If you have a desktop replacement laptop, you will know that they definitely get very hot. So hot that they have even been known to induce burns when they come in contact with skin. So hot that even Apple recommends not to use your MacBook on your lap.
Laptop coolers have been on the market for quite a while to help with this, however most of them want you to use a USB port for power and reducing your battery life. The new ThermaPAK HeatShift Laptop Cooler is designed to take the heat away from your laptop and keep it away from your lap, turning your laptop back into a laptop.
When I first took the ThermaPAK out of the packaging, the pad was a little rigid and somewhat flexible. The material it is made of is designed to dissipate the heat and keep it away from you. In fact, when I touched the pad with my hand, it actually felt cooler than the room environment, and this is only with my hands temperature.
After having your laptop on top of the pad for a while, if you feel the pad underneath the laptop you will see that the material inside the pad actually liquefies with the heat of your laptop. This simple pad worked as well as a powered laptop cooler at keeping my laptop cool plus is a lot more convenient for using on your lap!
If you turn your laptop off, you can then roll the pad up and stuff it in your bag. That is something you just can’t do with most laptop coolers, which means you can take this one with you.
I use the ThermaPAK every day with my Lenovo laptop, as it is the hottest laptop I have ever owned. Without the ThermaPAK, my Lenovo is just uncomfortable to use on my lap except for very short periods. With the ThermaPAK pad between the laptop and my legs, the laptop is now a laptop again.
The ThermaPAK HeatShift Laptop Cooler is available in 13, 15 or 17 inch laptop sizes. They also have MacBook specific sizes too. The price ranges from $27.99 for the 13 inch pads to $34.99 for the 17 inch size. I was sent the 17 inch as a sample, and it is currently $31.59 on Amazon.com. If Amazon, doesn’t have them in stock, you can purchase them direct from ThermaPAK via their website.
I was provided a sample from ThermaPak and I was able to keep the sample.
What I liked: Kept the laptop and me cool.
What needs improvement: I’d like it if it were a bit more flexible when it’s cold. It’s much easier to roll up after you’ve been using it for a while.