Customer Reviews

Vantec LapCool 3 LPC-401 Dual Silent Fans Notebook Cooler (Black)

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I love it when things work as they're supposed to.

As the other reviewer wrote, this is made of a very thin/flimsy plastic, but it is solid enough to hold up unless you really toss it around. There is a cable that connects from your USB to power the fans which is about 2-3ft long. I have mine coiled up so the extra slack doesn't get in the way. I can only imagine they made it this long in the event the USB ports are on the opposite side of the laptop.

There are two large fans which actually suck air *from* the bottom of the laptop and exhaust out the rear of the unit. The advantage is you can actualy use this on your lap or other soft surface and not have to worry about blocking airflow. They are very quiet and you would be hard pressed to know they are even on. In addition, this is likely much less noisy than the small fans inside your laptop that kick in occasionally.

If you have anything larger than a 14in screen you will likely have part of your laptop overhanging the LapCool3. I have a 15.4in widescreen and I have about one inch on each side, and 1/2in front and back that overhang. This does not seem to pose any problems for the LapCool. The rubber feet at the rear of the LapCool give it a firm grip to keep the laptop in place and provide the necessariy clearance for airflow between the laptop and the LapCool.

Regarding performance, this things works extremely well. When I'm not doing anything intensive the bottom of my laptop is actually cool. When working intensively, instead of actually being *hot* the laptop will be just warm, and the internal fans rarely come on and only briefly. This lets me use my laptop actually on my lap as I lounge at home or use at places like Starbucks.

The perks are obviously it keeps your laptop cool, it is small enough to fit in your laptop bag, looks cool and is inexpensive.

The only negative I can think of is that there are no USB ports built-in, but there are other pricier models that include them if you need that.

I purchased the Vantec LapCool3 USB Notebook Cooling Pad for use with an ultra-light laptop that had been running warmer than is optimal.

Amazingly lightweight and low-profile, LapCool3's fans, powered by a laptop USB port, are nearly noiseless. Two 80x80x10 mm fans spin quietly at 1,500 rpm, pulling only 0.9 watts of power via the laptop's USB port. They are not only cool, but highly efficient, pulling air at the rate of 28 cfm.

The laptop's single fan had been running almost constantly, exhausting air warmer than 95 degrees Fahrenheit. After connecting to the LapCool3, my laptop cooled down dramatically and immediately. It is operating much cooler and far more quietly now. The laptop fan has not come on since I plugged in the LapCool3. Although the LapCool3 has 2 much larger sized fans, they're far more quiet together than the laptop's single fan alone. Air coming from the back of the cooler is actually cool-less than 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Vantec's literature claims their fans are rated at 25dBA, but I suspect they're operating closer to 10dBA. With these two fans operating, the laptop and LapCool3 together are running far cooler and more quietly than the laptop had alone.

LapCool3's design is compact, elegant and slim. Weighing only 15 oz, the front edge is about 9 mm tall, including bottom footpegs and laptop supports; the rear side of the LapCool3 is 13.8 mm tall with footpegs and taller laptop risers. The footprint is nearly identical to that of my ultralight Fujitsu laptop: 300 mm wide and 230 mm deep. The LapCool3 fits neatly on a curved miniature lapdesk, with enough room to spare that I can fit an iPod, iPAQ, or Palm cradle next to it.

Vantec's design team did a great job with this product. The top side of the cooler provides more than adequate breathing room and clearance for your laptop, and the difference in height between the leading and rear sides of the unit means your laptop is at better angle for typing.

On a flat surface, the LapCool3 is rock steady. Because of the design of the LapCool3, friction may not hold a laptop securely on a slope. If you tilt your lap desk quite a bit, or frequently move it to a side table, either the LapCool3 or your laptop may slide. I made a simple after-market user modification.

Added 2 small black sticky-back Velcro(tm) squares, with opposing halves, to the leading bottom side of the LapCool3 and the top surface of the lap desk. Ruling out air flow obstruction or problems accessing case components on the underside of my laptop, I added 2 more small black sticky-back Velcro(tm) squares between the LapCool3's leading top side risers, which are flat, and the leading bottom side of my laptop.

Both the LapCool3 and my laptop stay secure even when I tilt the lapdesk to a 70 degree angle, yet I can easily detach the unit by pulling up next to the Velcro(tm) squares. Everything is secure, air flow is unimpeded, and I'm very happy with my purchase.

LapCool3 keeps my laptop running cool and quiet, without any compromise in function, power, or lapdesk real estate. I consider this cooler an indispensable accessory for laptop computing.

This cooler is indeed made of cheap plastic,no metal and small/compact, But it certainly does its job. I wouldn't be surprised if it breaks if i drop it.
When i played Counterstrike, my laptop would be HOTT on the bottom, now with the lapcool3 it's just cool/warm to the touch! Though it's a tad bit small for my Inspiron 6000, it's worth the money. Also the Fans blow upward, with the intake in the back.
If you're looking for something to cool your laptop thats cheap with out the fancy unnecessary things, then this is perfect!
I've also tested its effect on my batter, since the lapcool3 is helping to cool my laptop down, my battery lasts longer .

I spent some time trying to get this to work with my Dell Inspiron laptop. Seems that the heavier the laptop (mine is about 7 lbs.) the more likely the top of the pad will be pressed down and cause the fan blades to rub against the housing.

I repositioned the laptop a few different ways, but none seem to cool the laptop as well as I would like. The laptop fans don't run as often, but the change wasn't evident until I spent time to closely monitor it.

If I had to do it over again, I'd buy a sturdier unit --probably one that has an external power source so I wouldn't lose a USB port. (Or at least one that provided a USB port on the unit.) I do like the fact that the unit is very quiet...I had to keep peeking beneath my laptop to make sure it was still running.

I have a notebook with a 15" screen. The notebook dimensions are 14"x10.5". So this product seemed to fit based upon dimensions on the web page. But the actual product is 11.8"x9" so it was much too small. Need to find a bigger cooling pad.

The LapCool3 I have is flimsy enough that just pressing the buttons on my laptop puts enough pressure on the fan covering to flex it enough to cause a hideous grinding sound as the fans are forced to a stop.

Then there's the USB power connector. It fits the socket on the LapCool3 so poorly that the slightest jostle makes it pop out, shutting down the fans.

The result is that I wouldn't take one of these now if I were offered it for free, because it's more pain to get it to work than it's worth in cooling power.

So, I turned to the return policy. If I get the manufacturer to admit it's defective, TigerDirect will let me ship it to them at my expense . . . and I'll either get a replacement presumably manufactured to the same incompetent standard, or credit toward a future purchase all of two bucks higher than the cost of shipping both ways. This does not fill me with joy.

So, the lesson I've learned is avoid the LapCool3, avoid Vantec products, and be sure to check the Amazon partner so you can avoid stuff sold by TigerDirect.

It cools fine. I didn't notice that it does not have addition USB ports until I received it in the mail. I'd order that convenience next time. It does work well.

My computer used to get overheated and shut down without warning. I have sent it in to be fixed multiple times and they always just fix the fan, and the same problem comes back in a few months. I have been so impressed with this cooling pad. My computer has not shut off since I purchased it. It has made a huge difference in the heat of my laptop. I can take it anywhere with me and it doesn't get hot anymore. I highly recommend this product!

The cooler works well to keep the battery from getting hot. Does take power from the laptop but not much. Worth buying.

This product does cool down my laptop but not to the point where you would expect it to be. My laptop's internal fan still comes on because certain areas of my laptop are still overheated. I can feel that the top of my notebook is still overheated even while the fans are running. Also if positioned even slightly off, the fans rub against the bottom of my laptop and start to make a grinding sound. It seems that this laptop is for smaller notebooks possibly because mine is 15" but the advertisement says anything from 12"-17". If I could do it over, I would have bought a different one. Definitely not recommended.