Pulling the Mukava out of the box, it seemed like another gadget running on the minimalist trend. Un-packaging it was awkward: it was heavy on the bottom, it just seemed weird. It looks like it belonged in the front of a sci-fi film, but the more I fiddled with it, the more I became enamored with it.
The Mükava is a highly flexible table designed around electronics, comfort, and style. It comes with magnetic pads that are designed to attach to your technology and secure it to the table, regardless of the position the Mukava is in.
There’s barely any assembly required. You pull it out of the box, remove the packaging, and you’re good to go.
When you first see the Mukava , attached to the front is a friendly little note advising you to read the instruction manual or watch the video before using. I ignored that, and tried to figure it out on my own.
I spent 15 minutes fiddling with it before I decided to watch the instruction video online, which was short and succinct. My biggest issue was figuring out how to adjust the table, and they have a short clip just for that. It’s tricky to figure out but once you get the hang of it, you can adjust it with ease. Just watch the video.
There are two main positions for the Mukava – you can have it set up for reading or as a side table. It’s considerably sturdier as a side-table, and you can use a laptop comfortably on it. It can extend high to be used hands-free when you’re in the kitchen, or low enough to view a demonstrative Yoga video comfortably while you’re lying on the floor. You could angle the Mukava perfectly to watch Netflix in bed, and it will charge your devices as you watch.
There are two USB ports, and they charge pretty well – we plugged in the iPad at around 12:00 and it gained 15 percebt in 45 minutes. The output is 5 volts and 4 amps of output power. The Mukava also comes with universal adapters for wherever you are in the world.
I was reluctant to attach anything vaguely sticky to my phone, but the Mukava pads leave no residue and can be removed easily. The pads secured my phone and the iPad enough that we made the Mukava vertical and neither became loose or fell, even when left for two hours. That was pretty impressive.
The Mukava comes with an included USB light that has two different settings – bright light and warm light. It’s touch-sensitive, so don’t press firmly against the power button.
It has adjustable elastics in the back to secure a book, magazine, or other miscellaneous items to the Mukava . The elastics are adjustable, which was an added bonus.
The Mukava is not perfect. Some of my biggest complaints are:
- It only has two USB ports. Considering they send you a USB light with the purchase of the Mukava , that is designed to be stored underneath the table – I wish they had an internal USB port made simply for the reading light. I also wish the USB port for the book light was coming from the top, not the bottom.
- It’s a little clunky to move. Understandably because it’s so heavy on the bottom for support, but it is a little cumbersome to move across the room.
- It’s not made for writing, but it would be neat if they designed a magnet clip made specifically to hold a pen.
- Included in your purchase is 1 phone sized cellophane cover (which they suggest you use if your phone has a case on it) that you attach to your phone, and then attach the Mükava pad to that. I wish they sent a couple more of those cellophane covers, because they are not as re-usable as the Mukava pads are. Additionally, it fit strangely around my Samsung Galaxy S5 phone.
- I am curious about how long the Mükava pads last, though they suggest they can be washed with soap and water and still stick to various electronics.
Bottom line: The Mukava is designed to complement good posture, to help against unnecessary neck and wrist strain. There’s a 30 day money-back guarantee, so you should try it. Plus, 10 percent of profits from the sale of Mükava products go to The Yayasan Kawula Peduli school in Indonesia. Another 10 percent is donated to the Literacy Volunteers of Washington County.
This desk is weird, and I like it.
@BlastMagazine Thanks for the in depth review!