IKEA's Dave In Action

Ah, The Memories

When I was a kid, I would look forward to Fall. Not because school was starting (that always sucked), or the leaves changing color, but the arrival of the Sears Wish Book Toy Catalog. This catalog was as thick as a phone book and had every toy that you could and couldn’t imagine. Plus all that other stuff a kid got for Christmas but never wanted like underwear, socks and pajamas.  I loved that catalog! It was a kid’s dream come true. I had to fight (more like scream) at my brothers and sister to look at the catalog. But, when I got it, I was as close to nirvana as a kid could get.

Sears no longer prints the catalog, but they do offer a lame online version. Now, there are very few catalogs that have achieved the rank of the Sears Wish Book, like Hammacher Schlemmer, Brookstone, Sharp and pretty much any high-tech gadget catalog. I thought the era of the glitzy, drool inducing, glossy photo-filled tree killers was dead. At least I thought it was …

A New Era

It arrived in the mail with it’s glossy pages filled with pictures of rooms beautifully decorated with the most exquisitely designed flat-packed Swedish furniture that could certainly only be found in the classiest and most upscale of homes, but affordable enough for everyone. The 2010 IKEA catalog had arrived! I turn each page practically drooling at the furniture and perfect displays. I’m transported to my childhood as I thumb through the Sears Wish Book, folding pages of things that I want, things that I just have to have. CURSE YOU IKEA!!!

Then I turn to page 272 and I can’t contain myself no longer. I am smitten, nay, I am in love. Yes, I admit it, I have fallen head over heels in love … with DAVE. Now, before you judge me, I should tell you that I’m in a loving committed relationship with my beautiful wife Maricris (whose efforts will make Rivyoohoo a global phenomenon) and besides,  DAVE is a laptop table.

Meet IKEA’s Dave

IKEA is a quirky company and that is probably part of it’s success. The fact that it makes quality products at affordable prices doesn’t hurt. IKEA’s product names are unusual, at least to American standards. Dave is probably the most “normal” name. Other names include: Signum, Gustav, Trivsam, Gnistra, Rofylld and Lillberg. This imparts a personality to its products which seems to fit.

For each product, IKEA lists the designer of the product. Dave’s designer is Karl Malmvall and his simple design for Dave works wonderfully. Dave has an adjustable height and a two-position tilt top. The surface is slightly textured and has a wide tear drop shape. This gives plenty of room for the widest of laptops and possibly a mouse. Dave comes in three colors: black, white and red. The best feature of Dave is it’s price. In the IKEA 2010 catalog, it’s list price is $17.99.

Like most of IKEA’s flat-packed furniture, Dave requires some assembly. The assembly was simple and straight-forward. I had the table built and in use within five minutes.

The height adjustment of Dave is adequate. With the table at the lowest height, I’m able to slide the table over my lap while I’m sitting on my couch. With the table at the highest height, I can almost use my laptop while I’m standing up. The height is infinitely adjustable. The tilt aspect of the table is quite useful. With the top tilted, my laptop’s keyboard is at a better angle for my wrists with my laptop’s screen at almost the proper height.

It would seem that with the top tilted, a latop would slide right off. But, it doesn’t, at least not immediately. Over the period of a few minutes, my laptop would slowly slide down to the edge. I’ve heard that MacBooks slide right off. It’s possible that they don’t have rubber feet on the bottom. If I’m going to be away from the table for more than a minute, I make sure that I set the table top flat. I think an adjustable bracket to keep the laptop from falling off the table would’ve made the design perfect.

Conclusion

I originally bought Dave for myself so I can use my laptop while I’m watching TV. As I’m writing this review, I’m in my office. Not because I do not like using Dave, but for the fact that my wife is now using, and also loves, Dave. Soon, we will have twin Dave’s – in black. We may eventually have a third, because our daughter has taken to using Dave while she’s sitting on the couch so she can draw, write or a place to put her snacks and drink.

If you’re in need of a well designed, highly functional and affordable laptop table, either for the office or the living room, IKEA’s Dave is an excellent choice.

Design: (4.5/5)
Functionality: (4.5/5)
Assembly: (5/5)
Price: (5/5)
Overall: (4.5/5)