a clear plastic bag. Found in the bag is the Lapinator Plus, three rubber bumpers and the instructions. Since the Lapinator Plus is rigid, there is very little chance of it getting damaged in transit.
Noticeably bigger than the iXoft, the Lapinator Plus has a smooth matte black plastic surface composed of polyethylene. The surface is bordered by a black cloth material.
On the bottom, in the center of the mat, a sticker with the Lapinator Plus logo and motto Terminate the heat work and play in comfort. Wow, they sure have a fondness for Cyberdyne. Even the logo emulates the Terminator font.
The bottom surface features two legs which resemble keyboard wrist rests in length and shape. These standoffs are composed of cell foam and are compressible during travel for easier storage.
The covering material is composed of Thinsulate which is the material well known for its use in winter clothing. There is even a Thinsulate cloth tag on one of the sides to remind everyone that it is there. The rear of the Lapinator Plus has a Velcro strap to secure any network, power or other cables that may be dangling off the laptop.
The three rubber bumpers come in black and match the aesthetic of the Lapinator Pluss surface. These bumpers are included to prevent unnecessary movement of the laptop on the mats surface.
Installation, Testing and Comparison
Set up for the iXoft is non existent. Just place the iXoft on either your lap or a flat surface and then rest your laptop on it.
The Lapinator Plus has the option of attaching the rubber bumpers to keep the laptop from sliding off the surface off the mat. Just peel of the backing from the bumpers and line them up towards the rear of the Lapinator Plus. Now, one can use the Lapinator Plus on either a smooth surface or on ones lap.
For testing, I used my MacBook Pro in both OS X Leopard and Windows XP. To measure temps, I used the JetArt ThermoEye DT2000 to measure the temps at the back edge of the MacBook Pro, just before the hinge of the screen. During the Windows XP testing, I ran Orthos Beta to stress both cores and used Speed Fan to record the temps of the cores. Since Speedfan did not measure any other temps, the cores and the hard drive were the only temps detected by Speedfan.
During the Leopard testing, I ran Parallels, Mail, Firefox and two Quicktime Movies to stress the system and just the Mail app and Firefox to get idle temps.
To get load on Windows XP I ran Orthos Beta, and to get idle temps I let the system sit for 30 minutes just running normal Windows services and anti-virus.
During testing ambient temperature was 22.2C
There are several factors in evaluating a laptop desk size, portability, comfort and temperature reduction.
As seen from the graph, the iXoft has performed the best in terms of decreasing the operating temperature of the MacBook Pro. Both of these products make working with a hot laptop on ones lap more comfortable.
However, that is not the only criteria to judge these two products by. The Lapinator Plus provides a much better work surface as is more comfortable to work on. The standoffs make the Lapinator Plus the more comfortable of the two products when used on a lap.
The Lapinator Plus even has room for a mouse, if one uses a non widescreen 15 inch or smaller laptop. Unfortunately, the MacBook Pros width leaves only as four inch wide strip of the side if the laptop is flush all the way to the other edge of the laptop cooler. This does not allow the full range of motion of any mouse.
For transport, the iXoft can be folded and rolled up, making it the easier one to carry around. When heated, the hottest parts of the iXoft lose their crackly texture and it becomes much softer and more flexible.
Also, the iXoft is heavier than expected. I would not call it ultra light weight as described on the packaging.
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One caveat is, despite having rubber stand offs on the Lapinator Plus, both that one and the iXoft will allow your laptop to slide off if you keep the laptop cooler at an angle. So if you like to lay in bed and have your laptop sitting on your knees at an angle, these solutions may not work for you.
Both of these products use passive solutions to help keep even the hottest laptops cool and comfortable. They both do their jobs very well.
Summary:
Both these products have a primary goal and secondary goal. The main target is to protect the users lap from the heat build up of newer and hotter laptops and both these products perform that job admirably. The secondary goal is to lower the working temperature of the laptop to help increase its lifespan. While both of these products claim to lower operating temps, in our testing we only saw the iXoft have a noticeable drop in operating temps
Both are excellent products that we at DragonSteelMods would gladly recommend.
DragonSteelMods gives the iXoft a 4.5 out of 5 score
and the Lapinator Plus a 4 out of 5 score
Pros:
iXoft
-Portable
-Works well as a passive cooler
-Soft and durable
Lapinator Plus
-Large work surface
-Thinsulate material
-Soft, padded standoff legs
-Comfortable
Cons:
-Slippery surface
-Heavier than expected.
-Slick surface
-Too large for easy storage and travel
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I would like to thank Thermaltake and Lapinator for the chance to review the iXoft and the Lapinator Plus and for their continued support of DSM.
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