Yet another "adequate" product from Fellowes
Written: Mar 10 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Many configurations. Quick and easy to adjust. Reasonable price.
Cons: Somewhat small. A tad flimsy. You'll need to drill holes in your desk.
The Bottom Line: I guess those $200-$400 keyboard managers probably cure the problems found in this $85 dollar keyboard manager.
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| trohricht's Full Review: Fellowes Fully Adjustable Keyboard Manager (93841)... |
Fellowes desk accessories have a way of multiplying in the workspace. It all starts with a simple wrist rest, and before you know it you've got monitor risers, printer stands, swing arms, paper trays ... in fact I now have enough Fellowes products littering my office that I'm actually pretty confident I know what I'll get when I buy something new with the Fellowes name attached; it will be perfectly adequate. Not great, not poor, always adequate.
What's in the box
The keyboard platform itself is made of plywood with some kind of hard grey laminate coating. There is a small mouse platform in the same material that can be attached to either the left or the right side of the primary platform. This entire assembly attaches to the desk mounting bracket via an adjustable solid metal bracket, and the bracket slots into a set of rails that screw to the underside of an existing desk. The whole assembly and mounting operation took a couple hours, but could probably be done much quicker - I just felt like taking my time. Instructions are clear and complete, and all required parts and screws were included.
Using the keyboard manager
I purchased this device to cure a small ergonomic problem with my workstation. My keyboard (and hence my elbows and shoulders) was just a tad too high sitting directly on the desk, and an underdesk tray seemed like a perfect solution. I also liked the idea that a keyboard tray, when pulled out toward my chair, would force me to sit just a little further away from that big radiation-spewing 21" trinitron monitor. Well so far so good - my ergonomic fixes seem to have worked.
The keyboard now sits on its little platform about 3" below the desk. I am able to pull in and out freely, as well as swivel side to side. This is absolutely fantastic for anybody using a dual-screen workstation because you can pivot the keyboard and roll your chair sideways if you find yourself working with data on the secondary monitor for a few minutes. A simple knob adjustment allows the platform to adjust for height and tilt. This knob holds the setting firmly once it's locked in place.
The size of the platform should be more than adequate for most users ... but unfortunately I am not most users. In my ongoing quest for ergonomic perfection, I have set up my workstation to use two mice (well, trackballs actually) and a keyboard with a scroll wheel. I won't get into specifics here, but I like to work this way and so it's important that my furniture fit this workflow. Well, my setup will just barely fit on this tray. If things slide around even a bit I end up with things (usually the left trackball) on the floor, but I've found that a few pieces of that rubber anti-slip matting from the dollar store worked wonders.
As mentioned above, the mouse platform is a separate item that attaches to either the left or right side of the tray. I attached it to the right, but found that it's too low for my liking. Fellowes includes a tall (1"-2") plastic offset washer with the kit which deliberately sets the mouse down low. It's pretty simple to use your own hardware to change this if you prefer.
Tilt anyone?
My biggest beef with this keyboard manager? Well, once I got my (admittedly unusual) input devices all set up, there is more weight on the right side than the left. Now everything tilts. It's not much, but it's noticeable. The attachment bracket is pretty sturdy in the sense that I don't think it's going to physically fail ... but it allows too much flex when weight is applied. If I rest my hand heavily on either end of the apparatus, it will deflect downward by an inch or more.
So once again, Fellowes has created a perfectly adequate product that just seems a bit cheap and flimsy in daily operation. It's nothing that will make me run out and replace the unit with another brand, and as I said above it is working, and working well, as the ergonomic fix I had envisioned.
It's a Fellowes. What more is there to say?
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 85
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Epinions.com ID:
trohricht
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Member: Thomas Rohricht
Reviews written: 26
Trusted by: 6 members
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