Ameriwood Home Jacob Laptop Cart, Cherry

I've been using the Altra laptop cart for about a week. It was pretty easy to set up; Altra includes a small box-end wrench for holding the 2 sizes of nuts that ship with the item. You'll need to supply your own Phillips head screw driver, and you may want to use a more capable adjustable crescent wrench for comfort and added leverage.I found one problem with assembly. The end of the metal tube that allows the desktop to tilt has a threaded receptacle that is used for securing the tilt adjustment plate. The threaded sleeve is in a plastic bushing which was pushed too far into the tube, so the short bolt wouldn't reach it. Fortuately I was able to fix the problem by threading a longer bolt into the sleeve and pulling it forward. If I hadn't had a bolt of the correct diameter/thread spacing, I'd have needed to slip some kind of tool inside the threaded sleeve to pull it forward. The sleeve does move; it's meant to provide adjustable friction against the tilt adjustment plate. Just be aware that you may need to adjust its position inside the tube before you can attach the bolt. Overall assembly took about 40 minutes.The desk is easy to move around and the 5 wheeled base seems pretty stable. Certainly having 5 wheels is better than the 3 or 4 found on similar models. 2 of the casters have locks on them if you need to keep the cart from moving easily. I'm using it on a carpet so it doesn't move unless I want it to. The table surface is smooth and seems sturdy, though it's thinner than I expected. As some other reviewers have noted, typing on a keyboard may cause the desktop to oscillate. Since it uses a center pedestal and your computer is not likely to be centered over the post, that's probably unavoidable. That's not a real issue for me because I use a wireless keyboard on my lap for most of my input.I've mounted a clamp-style dual monitor stand ( Dual LCD Monitor Stand desk clamp holds up to 24" lcd monitors ) to the fixed (non tilting) section of the desk. I placed a 3/4 inch thick block of oak under the desktop both to provide additional thickness and as a way to distribute the clamping force. I have a single monitor mounted to the stand, a Sanyo 19" LCD TV/Monitor which is fairly heavy, and my laptop sits on the larger part of the desktop. I plan to swap out the TV for a pair of 24-inch Viewsonic LED monitors. My laptop will be used to drive the two monitors via a USB docking station from Targus ( Targus USB 3.0 Dual Video Docking Station, works with Dell XPS, HP Folio, Toshiba Portege, Asus Zenbook, Samsung Series 9 Ultrabooks and major PC brands (ACP70USZ) ). The laptop will still sit on the tilting side of the desk but it will be closed. This setup probably exceeds the intended use and loading for the desk, but I believe that by careful placement of the monitor mounting stand and balancing the weight distribution of the two monitors so that the center of mass is as close to the cart's center post, I'll be able to make it work. If it doesn't, I won't hold it against Alta. I expect the monitors and USB dock to arrive in a few days so I'll update this review after I've had a chance to use the new setup.UPDATE: 2013 14 July - I've been using the laptop cart with two 24-inch flat panel monitors for several months now. The cart and all of its hardware continue to function properly and without any problems. With the amount of weight the cart is supporting I have not extended its height at all, but working in a sitting position it is doing a great job. I also mounted a power strip/surge protector on the center post using hook and loop tape so that I can power the dual monitors, laptop and docking station/port replicator.

This review is for the Altra 9234096 Laptop Cart, Cherry on Black.I purchased this item a few months ago (March 1, 2013) and I was skeptical. I looked at several products similar to it and it was difficult to choose as the reviews were bad on almost everything I looked at, whether it was cheaper or more expensive than this product.The assembly was not difficult - I am by no means a "builder" and I was able to assemble it myself. I think it did take at least an hour or so do to and I was a little lost on one specific part, but then I realized the picture was showing the screws going under and not above and it made a lot more sense.Overall, this product has suited my needs. I move it back and forth only a few feet on hard wood. I believe it can hold more than the weight recommendation but I wouldn't guarantee it. I say this because my 14 lb cat enjoys laying on the mouse while I'm using my laptop and it has yet to crumble underneath the combined weight. He has also, much to my dislike, used it as a spring board to get into the window above me. It's holding up fine.I think it's pretty sturdy as far as typing, too. I mean it doesn't hold completely still but it doesn't wobble to the point that it is impossible or difficult to use. I use it on my bed and it rolls right under (I had to clean the junk out but after that it fits no problem). I enjoy the tilting function.I am, thus far, satisfied with this product. The only reason I'm not giving it a 5/5 is because the assembly instructions are not the greatest and anyone with a laptop larger than mine would have trouble fitting it on here, I think. I have a ThinkPad W530.UPDATE: I've owned this laptop cart for almost a year now and I would still recommend it to others. It is barely showing any wear from daily use, including moving it around my room. My cats still use it for climbing and jumping on and while it will rock slightly, its holding fine. I did get a new bed frame and I had to raise the cart to its highest setting height-wise and it is more wobbly than when I had it set lower, however unless you're a frantic typer who pounds the keyboard, it doesn't move enough to be bothersome to me.UPDATE 2: This laptop cart finally broke on 10/29/2016. So, it lasted me more than 3 years. My cats frequently slept on it, plus the weight of my laptop and it did start to bend over time until it finally did snap but I feel satisfied with 3 years of daily use for what I paid and I am ordering another.