Wacom Ergo Stand and Desk Arm for Cintiq Pro 24 and 32
Wacom’s new Cintiq Pro tablets are great drawing displays, but they don’t provide a tremendous amount of flexibility when it comes to finding the right drawing position. The Cintiq Pro 16 has two little kickstands that pop out when depressed for a more angular placement and that’s it; you either lay it down flat or use it in this roughly 15 degrees angle. Searching for a better solution led us to purchase DraftTable, a sturdy and flexible iPad stand which can also provide a much more versatile vertical placement for the Cintiq Pro 16. However, if you have one of the larger Cintiq Pros, such as the Cintiq Pro 24 or Cintiq Pro 32 in your arsenal, you need to look for a much better solution. Luckily, Wacom just released the right tools, not only to accommodate its larger drawing displays, but to free up some valuable desk space during the process. The company provides two accessories for all your drawing needs: the heftier, more expensive Ergo Stand, with separate versions intended for the Cintiq Pro 24 (€529.90) and the Cintiq Pro 32 (€529.90) and the lighter, cheaper and more versatile Desk Arm (€399.90). Let’s see if they are worth their premium price tag.
Wacom Ergo Stand
The Ergo Stand can drop the Wacom drawing display onto your lap for a more comfortable position (Photo by Wacom)
According to Wacom, the Ergo Stand allows you to raise, tilt and rotate your pen display to easily adjust the viewing angle and find the most natural position for you. The stand feels incredibly solid and tilts/rotates smoothly enough, while the height adjustment levers on the side help you move its position from flat down on the table to all the way up to a standing position. Although the Ergo Stand costs $100 more than its predecessor, that’s most likely due to its updated design and solid construction. It is also worth mentioning its newest feature: rotation. The stand can rotate a full 90 degrees both clockwise and counter-clockwise, allowing us to work in portrait mode when necessary. The Ergo Stand is extremely sturdy, feels well built and hides all your wires very well (runs them internally), although there's not much space in the stand to house the large, stiff cables. Nonetheless, once you get them in there, they stay out of your way. As you decide about the positions you consider best for drawing, you must keep in mind that the stand can’t lock at any height, it basically has two settings: up and down. However, the screen swiveling mechanism makes it possible to still have a multitude of potential working positions. You must be especially careful not to let the armature drop when unlocking it, because it will drop to the bottom of the height range if you aren't consciously aware while adjusting.
The Wacom Ergo Stand in its upper most, standing position (Photo by Wacom)
Wacom Desk Arm
Wacom Desk Arm holding the Cintiq Pro 24 at desk level in an almost horizontal position (Photo by Wacom)
digitalEPIGRAPHY always had one caveat about using Wacom’s devices: you set them up on your drawing desk, and when in use, they're just fantastic. However, when you need to use your desk surface for anything else, you have this big, cumbersome device in your way. With this new addition, your entire Wacom display can be pushed up and away when not in use, giving you back all your prime drawing desk real estate. The Desk Arm holds up Wacom’s heavy displays quite nicely, thanks to its two screw fasteners and the very large clamp to screw onto the back of your desk. It has a ridged design to be able to hold up even the Cintiq Pro 32 securely. You might have to tighten its lift strength, but you can rest assured, your Cintiq will float wherever you put it. That said, we wouldn’t recommend leaning into it while drawing, because the arm still has some sway to it, kind of like a tree branch. The matte black color channels similar overall aesthetics as the Cintiq Pro and – just like the Ergo Stand - each section of the arms has two Velcro ties to keep your cables organized and tucked away. Compared to the Ergo Stand, the Flex Arm is a great choice if you need your workspace to be more modular and spacious, rather than having a large, almost immovable, heavy stand in the way.
The Wacom Desk Arm can also be used in a standing position (Photo by Wacom)
The arm is articulated in 4 ways, that allows you to place the device almost anywhere on your workspace. When you're drawing it can be positioned upright, near flat, up high, or sit in your lap the way you may use an actual drawing board. It also swivels in all directions and can swing way off to the side if you're not using it. It even allows you to swivel the Cintiq from portrait to landscape, just like you’d have it with the Ergo Stand.
The Ergo Stand for Cintiq Pro 24 can be purchased directly from Wacom, or through numerous retailers, such as B&H and Amazon. The Ergo Stand for Cintiq Pro 32 can be purchased directly from Wacom, and will be available soon through retailers, such as B&H. The Wacom Desk Arm can be purchased directly from Wacom, or through numerous retailers, such as B&H and Amazon.
If you're on the lookout to buy one of Wacom's largest drawing displays, the company is currently selling their Cintiq Pros in bundle with their Ergo Stand and Desk Arm solutions for a hefty discount. If you’d like to see Wacom’s new accessories in action, we’d like to recommend watching the following videos:
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