The Lowdown
A well made and attractive stand based on the look of the Crane models. It’s very easy to assemble – it literally takes a few seconds, and once assembled, it’s extremely safe and sturdy, if not – as noted in the review – 100% rigid. If you’re looking for a stand that’s reliable, easy to transport, well made and that can raise your laptop of performance controller quite high – especially in crowded DJ booths – you should definitely add the Reloop Laptop Stage to your shortlist.
Video Review
First Impressions / Setting up
The Reloop Laptop Stage comes in a thin canvas-effect nylon drawstring bag. It folds up small although it’s heavier and wider than some other stands. That is due to the thick, strong black painted metal tubing used in its construction. This – along with the rubber rings used the sturdy the feet at the back of the base and laptop platform – gives it the definite feel of one of the laptop stands made by the company Crane.
Reloop’s branding is evident though, in a subtle engraving of the Reloop name on the lip at the front that stops your laptop toppling off of the stand, and in a rather smart cutout of the Reloop logo on the top plate, which also means the stand weights less than it otherwise would have done. As well as the rubber rings, it also has sturdy rubber end sheaths on the two base feet, and adhesive-backed foam pads on the front of the platform and the inside of the laptop-securing lip. We thought this foam could have been a bit more generously applied.
To assemble the stand is a job that takes a few seconds. On each of the two joints, there is a sprung lock knob. You grab this with both hands and pull it against the spring, which releases the internal lock. You then just move the feet/bar until the lock clicks into the open position. This locks the parts together in both directions – ie the vertical bar can’t move forward or back, and the platform can’t move up or down.
It’s a “fixed” stand – there is no vertical or incline adjustment possible. It’s quite a tall unit when assembled. Because the feet, riser and top plate are locked by the internal mechanism, it’s also very sturdy, but there is nonetheless some “give” in both joints; it’s not 100% rigid. The heavier the gear you put on it, though, the less you notice this.
There is some “bend” in the Reloop Laptop Stage anyway, irrespective of the way the sections join together; it’s something you don’t notice when using it with a laptop, but if you were using it to put, say, a pad controller into a convenient position in a DJ booth, you’d definitely get some wobble. This is exactly how it is with all such designs, even the most expensive, and is simply because of the “sideways U” design.
Conclusion
This is a nice stand. It’s well made, attractive, sturdy, and has some deft design touches. It’s undeniably based on the look of the Crane models, but that’s not a bad thing, and the Reloop cutout logo at least gives it a bit of personality of its own.
A definite plus point is how easy it is to assemble – it literally takes a few seconds, and once assembled, it’s extremely safe and sturdy, if not – as noted in the review – 100% rigid. Despite not being the lightest or smallest stand out there, it does fold up to a practical size for transporting and should tuck alongside your laptop in your gig bag with no issues.
If you’re looking for a stand that’s reliable, easy to transport, well made and that can raise your laptop of performance controller quite high – especially in crowded DJ booths – you should definitely add the Reloop Laptop Stage to your shortlist.
