Size: 15-InchColor: BlackChange
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on September 16, 2012
Laptops (particularly certain makes and models) just get too hot. It's unfortunate, but it happens. There's no real good solution if you're actually sitting with it on your lap. I've tried five or six different fan-based laptop coolers, and none of them has done the job as well as I would like. They either are too fragile (falling apart with minimal use), too weak (i.e., don't cool enough), or a host of other problems. I have one fan-based one that works great, but it's all metal (so too heavy to carry around) and isn't designed to sit on your lap, but rather on a desk.
All that being said, the heatshift thermapak does the job as well as any of those other options that I've tried, and it has the advantage of being nearly indestructible in comparison, plus lighter, silent, and pretty effective at cooling the machine. That being said, it will only cool for about an hour or two of heavy use, though I've found that if I rotate the pad, it moves a cooler spot of the pad to the hot spot on my laptop, so that's a viable strategy, I think. Once the crystals in the pad liquify, you don't get much cooling from it, though it does still protect your lap from the heat of the machine. The thing is, you just chuck it in the freezer for a little while, and presto! It's all frozen up again and ready for action. I even use it in this way (freezing it) when my body gets overheated. I just put it behind my back and it's a very refreshing blast of coolness.
So yeah, laptops get hot. It's just something that happens, and there's no real good way to get around it other than lucking out and getting a machine that doesn't get hot, or you can get one of these heatshift pads. At the very least it won't break, and after going through five or six broken fan-based cooler pads, that's enough for me. Handy thing, too, is that they come in different sizes. I have a widescreen 15-inch laptop, and the 17-inch sized one was perfect for me. So keep that in mind.
All that being said, the heatshift thermapak does the job as well as any of those other options that I've tried, and it has the advantage of being nearly indestructible in comparison, plus lighter, silent, and pretty effective at cooling the machine. That being said, it will only cool for about an hour or two of heavy use, though I've found that if I rotate the pad, it moves a cooler spot of the pad to the hot spot on my laptop, so that's a viable strategy, I think. Once the crystals in the pad liquify, you don't get much cooling from it, though it does still protect your lap from the heat of the machine. The thing is, you just chuck it in the freezer for a little while, and presto! It's all frozen up again and ready for action. I even use it in this way (freezing it) when my body gets overheated. I just put it behind my back and it's a very refreshing blast of coolness.
So yeah, laptops get hot. It's just something that happens, and there's no real good way to get around it other than lucking out and getting a machine that doesn't get hot, or you can get one of these heatshift pads. At the very least it won't break, and after going through five or six broken fan-based cooler pads, that's enough for me. Handy thing, too, is that they come in different sizes. I have a widescreen 15-inch laptop, and the 17-inch sized one was perfect for me. So keep that in mind.
on November 20, 2012
I was in dire need of a laptop cooler. I couldn't find any one product that didn't have reviews complaining about fans breaking, and this was the only non-fan-powered cooler that didn't have a horrible overall rating. I ended up buying both this and a Cooler Master cooler with fans, figuring I'd try this one and if it failed try the other one. I wasn't expecting much, and I got about what I was expecting. It does not work. Yes, as my laptop heats, the section of the mat under my GPU and CPU starts to warm and liquefy, but it did not slow the general rate of overheating at all. Other negative reviews said it works but only for a couple of hours, which is all I would have needed it for. My laptop overheated and shut down within 10-15 minutes of use. Total fail.
on July 4, 2011
This pad works as described. Allows you to place your laptop anywhere and allow for it to still get the air it needs to stay cool. ///
I am now checking back in after having my HEATSHIFT for 1yr and 9mo.
At first I gave this product 5 stars but over time it has degraded and doesn't work like it did.
Here's what they replied to my email with (copied from email received):
"Thank you for choosing our product.
The life span of the product is about 2 years. Over time, the crystal loses some water molecules and becomes inactive. We wish it didn't, but that's something that occurs naturally, and if we forced the water in, some other aspects of the product would be compromised.
Hopefully you will choose to pick up another ThermaPAK, and now we have more choices. Please visit Amazon.com and search for ThermaPAK.
Best regards,
ThermaPAK"
I'm not being hasty, I just want people to know what to expect.
I am considering purchasing another because it has worked well but it would be a much better product if it lasted longer.
I am now checking back in after having my HEATSHIFT for 1yr and 9mo.
At first I gave this product 5 stars but over time it has degraded and doesn't work like it did.
Here's what they replied to my email with (copied from email received):
"Thank you for choosing our product.
The life span of the product is about 2 years. Over time, the crystal loses some water molecules and becomes inactive. We wish it didn't, but that's something that occurs naturally, and if we forced the water in, some other aspects of the product would be compromised.
Hopefully you will choose to pick up another ThermaPAK, and now we have more choices. Please visit Amazon.com and search for ThermaPAK.
Best regards,
ThermaPAK"
I'm not being hasty, I just want people to know what to expect.
I am considering purchasing another because it has worked well but it would be a much better product if it lasted longer.
HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWERon November 16, 2010
In the last several years of owning laptops, I have always had a cooling fan and tried other cooling type pads. The cooling fans were noisy and quit working after about one year. The other cooling pads I tried did not work. So I was not sure about this but after reading the great reviews, (and my cooling fan broke down), I ordered it.
So glad I did and here is my detailed rating from which I arrived at the total of 5 stars:
1) It really cools my 17" HP Laptop TOTALLY, I mean the longer I run the laptop, the cooler is becomes top and bottom! TWO POINT SCORE for this!
2) No need for electricity for this and no wires, no taking up a USB PORT - ONE POINT.
3) No more noisy fan! 1 POINT SCORE
4) Thin and compact, easy to travel with - ONE POINT SCORE.
HENCE the 5 STARS for points!
So glad I did and here is my detailed rating from which I arrived at the total of 5 stars:
1) It really cools my 17" HP Laptop TOTALLY, I mean the longer I run the laptop, the cooler is becomes top and bottom! TWO POINT SCORE for this!
2) No need for electricity for this and no wires, no taking up a USB PORT - ONE POINT.
3) No more noisy fan! 1 POINT SCORE
4) Thin and compact, easy to travel with - ONE POINT SCORE.
HENCE the 5 STARS for points!
on August 10, 2016
About as effective a cooling pad as a bed mattress. Initially, the sporadic surface area would allow the hot air to travel away from the laptop and the crystals would absorb the heat, but that's the trap I fell into. As soon as those crystals melt from the heat, the pad flattens and the laptop reabsorbs the heat from the heat shift pad. Temp (CPU diode) started at 80, went down to 75, then went up to 82. Did not work for me.
on July 3, 2012
I bought this to help cool my 17" MacBook Pro. It's hard to find a good laptop cooler for a 17" laptop, when I read about these pads, I thought I'd give it a try.
It's a perfect size, covers the laptop from corner to corner. It does work as advertised, at first. Once the crystals melt and heat up, the thermal properties of the pad are gone, it goes from a heat-sink to a soft, warm pad. And once it's heated up, it stays that way for a while, especially if you leave your laptop on top of it, even when it's off. You really need to move the laptop off once you're done, so the pad can cool off.
That said, it does work, and I've found that after a couple of hours of gaming, you can turn the pad 180 degrees and use it some more, since only the top half really gets warm, the half under the keyboard doesn't really heat up much. But after the whole thing is warmed up, it seems like the laptop just kind of sinks into the pad and starts to heat up. I've never had the laptop get hotter than it did before I started using the pad, but I don't use it in long enough sessions where it might get to that point.
So best I can give this is 3 stars. It's a great idea, it works for a couple of hours of heavy use.
UPDATE: I've used the cooling pad for about 2 years, 2 months. I noticed recently that the fan runs on my laptop more often, and the pad doesn't get warm/soft anymore. According to the web page, it's supposed to last about 2 years, and it did. Time for something new, I think I'm switching to a Coolermaster fan.
It's a perfect size, covers the laptop from corner to corner. It does work as advertised, at first. Once the crystals melt and heat up, the thermal properties of the pad are gone, it goes from a heat-sink to a soft, warm pad. And once it's heated up, it stays that way for a while, especially if you leave your laptop on top of it, even when it's off. You really need to move the laptop off once you're done, so the pad can cool off.
That said, it does work, and I've found that after a couple of hours of gaming, you can turn the pad 180 degrees and use it some more, since only the top half really gets warm, the half under the keyboard doesn't really heat up much. But after the whole thing is warmed up, it seems like the laptop just kind of sinks into the pad and starts to heat up. I've never had the laptop get hotter than it did before I started using the pad, but I don't use it in long enough sessions where it might get to that point.
So best I can give this is 3 stars. It's a great idea, it works for a couple of hours of heavy use.
UPDATE: I've used the cooling pad for about 2 years, 2 months. I noticed recently that the fan runs on my laptop more often, and the pad doesn't get warm/soft anymore. According to the web page, it's supposed to last about 2 years, and it did. Time for something new, I think I'm switching to a Coolermaster fan.
on July 20, 2011
I was on the search for a means to cool my laptop for quite a while when I came along this one. I was a bit skeptical about it, thinking it would be too good to be true compared to the others. Its slimmer, lighter, does not need energy and cost about the same if not less then all the other top name company cooling fans out there that seem to break down easily because of the moving parts. They also make noise and drain your laptop of battery power.
Well....THIS THING REALLY IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!
Running Netflix on my Macbook Pro 17" was causing it to burn hotter than a pancake on an un-PAM'd that you forgot to flip for 20 minutes. I couldn't even keep my hand touching it! I really believed that it was going to burst into a glorious eternal flame of deadly combustible spontaneousness.
After purchasing this thing, my Macbook stays almost as cool as when I just turn it on.
As everyone else has mentioned, the crystals do melt, but even after this occurs my lappy is still cooler as opposed to having nothing underneath.
The crystals do harden back up fairly quick. I'd say if you're really worried about it you could purchase 2 of these bad boys and just swap them out once one of them melts. I am thinking about doing the same.
But for now the rear part of the laptop (closer to the screen) is where it seems to generate the most heat, so I tend to just flip this pad around for the time being.
Reason I gave it 4 stars is because my Macbook slides all over this thing. There was a couple times it almost slide right off onto the floor. Also, I tend to use this pad when I have the laptop seated on fabrics such as a bed (sheets) or couch. With the underside of the cool pad's material makes it hard to reposition everything unless you physically lift the pad and laptop up. So if you wanted to just push it a little bit away from you or pull it closer, you wont be able to whilst it is sitting on any other type of fabric.
But all the benefits of this product outweigh any of described minor issue. I highly recommend this cooling pad!!
Well....THIS THING REALLY IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!
Running Netflix on my Macbook Pro 17" was causing it to burn hotter than a pancake on an un-PAM'd that you forgot to flip for 20 minutes. I couldn't even keep my hand touching it! I really believed that it was going to burst into a glorious eternal flame of deadly combustible spontaneousness.
After purchasing this thing, my Macbook stays almost as cool as when I just turn it on.
As everyone else has mentioned, the crystals do melt, but even after this occurs my lappy is still cooler as opposed to having nothing underneath.
The crystals do harden back up fairly quick. I'd say if you're really worried about it you could purchase 2 of these bad boys and just swap them out once one of them melts. I am thinking about doing the same.
But for now the rear part of the laptop (closer to the screen) is where it seems to generate the most heat, so I tend to just flip this pad around for the time being.
Reason I gave it 4 stars is because my Macbook slides all over this thing. There was a couple times it almost slide right off onto the floor. Also, I tend to use this pad when I have the laptop seated on fabrics such as a bed (sheets) or couch. With the underside of the cool pad's material makes it hard to reposition everything unless you physically lift the pad and laptop up. So if you wanted to just push it a little bit away from you or pull it closer, you wont be able to whilst it is sitting on any other type of fabric.
But all the benefits of this product outweigh any of described minor issue. I highly recommend this cooling pad!!
on August 13, 2013
I had a laptop cooler with a fan that was several years old. It's rated highly on Amazon and worked pretty well while it did work. The problem is, the power cord stopped fitting into the receiving end properly so I'd have to tape it ~just so~ to get it to power on at all. Not only that but the edges were really sharp so it really wasn't made for sitting on a lap.
I saw these fanless coolers and I liked the idea of them. Some of the bad reviews nearly scared me off but for the price I figured it was worth a try.
I have an HP Pavilion g6 and I manage to run Walking Dead, Borderlands 2, and some other games on it. I use this pad to cool the PC while I'm gaming because it runs extremely hot and I'm worried about damaging my old hanging-in-there laptop.
So far, it works really well. I game for hours at a time and it takes a good amount of time for the crystals to melt. I rotate the pad every once in a while and it works just fine. It doesn't keep my laptop super cool but it keeps it out of the danger zone and that's all I really wanted. I use CoreTemp to track the temperature and this pad still keeps my laptop 20-30 degrees cooler than it would be without the pad.
I tried the tips people suggested about putting it in the freezer just as an experiment and I have no idea how they get that to work at all. When you put your hot laptop on the cold pad, the pad starts sweating then your laptop gets all wet. I don't see how that's helpful. You don't really need to put it in the freezer anyway. If you use it for a few hours, let it sit overnight, it's just fine for the next day. So maybe not the best for people using it ALL DAY for work but it's good for a few hours of work or gaming.
I saw these fanless coolers and I liked the idea of them. Some of the bad reviews nearly scared me off but for the price I figured it was worth a try.
I have an HP Pavilion g6 and I manage to run Walking Dead, Borderlands 2, and some other games on it. I use this pad to cool the PC while I'm gaming because it runs extremely hot and I'm worried about damaging my old hanging-in-there laptop.
So far, it works really well. I game for hours at a time and it takes a good amount of time for the crystals to melt. I rotate the pad every once in a while and it works just fine. It doesn't keep my laptop super cool but it keeps it out of the danger zone and that's all I really wanted. I use CoreTemp to track the temperature and this pad still keeps my laptop 20-30 degrees cooler than it would be without the pad.
I tried the tips people suggested about putting it in the freezer just as an experiment and I have no idea how they get that to work at all. When you put your hot laptop on the cold pad, the pad starts sweating then your laptop gets all wet. I don't see how that's helpful. You don't really need to put it in the freezer anyway. If you use it for a few hours, let it sit overnight, it's just fine for the next day. So maybe not the best for people using it ALL DAY for work but it's good for a few hours of work or gaming.
on November 15, 2014
I purchased this for use with my Macbook Pro which gets a little hot under the collar when I'm doing some very heavy computing. The basic idea is that the crystals in the pad absorb heat, melting along the way. The crystals reform once removed from the heat and they're ready to go for round two. It's important to note that once the crystals liquefy completely, leaving the pad flopping like a wet noodle, they do nothing to wick the heat away further. In fact, I've found that leaving my Macbook on the pad after the crystals have liquefied makes matters worse. The pad heats up as it takes in the heat thrown by the laptop, it starts to hold that heat and eventually you'll have a hot laptop sitting on top of a hot cooling pad. For the best results I'll recommend, as others have, that you purchase two and swap them out. By the time one is liquid, the other should be solid again. All in all, I would recommend this product.
