I was looking for a new stand for my iPad, and I came across the fairly new stand by Steelie, the Steelie Table Top Kit for iPad. Steelie designed this stand for any type of tablet or E-Reader, so it will work with the original iPad, iPad 2, The New iPad (Third Gen.), or any other tablet.

Steelie is a small company based out of Boulder, Colorado. Steelie was created by Frank Vogel and Paul Turner, two entrepreneurs who run Blackglass, LLC, a design and production shop. Some of their other ventures include Rockshox, Maverick Bicycles and Goode Ski Poles. All of Steelie’s products are manmade and packaged in the good ‘ole USA! Steelie also has developed a stand much the like Table Top Stand for mobile phones. You can read more about that here.

Can this new Steelie Table Top Stand compete with Apple’s iPad Dock? What about iHome or other dock manufacturers? For all of this and more, keep on reading my review of the Steelie Table Top Stand!

How it works

The Table Top Kit for iPad uses a “slim socket unit” that attaches either directly to your iPad or iPad case, meaning this stand can be used for any tablet or personal computer. The socket then can magnetically be attached to the ball on the base stand. To remove your iPad, you gently pull the “slim socket unit” apart from the base stand and the magnetic connection will separate. Need to take off the socket unit? No problem. All you need to do is use the rubbing alcohol cloth that is shipped with the Table Top Stand and rub it between the socket unit and your iPad. Need to re-attach it? No worries! Steelie will send you a brand new socket unit for free.

Highlights

All the products used to make the Steelie Table Top Kit are of very high quality – from the aluminum to the powerful magnets, I had no issues with product quality.

Steelie definitely has a keen eye for design, and it shows in the Table Top Kit. The base stand’s design is very sleek and simple, and readily complements any kitchen or contemporary desktop. Similarly, the Steelie Stand is very sturdy, and not once did my iPad slip or fall out of stand.

Lowlights

I had only one problem with the Steelie Table Top Kit – trying to remove the socket unit. When I tried to take the socket unit off of the back of my iPad by using the rubbing alcohol infused cloth, it took a while for the rubbing alcohol to start fighting off the stickiness of the socket unit’s underside. Also, I would suggest not to attach the socket unit to your iPad directly as I did as I could not fit my iPad into a case or sleeve to travel.

Overall

The Steelie Table Top Kit is a dock of very high quality, with a great design. If you don’t mind using the iPad with the socket unit attached at all times, I think this would be a great purchase.

The Table Top Kit is an easy recommendation to a person who uses the iPad mainly at home or an office, whether to surf the web, read emails, books, or play Angry Birds. If you travel or are on the move a lot, I would suggest buying a mounting style dock. You can read more about and purchase the Steelie Table Top Stand for $65 on Steelie’s website.