This monitor stand aims too high
27.11.2020
Translation: machine translated
My home office is my castle. Or it's increasingly becoming one. While searching for optimisations for my home office, I came across a smart monitor extension.
Home office can be a real back killer. You sit at your laptop for hours on end, missing out on breaks to meet your colleagues for a coffee. Your exercise time is getting less and less. It's no wonder that your back first becomes crooked and then aches. That's why I'm always on the lookout for ways to make my workstation as ergonomic as possible.
Ideally, your monitor should be positioned so that the top edge of the screen and your eyes are connected by an imaginary horizontal line. Depending on who I ask, there are also recommendations where the monitor is placed up to a hand's width lower.
Source: istockphoto.com / Maanas
What works best for you will become clear after a few hours of working in this position. How do you adjust your monitor to the right height? There are basically three options:
Monitors with height adjustment: We have a number of these in our range. However, you will have to pay more for this convenience.
Monitor mount: If you not only want to adjust the height of your monitor, but also swivel and rotate it, you will also find monitors that can do this. More flexible and also cheaper are monitor arms, which are mounted to the desk top using a screw clamp. If you prefer, you can also find models that are screwed to walls and ceilings. And a few also come with a stand that you can place on your desk.
Monitor stands: Don't want to buy a new monitor just because of the lack of height adjustment? Or do mounts remind you too much of real-time stock exchange traders or control centres in nuclear power plants? Then you might be better off with a monitor stand. These are available in glass, metal or wood and even with drawers.
Our category team provided me with the Smartstyle Blanco monitor stand including USB port from manufacturer Sigel as an unofficial "home office consultant". I've been using it for a few days.
What can it do, what does it do? Quite simply, it raises your monitor by eight centimetres within three seconds. What supposedly makes the Sigel monitor "smart" are two USB ports on the side. You can connect a smartphone charging cable to them. Or your selfie light. Or a small fan in summer. Or anything that draws its charging current from USB. But it's not a USB hub that you can connect to your computer.
If your smartphone can be charged wirelessly, you should be pleased with the Qi port. It is located at the back right - a little impractical because you have to place your mobile in a place where you can no longer see it properly. You might not even see it at some point, but only hear it when it hits the ground. This is because your phone is already very close to the smooth edge that invites a fall.
Not really "smart". USB ports are now standard and can even be found on power strips from the DIY store. And a Qi port is not in itself a clever little thing that makes your life significantly better.
Plastic, but still neatly finished
A few words about the design. Ultimately, it's a matter of taste. I like the wood-metal look. Even though it's not real wood or real metal, but plastic, the monitor stand looks good on its own. I find it more problematic that the "metal" colour of the stand of my 27-inch Dell is darker than that of the Sigel part. And the imitation wood only partially harmonises with the veneer of my Ikea desk. I'm quite fussy about that.
The finish is less a question of taste. Here, user pschneiter4 made a harsh judgement.
Quality leaves a lot to be desired. Very poor workmanship. Price-performance ratio is not right in my eyes.
For me, the plastic part is not a killer criterion My copy is cleanly finished. The edges are smooth and the transition from wood to plastic is clean. The plug for the power cable also sits securely in the socket. One criticism is that the monitor stand is not particularly stable due to its low weight of just over one kilogramme. It is supposed to be able to support a weight of 5 kilograms. My Dell is just under 4 kilograms, but even a 32-inch device would exceed the limit. The monitor stand also lacks rubberised feet for more stability. I always have the feeling that it could slide off the table along with the monitor if I push against it too hard.
If you plan to store your keyboard under the monitor stand after work, you can easily do this with an Apple Magic Keyboard or a Surface keyboard from Microsoft. Anything narrow and flat can be stored under the monitor stand. Keyboards that are wider than 45 centimetres must stay outside. Even those that are higher than five centimetres.
Conclusion: Not quite thought through to the end
After a few days, I took the monitor stand down again. On the one hand, because my monitor is already height-adjustable. Secondly, because the slight differences in the metal colours of the monitor and Sigel stand bothered me. And I didn't keep it because I don't see the added value of the Qi charging station and the two USB ports. I might as well put a multifunctional charging station on my desk.
Sigel is a brand that has some very stylish office utensils in its range. For example, we really like the world map magnetic board. Unfortunately, look and feel don't go hand in hand with Smartstyle Blanco. Beautiful magnetic boards, calendars, notebooks and desk mats do not guarantee useful monitor stands. The design and basic idea for the item are convincing, but it is not particularly practical. Sigel could have thought of rubberised feet. And also the fact that the Qi charger should be orientated more towards the person at the desk. Sigel was somehow aiming too high with the Smartstyle Blanco.
Martin Jungfer
Head of Content
Martin.Jungfer@digitecgalaxus.chJournalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment.
