Just opened the box. Super simple - just put the flat laptop shelf on top of the pole and tighten the various knobs and lever-locks.
I was concerned when I read E.Taylor's review "very sturdy, but only a few adjustable heights, and forget sticky pad". I thinks E. Taylor might want to look at the stand more closely. There are 2 lever locks that work on 2 tubes to adjust height and width of the legs. I did have to use a phillips head screw drive to slightly tighten those 2 locks to ensure their grip. And yes, there is a pin, but not for height adjustment rather the pin is there to limit any drop of the shelf to just a few inches. The lever locks (once tightened a bit) work great. Further the laptop
plate doesn't rotate easily IF the knobs and levers are tighten a bit.

As always, I thank E. Taylor and all the others that take the time to share their thoughts and experiences with purchases!

PS I bought 2 and am presently quite happy with them :)

I've been trying to fit in the top panel onto the stand and it doesn't seem to fit. The plastic gasket that is on the opening side of the tray seems to be too thick to fit this stand. This is really frustrating considering how simple a stand like this should work! Is anybody facing with this problem too?

This is a solid product - well built and good quality. The tripod legs can be adjusted to narrow or wide base, the adjustable rod has a pin for additional security, and the top shelf has one side with a half-inch lip and the other side with something more like a quarter inch (if you want to take off the four nuts and swap the top direction that might be better for angled use with a thin ultrabook). This would make a good music or conductor's stand also - would easily stand up to heavy weight and use. It is portable but heavier than I anticipated. The silicone pad is the super-sticky type (works well though) and has a horrid chemical smell that I hope will abate with use. Only real complaint is it came with the washers and hardware loose in the box and no assembly order given. True, it was not a big deal to figure out what works, but there were 5 washers and I would have liked to know what they recommended to do with them - I put one plastic one on each face of the rotating arc and the metal thicker one and other plastic ones on the side with the knob. Probably doesn't matter that much, but still annoying - and they could have at least put the hardware in a baggie or something so it wasn't just bouncing around the box - stuff could easily get lost that way. This is a solid better quality item than I expected it to be at the price - I look forward to using it for a good long time and would definitely recommend it unless you need something super light weight or small for travel - in which case check the weight and dimensions.

UPDATE - have had this about a week, and the chemical smell of the silicone pad persists. It's not too bad when something is on top of it (like the laptop) but if you are near it and it is not covered it is still sickening. This is probably true of all silicone pads -this is the first one I have used - but definitely a factor in how I choose to use it!

The bottom half is really solid. The top half is quite wobbly and my laptop leans to one side. I have to position myself and the laptop to keep it from angling.

I am looking for a stand that my teachers can use for either a laptop or iPad while teaching. Podiums are just too big. We got these small computer tables, but they are really flimsy.

I had high hopes for this stand, given the reviews, but I am not pleased. Maybe I got a lemon? The construction seems sturdy and the quality was good looking. It was easy to assemble (just two parts).

The reasons I don't care for this stand:
1. It is too wobbly
2. The clamps (see my attached pictures) don't really do much. The pole slides easily even when they are clamped.

The top clamp has an extra pin that I would assume is only for extra protection. When I take the pin out, the entire pole slides down under its own weight. The bottom clamp is the same. Neither hold the pole in place (even with nothing on it but the tray). If this is normal behavior, why even have the clamps?

As for the wobbliness, it is at the point where the top clamp is located. It wobbles side to side so much, I would never put anything on the tray that I wouldn't let fall to the ground.

So, I am hoping I just got a lemon. For the other happy reviews, I am surprised. I will be sending this one back and try to get it replaced. I'll update my review after that happens.