LapLogic Aerogel Extreme – Keepin’ It Cool

Gear Diary is independently owned and operated. We receive compensation through advertising and from the companies whose products we review, usually in the form of the reviewed product. We test the products supplied to us, and the opinions expressed are our own.

Gear Diary is also reader-supported. When you buy through links posted on our site, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. You can learn more by clicking here.

If you have a laptop built in the last couple of years, then odds are good that you’ve experienced the heat, maybe even the burn, of having the laptop sit on your lap. Many of the newest laptops get extremely hot, even with internal fans trying to keep the heat down.  LapLogic is offering a cooling solution called the Laplogic Aerogel Extreme that is made with Aerogel (from a company called Aspen) that promises to offer you a more pleasant, cooler, computing experience.

I’ve been using the Aerogel Extreme (and the Extreme Wide) with my Macbook and my Macbook Pro for a couple of weeks now and I have to say they do seem to run a bit cooler.  Part of it may be because of the Aerogel material (which has won a bunch of awards), but part of it is certainly because the pads have ridges that the laptop sits on, allowing air to pass under and around the laptop.  the thing I like, though is that the material is kind of a soft rubbery surface which keeps the laptop from slipping while on the pad.  It’s a bit like the woven rubbery material you can buy for lining shelves and drawers.  Additionally, the pad it pretty thin, but semi-rigid, making it pretty light and easy to take with you.

The regular Aerogel Extreme pad easily held my 13″ Macbook, and, although it went a tiny bit past the edge (I’d like it to be just a bit wider), it still worked reasonably well with my 17″ MB Pro.  The larger Aerogel Extreme Wide, was more than adequate for use with the MB Pro, but there wasn’t a lot of room left if you wanted to operate a mouse at the same time and the cooling part only covers about 1/2 to 2/3 of the actual 17″ laptop.  With the 13″ Macbook or any 15″ or smaller laptop, you should have room to hold the laptop and operate a mouse on the side pad, but the cooling area still doesn’t cover the entire bottom of the latop.

On the flipside of each of the pads are holding areas for CDs or whatever other thin item you may need.  Personally, I haven’t used this feature since I don’t want to have to remove or hang on to the laptop just to flip the pad over and obtain my items, but if you were working outside or had limited carrying room, I can see that this might be a useful feature for you.

The Laplogic Aerogel Extreme comes in 2 color combinations:  Black (dark grey) on top of a shiny blue, and Black (dark grey) over a shiny gold (which looked a little more like silver to me).  The Aerogel Extreme is available from Laplogic for $69.95, and the Aerogel Extreme Wide is available for $79.95.

I really like the Aerogel Extreme.  It’s a bit on the expensive side, but it has worked very well for me – I use it everyday and I haven’t seen red marks on my legs since I started using it!

MSRP: $69.95 (Aerogel Extreme) and $79.95 (Aerogel Extreme Wide)
What I Liked: Thin, light, rubbery surface keeps laptop from sliding all over
What Needs Improvement: Expensive; I’d like the Aerogel Extreme (and the cooling area of the Wide) to be about 1/2″ or 1″ wider.

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks for your support!

About the Author

Christopher Gavula
Chris has been a COBOL programmer, a desktop support technician, network engineer, telecommunications manager, and even a professional musician. Currently, he is focused on deploying Voice over IP technologies in a large, corporate setting. He started working full-time at the tender age of 14, even before there were PCs, and will probably be working and trying to finish “just one more project” as he’s lowered into the grave.