1.6.2016

Most wrist-rests seen and used until now, whether a stand-alone addition to a basic mouse pad or a keyboard as well as those built-in to many modern mouse pads, have comprised a thick foam or gel pad that is shaped or sculpted in some way. Most also allow lateral movement of the wrist, which is now not consideered ideal. They are generally temporarily fixed (by their own stiction) to the desktop and are not intended to move with your arm or wrist as it moves. That method is now considered to be less than ideal and more likely to cause RSI plus muscle strain and other short-term effects.This 'Kensington "SmartFit" Conform Wrist Rest' is a firm cradle that is shaped as a hollow arch on which that part of the arm just behind the wrist is intended to rest.It is not designed to stay in one position but uses very slippery gels in its base (similar to those used in most mice) to ensure that it can and will move with your arm. By allowing free movement and with minimal use of the wrist, the causes of strain and pain can be removed; movement is transferred to the elbow and shoulder. Additionally, it features inserts that can be interchanged to suit different users and to adjust height and working angle to best suit each user. Each section is differently coloured making it easier to identify from the included chart your personal 'setting; although there does not appear to be much logicality to use hand and finger length to guesstimate the width of the arm, it appears to work - the chart suggested 'blue' and it seemed comfortable. A broadly similar concept, although differently executed, is used on the companion 'SmartFit' mouse pad - you would not need to use both at the one time as the mat has its own wrist rest.There is no obvious difference in feel of the different gels and they all appear to be of similar thickness, depth and width, other than the depth of the forward projection that helps support the carpal tunnel area - it is thicker on the smaller ones. They use a peg/socket system to engage with the cradle but it is far easier to engage one side than the second, which seems always to be more fiddly. Removing one is far quicker and easier. In practice, the wrist rest removes the pain and strain that extended periods of mouse use can produce, and so delivers precisely what is promised.As best known, these two 'SmartFit' products are the first peripherals to feature this add-on/remove system of comfort adjustment although a few gaming mice allow adding or removing of small weights which modify that mouse's performance rather than its comfort. This will replace any existing mouse mat with built-in wrist-rest, making it redundant. A basic flat mouse mat would be the ideal companion (not including that from the companion SmartFit mouse pad which is thin and poorly sized and shaped).In principle, the 'SmartFit' wrist rest system can work but it may not work for all. It may not best suit children as their arms may be too small and the cradle too high or those with exceptionally large arms that it may fail to accommodate but there was no one available of either description to use as test subjects. There is the practical demand of it needing its own working space in addition to the working space your mouse also needs. On a cluttered desktop or one that needs to multi-task with work-related matters, there may not be the free space to support it. Consequently, it may be better suited to personal or family use at home rather than in the workplace.An innovatory concept that is worth assessing for personal needs but only if you have the space that it needs.. An oversized mouse mat, as sold by Razer and Logitech may be the ideal companion and working surface for your mouse and this rest.

4.6.2016

Kensington "SmartFit" Conform Wrist Rest=== OVERALL ===I've used various different wrist rest products and like this one a lot. Without the wrist rest, when using a mouse I tend to let my wrist slump down onto the desk and I'm using sideways movements of my wrist to move the mouse around, sometimes leaving my wrist at odd angles. This produce elevates the wrist a centimetre or so and holds the wrist straight, both of which help to maintain the natural angle of the wrist when using a mouse. The hard plastic wrist rest glides across a flat surface like a desk, maintaining a healthy wrist position, and the gel insert cushions the wrist (without it, your wrist would be resting on the hard plastic writst rest).So far so good.However, the problem I find with wrist rests of all varieties is that, as a touch typer with a good elevated wrist position which certainly wouldn't accommodate use of a wrist rest while typing, I'm constantly swapping in and out of the wrist rest. When I'm typing, my hands float above the keyboard with wrists elevated; each time I swap to using the mouse, I have to place my wrist down into the wrist rest. That takes a bit of getting used to though the wrist rest does stay put where you leave it so it's ready to go in front of the mouse as needed.In my view, wrist rests work best for people who're using a mouse a lot rather than those of us who swap between mouse and keyboard constantly.=== THINGS I LIKE ABOUT THIS PRODUCT ===* Suitable for left- and right-handed use* Glides across a flat shiny surface (such as a desk) with ease, meaning you can move the mouse around using finger, elbow and shoulder movements rather than twisting your wrist (which can over time lead to wrist problems)* Stays put where you leave it, making it easy to move back and forth between keyboard (when no wrist rest is needed) and mouse* Comes with gel pads for wrists of 4 different adult sizes - I use the blue gel insert* The gel inserts are easy to insert using a projection which is inserted at a slot at each side. There's a knack to getting them in: slot one in completely then squeeze the insert up a bit to make it more narrow so the second projection can be inserted in the slot=== NIGGLES ===* There doesn't appear to be any real difference between the size of the differently-coloured gel inserts. They weigh the same (all around 40g). The only visible difference is the size of the raised triangle of gel at the front of the hand where the palm of the hand rests. Perhaps the design is so subtle it's something I don't notice.=== IN THE BOX, PACKAGING & PRICE ===In the box is the gliding wrist cradle and 4 coloured inserts together with a leaflet with hand measure so you can choose which one of the coloured inserts to put in the gliding wrist cradle. for sale at the time of writing this review at £19.99.

29.5.2016

This mouse pad is designed around the premise that the larger your hand, the higher the wrist support ought to be. I suspect that there is a degree of simplification about that, but following the hand size/colour-coded plan seemed to be comfortable for me, and after some additional experimentation I decided to add one additional layer of support, so I am resting my wrist on an additional 2mm of padding, for about 25mm in total. There are four different heights when you use the pad for the mouse itself, and at least five if you consider using the wrist pad without the pad for the mouse itself.That having been said, it’s quite a while since I last bothered with any so-called wrist support – normally I use an optical,

31.5.2016

This has now made me return to my personalised mouse pads I shunned a few years back in favour of mouse pads with integrated wrist rests. Now I am able to use any ordinary mouse mat due to this device. It doesn't grip the surface so it glides with the hand as you move the mouse and it remains securely on your wrist. It really raises the wrist preventing damage to a nerve around the wrist caused by pulling the nerve. So this keeps the wrist raised, easing pressure on the nerve. I had started getting tingling in my fingers, signs of carpal syndrome and was advised by a NHS Physician to start using wrist rests. He actually had one on his desk.Measuring your hand is easy on the included Smartfit poster.

4.6.2016

The Kensington "SmartFit" Mouse Pad is a neoprene-type mouse pad with an adjustable gel wrist rest. The package contains a printed sheet with a hand-sizer to determine how high (and thus how many of the coloured inserts one should fit inside the gel rest) the wrist rest should be. There are three foam height inserts, handily colour coded, and apparently if your hand is smaller you require fewer and thus a lower rest. The rest part is sturdy and comfortable and stays still on the desk even with vigorous mousing!Where I feel that the pack falls down is with the actual mouse pad - I was expecting it to be within a rigid base like the gel rest, but it is actually just a floppy mat which doesn't really attach to the rest properly.

31.5.2016

I have been using wrist rests in various forms for a number of years now as I find that they help to prevent tiredness with my wrist when using a mouse for long periods of time. My normal rest is built in to my mouse pad and works well enough but I was intrigued to see what this new type of wrist rest would be like. It offers some advantages in that because the wrist is supported independently of the mouse pad it is free to move with greater freedom and unlikely to end up working so hard. I have been testing this one from Kensington and have to say that so far I am impressed with it, and probably more than I had expected to be. It certainly moves a lot more freely than I’d anticipated,

29.5.2016

I've never used a wrist support with a mouse before so I thought that I would give this one a go.On opening the box you get a 'fan' shaped pad that the mouse sits on. This measures 260mm across the top, 190mm across the bottom and 190mm from the top of the wrist support to the top of the pad. The actual wrist support sits in a moulded tray and comprises a black top pad and 4 different coloured 'spacer' pads that sit below it in the tray. On the rear of the instruction sheet is printed a diagram with 5 different real-size hand shapes printed on it. You place your hand on to the diagram and pick the coloured hand that's the nearest size to yours. If your hand is quite large, as mine is,

6.6.2016

Now this is something a little different. All the wrist rests that I have tried up to now comprise a fixed base with a raised rest and the mouse running on a mat that sits beneath the rest. This unit from Kensington applies a bit of lateral thinking. An arched moulded plastic base supports one of four coloured silicone rests. The one that fits you is determined by measuring your hand on the colour coded diagram printed on the instruction sheet. The colour hand that your hand fits is the colour of the silicone rest that you fit.Place the wrist rest on your work surface, put your wrist on it and grip the mouse. The difference with this device is that it has a smooth underside and you slide the rest around your work surface while using your mouse,

1.6.2016

I spend a lot of time on my computer and have tried a variety of different shaped gel pads to avoid wrist strain or injury. Some long and free standing, others attached to mouse pads. Many have proved helpful, but this wrist rest by Kensington offers a novel approach. It consists of a moveable cradle which allows your hand freedom of movement over your desktop or mousepad and does so effortlessly. The cradle comes with four different coloured gel pads with a hand size chart. You simply select the colour that fits your hand size and slot the appropriate pad into the cradle. And away you go. I find it excellent. I can use it with my mouse or with my trackpad. It is also comfortable to use with my portable.

10.6.2016

This is a very clever idea.I was at first baffled by the four different coloured inserts made of something wobbly.Then the penny dropped when you see the diagram you see that the colours are to indicate how to match up with your hand/finger size.I am happy with the green insert and am using it as I write.Fact is my wrist feels like it is being supported and I can still move my hand easily to use the keyboard.My only problem is that I have an Amazon Basics mouse mat and that means the Smartfit rest does bump up and down on the edges as this mouse mat is very small.I found it easy to insert the silicon part into the base. It took seconds and then I was away.I am finding it comfortable and have no urge to stop using it.

4.6.2016

As time gets on I find myself doing more and more on the pc. At work I spend a large chunk of the day on the pc whilst at home my hobbies (coding and gaming) also see me spending a lot of time on the pc.I'm quite tall so finding a good setup can be tricky and I have now started to notice little niggles associated with all this pc use.I was thud keen to try this wrist rest as I find those built into mouse pads very restrictive. This wrest is well built and comes with several inserts to cater for most needs. It is designed to glide along with you.Using it is surprisingly comfortable for general use and coding. I find it a bit too intrusive when gaming but for large chunks of time it helps.

5.6.2016

So many of these wrist rests are either less than helpful or simply 'cons' but this product is absolutely brilliant! Inside the box are four different coloured moulded pieces of gel, which you choose dependant on your hand size. Simply clip onto the black plastic base and slip under your wrist. It is a delight to use, not getting in the way at all and sliding around your desk simply and easily. It offers a gentle support to the wrist whilst not interfering in the free movement of your mouse. Whereas the best treatment for RSI is to replace your mouse with a touchscreen monitor, this is a lot cheaper and works really well. This is well thought out and impeccably designed - a really good solution to wrist strain.

4.6.2016

I measured my hand and fingers landed in yellow, the biggest measurement to be got. But then I was surprised because it meant I should not put any of the inserts! So the smaller the hand the more your wrist is raised. So my is at the lowest elevation. What science is this? But this is Kensington we are talking about, I guess they know what they are doling.Initially I had problems joining the mouse surface to the wrist rest as I was trying to join the two off the table (silly me). But once I got over the initial silliness, it was just a matter of putting the wrist rest on the mouse surface to fit into the cut-outs on the mouse surface and now the wrist rest is holding on to the mouse surface

9.6.2016

A comfortable and adaptable wrist support for both left and right handed mouse users. Coming with four different gel wrist supports in varied in sizes and colours plus the slideable base make this a useful and usable wrist support.The slide base part has similar base areas to a mouse allowing it to slide well on a desktop. The problem though is that these wear down over time and you're left with bare plastic that can scratch or mark a surface. It's also worth pointing out that if you use a standard size mouse pad with your mouse, you'll run into issues with this wrist rest as it will overlap your pad and desk.Only time will tell as to whether this contributes to a better state of affairs with

29.5.2016

This an attractive looking pad and appears to be well made and is of a very good size: large. A chart is provided so that the user can measure his/her hands in order to select the correct insert so that the height of the pad is at an optimum level. I have large hands and therefore only needed the base 'insert'; but, I must point out that it is but a piece of card which is glued into place: I didn't know that and almost tore it when attempting to take it out as it is a colour that I do not like and it juts out a bit and spoils the visual appeal of the pad for me. Although I hasten to add that I am sure that most folks would probably feel that I was being neurotic and that it would not bother them,

Kensington SmartFit Conform - Reviews

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