Working on a laptop in locations without an ergonomic setup can be a serious pain in the neck. I mean that in the literal sense. People frequently work on laptops hunched over desks at work or from home in locations that span the home office desk, to the kitchen table, to the couch or even the bed. The problem that a few hours of responding to your email hunched over the laptop on a desk or table of the wrong height or from the couch can lead to a few hours of pain from working in positions that seem comfortable until you suddenly realize what you have done to your back and neck.
The LapDawg X4 is a potential solution that works well but has a few caveats. Let us start with the good parts. The LapDawg X4 has a large and solidly constructed metal tray attached to two legs with three joints on each leg that can rotate 360 degrees and lock in at 7.5-degree increments. You make adjustments to the legs by pushing in a button in the joint and selecting the angle of the joint. The fine-grained control gives you a many potential combinations to position the LapDawg to fit your current setting. The aluminum tray has ridges along the back and a rubber wrist guard along the bottom so you do not need to worry about your laptop slipping off. The LapDawg X4 works well as an ergonomic stand for your desk, as a lap desk for a chair, couch, or bed, or as a freestanding small table.
The biggest potential problem with the LapDawg X4 is that while the tray is very solidly constructed, the legs can feel somewhat shaky depending on the configuration and it is not hard to put the LapDawg X4 in a position that may be unstable for a laptop and allow it to flip backwards. The large size makes that it can hold even the most stately of laptops up to about 25 pounds of weight, this also means that it is 23” inches wide you need a substantial amount of space to accommodate the desk so measure your favorite narrow couch or chair first. The LapDawg X4 weighs a bit over 5 pounds itself so don’t plan on tossing into a bag and taking it to the café with you. None of these aspects may be a problem depending on your use.
The LapDawg X4 instruction sheet helpfully lists a number of common leg positions for the LapDawg, although there are many other possible options. I found the configuration I preferred the most was not one of those listed.
Overall, I would recommend the LapDawg X4 as an ergonomic desk stand or a lap desk that can accommodate many possible configurations. With a little practice in adjusting the legs, it is easy to find a configuration that is highly customized for your favorite working position, but you may want to pay attention the first few times to make sure it is stable. The LapDawg X4 costs $89 and comes with a lifetime guarantee.