Table-Mate II: Lightweight Portable Design

I never cared to watch a lot of television commercials. However, on occasion, an interesting one catches my eye. Such is the case with the Table-Mate II. When my husband flipped through the channels, he stopped at the Table-Mate II’s commercial. The Table-Mate II was compact, lightweight and just plain cool to have around. Within that week, we owned a Table-Mate II. Here is my review.

Pros:

They weren’t kidding when they said the Table-Mate II was light weight. Even my toddler niece could lift it. And talk about compact. We small-home dwellers love the fact that it folds down to a 2-inch wide flat piece which we easily store behind the couch-out of view from the public. I also enjoyed the adjustable legs. There are 6 heights (between 23″ to 30″) which are adjusted with easy-to-press buttons. This variable height feature made it easy to use from my low-lying couch to my high stool. There are also three angles to adjust the tabletop with. I like to adjust it at an angle when I want to read a book (saves me from bending my neck), or when I use my laptop. It is quite sturdy with its claim to carrying up to 50 pounds. The metal legs also make it easy to slide around when having to push the table full of contents away. I also like the fact that the metal legs slide under a couch and are spaced wide apart so it doesn’t collide with my own legs. This also brings the tabletop closer to my body for easier use as opposed to other tabletops which stand at a distance and cause my arms to stretch much too far.

Cons:

The main gripe that I have with the Table-Mate II is that it is not as easy to set up as other portable tables that I’ve owned. It actually takes two hands to set up from folded position to full-use position. Before, when I used other foldable tables, I used to walk into the room carrying one plate in my hand while using my free hand to open the wooden table. However, with the Table-Mate II, I need to put my plate down and give both hands to the cause of setting it up. Also, I’ve had a few occasions when I’ve tried to move the Tablemate II by grabbing it by the tabletop and found that the metal piece holding it in place was released from its locked position, and the contents of my table fell. I’ve also needed to make sure that I don’t lean on the table when deep in thought because it may exceed the 50 pound limit.

Overall, the Table-Mate II is a good product for small-home dwellers. I do believe the price ($30 where I live) is a bit high, but anyone who is desperate for space saving techniques will be satisfied with the buy.