- In a previous video, I introduced you to the XOOT System,
which is a prototype stand for the Wacom Cintiq
and other types of display tablets.
(soft music)
The XOOT is an alternative to the Wacom Ergo Stand
or an Ergotron arm.
And it makes it very fluid and easy
to go between working with the screen down
or level like this, where you'd be drawing,
or you can use the touch features.
And then if you wanna go back to that vertical orientation,
you simply touch the side and it has electromagnetic brakes
that will lock it into place.
We'll get into that in more detail in just a little bit.
Chris, the inventor lent me a XOOT System
to review in my studio.
So I'm gonna be reviewing it in more detail
and sharing my experience
with how the XOOT System has impacted my workflow.
Before we get started,
I just wanna mention that this is not a sponsored video.
As you can see, the XOOT is attached
to a Wacom Cintiq 27QHD touch.
This is the tablet I'm currently using in my studio.
Before receiving the XOOT System,
this Cintiq was attached to an Ergotron arm.
As you can see, I have two Cintiq 27 side by side
so that we can compare each mounting option.
I use my Cintiq daily.
It serves not only as a screen to draw on,
but I also use it as my primary monitor for email,
video editing, script writing, graphic design
and lots of other tasks.
Before we get into how I've been using the XOOT System
in my workflow,
let's dive a bit deeper into the appearance, features,
and specifications of the XOOT System.
As I mentioned earlier, the XOOT System allows you
to easily angle your screen.
The angle changes as the tablet moves forward into your lap,
and then it moves away from you in the opposite direction
to a more vertical orientation.
The angle is then fixed in whichever position you like
using electromagnetic brakes.
To disengage the braking system,
all you need to do is touch a touch strip
with one or more fingers.
These touch strips can easily be customized.
You can make them larger or smaller,
and you can position them wherever you like
on the back of the tablet.
The base of the XOOT System features anti-toppling arms,
which keep the base from toppling forward,
and they also declutter the cables on your desk.
The base also features the Grip Feet,
which can be used to slide the monitor toward
and away from the user or side to side
to find an optimal position.
The base is elevated up off the desk just a bit.
The area underneath the base was designed
to fit an average size laptop.
The available height of the base will vary
by the screen attached,
but should be at least 2 inches or 50 millimeters.
Now, if you have a keyboard
and a mouse on your desk, no worries.
The XOOT System glides right above your keyboard and mouse
without knocking it over or pushing it off the table.
This allows you to effortlessly go
between monitor mode and touch mode.
The XOOT System is quite easy to install.
It basically just clamps onto your desk.
The clamp has an adjustable bracket,
which will allow you to attach it
to desks up to 3 inches or 75 millimeters thick.
It does take up a little room on your desk.
Now I will note that the setup may be a little bit different
if you're attaching this
to something other than the Cintiq 27.
For example, the Dell Canvas requires some modification
to accommodate the power cables.
I also wanna emphasize that this is just a prototype
and the actual production model is going
to look a lot more polished.
Another thing worth mentioning,
is that the XOOT System requires an additional power cable
to power the electromagnetic braking system.
In other words, you need to plug in the XOOT System
for the electromagnetic brakes to be able to operate.
The build quality of the stand is very durable.
It's made with a lot of steel.
It's also a bit heavy, it's about 20 pounds,
but it's not too heavy for a sturdy desk.
The XOOT System will come in kits.
Kits are pre-configured to suit a specific screen model.
You can order the XOOT with your preferred kit pre-installed
and you have the option of swapping kits
if you change to a different tablet.
Currently, there are a handful of supported tablets,
but more tablets will be added as the project progresses.
The tablets that are currently supported
are the Cintiq Pro 32, the Cintiq Pro 24, the Cintiq 27QHD,
the Cintiq 24HD and the Dell Canvas.
So that's kind of an overview of how the XOOT System works,
but let's compare it to my Ergotron arm
because that's what I've been using for quite a while now.
As you can see, I have one Cintiq attached
to the XOOT System,
and I have another attached to an Ergotron LX arm.
Now, I do wanna mention that the Ergotron LX arm
is a bit different than the Wacom Ergo Flex arm,
which goes with the new Cintiq Pro 24 and 32,
but essentially they do the same thing.
I'll be reviewing Wacom's Ergo Flex arm very soon.
So let's start by comparing the bulk and the weight
of the two devices.
The XOOT is twice as heavy
as the Ergotron LX arm and bulkier,
but we'll talk about why that's a good thing in just a bit.
As far as rigidity goes, the Ergotron uses tension,
which you have to adjust with a wrench.
Even at a high tension, it still wobbles quite a bit.
The XOOT lies flat around the desk
and was engineered to reduce wobble.
The electromagnetic breaking locks the tablet
in a fixed position,
and then easily unlocks it with a simple touch.
As far as drawing's concerned, I would say overall,
across all of the different positions
that the XOOT is more stable,
but it does wobble a little bit
in the vertical orientation like you see here.
When you lay it more flat, then it's much more stable.
The Ergotron arm is kind of a mixed bag.
If you have it floating in the air,
then obviously it's gonna wobble a lot.
However, if you rest your Cintiq on your desk,
then it's a lot more stable and barely moves at all.
Now let's discuss articulation.
We'll start with rotation.
The Ergotron arm and the more recent Wacom Ergo stand
can both be rotated, the XOOT cannot.
Honestly, I don't ever find myself needing
to rotate the screen when I can just use touch
to rotate my canvas.
The only time I've ever rotated my screen is to demo
that it can be done.
It's just not a practical feature in my opinion.
In terms of positions,
the Ergotron arm has more axes of motion,
so it can move side to side and up and down,
as well as forward and backward.
The XOOT can move side to side
and forward and backward by sliding the base,
but it can not move up and down in a vertical orientation.
And as far as angles go, both devices can be angled
from vertical to nearly horizontal.
Next, we'll discuss fluidity of movement,
which is a very important factor.
The XOOT is much easier to move.
It practically glides into position.
In contrast, you practically have
to wrestle the Ergotron arm to get it into position.
- Did somebody say wrestle?
- Moving onto cable management,
both devices allow you to tidy up your cables,
though I did a sloppy job with my Ergotron.
You can actually route the cables through the Ergotron arm,
which I did not do.
I just used zip ties to keep them in place.
I would say the two devices are about equal in that regard.
Next, we'll talk about consistency of position.
Because the Ergotron arm segments move around so much,
it can be difficult to keep it in a consistent position.
The XOOT is a lot more rigid,
so it's not going to shift out of position
every time you angle the screen.
The weight limit of the devices
is an important consideration.
Both devices can hold large displays,
but the Ergotron has a weight limit
and a heavier device can reduce the range of motion
and rigidity of the arm.
The XOOT, however, is pre-configured to be optimized
for the exact weight of your display,
which makes adjusting the screen feel light as a feather.
Now let's compare how the two devices mount to a desk.
Both devices use a clamp;
however, the Ergotron can also be mounted by drilling a hole
into your desk as well if you're not able to use the clamp.
So how has the XOOT System impacted my workflow?
I'm definitely becoming a lot less reliant
on my keyboard and my mouse,
and I'm able to use my Express Key Remote and my pen
and touch on my tablet to do a lot of the stuff
that I was doing with these kind of older tools.
that I'm in a bad habit of using.
I feel way more comfortable moving the screen position.
I know that sounds silly,
but it's buttery smooth to just go ahead
and move the screen.
And if I wanna move it back, I can move it back.
It doesn't take a whole lot of effort,
so I'm more like likely to do it.
My back actually feels better
because my posture has improved.
I'm able to elevate my chair a bit,
get rid of the keyboard tray,
and then I can scoot in nice and close here,
then I can move this down here into my lap.
And then it's very easy to just get in here
and kind of lean on the screen and draw,
and I can have much better posture overall.
And I can put it back to monitor mode,
and that makes it quick and easy
to go between all the different ergonomic positions.
Now, I wanna talk about some things
that I'm still adjusting to.
First of all, I need to remember
that I can actually move my screen position.
I'm so set in this habit of using the Ergotron arm
where the screen basically just stays vertical
the whole time, and that's how I use it.
I don't really move it to being able to go,
"You know what, I feel like drawing like this today,"
so I can put it down like this and get in here
and draw like that and lean on the screen.
And if I want it to be more upright like this
when I'm working on it,
if I wanna paint on it like that, I can do that.
Another thing that's taking a little bit
of adjusting to is the wobble.
Now it doesn't wobble a lot,
and it's really more noticeable along the sides.
If you're pushing in the center,
it's actually pretty stable.
And my desk moving is causing a little bit of wobble too,
but this is actually pretty sturdy.
So when you're drawing on it,
you're probably not going to experience a whole lot
of wobble depending on where you draw.
If you're over here, of course it might wobble more,
might wobble less here.
The wobble doesn't bother me so much when I'm drawing,
but it bothers me because I record myself drawing
and I don't like having the screen jitter around,
but that's kind of a gripe that might only apply to me
and maybe a few other people.
Otherwise, if you're gonna be drawing on this,
you'd probably be drawing on it down in this position here.
And if so, then it's actually a lot more stable
in that position.
Doesn't wobble around quite as much.
And I will mention that wobble is something
that's gonna happen with, really, any stand.
It really kind of depends on your desk
and how you have it set up.
But the thing is gonna move around
if you're really pressing on it.
The question is, how much is it gonna wobble?
So those are definitely some things
that are going to take adjusting to.
Now, I'm gonna transition into a section of this review
where I'm gonna just be going through my regular workflow.
What do I do on an average day?
I check my email. I might write a script.
I might record a video. I might edit a video.
I might do a drawing.
And so kind of go through each of those things
so you can see how the XOOT System is working
as it pertains to my own personal workflow.
So on an average workday, I might start by checking email
and I would of course, have my tablet
in the monitor mode upright like this.
Then I might move on to maybe browsing YouTube.
And then in that case,
I might move this down to a horizontal touch mode.
Then I might go ahead and go back up to vertical again
and go ahead and type a script for a video.
And then back down to the horizontal mode
to do some drawing.
And if I decide maybe I wanna do a little bit of drawing
in the vertical orientation, I could of course, do that too.
And then if I stay in monitor mode,
then I can move on to editing a video.
And as you can see,
there's an optimal position for each task.
And it wasn't terribly difficult to switch between each
of those different positions.
After trying the XOOT System in my own studio
for about two weeks,
I have to say I'm very impressed
with all the positive changes
that it's introduced into my own personal workflow.
I think it'll probably take me more than a couple of weeks
to really get used to working on this device.
I'm gonna have to break a lot of bad habits,
but it definitely has potential.
I'll have more opportunities to use the XOOT stand
and I'll be able to adapt to it a little bit more,
so I will keep you updated on which stand option I prefer.
Honestly, the Ergotron is doing an acceptable job
of holding my tablet up,
but it's really kind of silly
because I just keep in one fixed position.
I very rarely ever move it
because it's really just kind of a nuisance to move around.
I'd really like to use touch more often,
and I also like to be able to draw in positions
that are much more comfortable and don't hurt my back.
But like I said, that's gonna require me to retrain myself
to be less dependent on those old habits.
So that's a more in-depth look at the XOOT System.
It's a really fantastic alternative
to the Wacom Ergo Stand and the Wacom Ergo Flex arm.
You'll be excited to know
that I'm going to be reviewing the XOOT System attached
to the Wacom Cintiq Pro 32 very shortly.
And I'll be working with the XOOT System
up until it launches for crowdfunding in early 2019.
So make sure to subscribe to my channel
to get my latest updates.
If you're interested in learning more about the XOOT System
and where you can get one, sign up for XOOT's email list.
I'll put a link down in the video description
and you can even register to win a free XOOT System.