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Vertical Docks
Adapt your workstation to you, not the other way around

Guide: VESA Arm Selection for the Vertical Dock

Dual gas-adjustable clamp-style VESA arms

 

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Introduction and Safety


Why VESA?

While some of our docks can be used without a VESA arm/mount, they can be easy to knock over which could result in personal injuries or damage to your laptop.

For this reason we only officially support our docks when fastened to a VESA arm/mount. There are a wide variety of mounts avaialble and below we've categorized some customer favorites. If you need help choosing, please send us a note and we'll be happy help.


SAFETY NOTE: Gas-cylinder adjustable VESA arms

Because a Surface weighs less than a typical monitor, some heavy-duty gas-cylinder adjustable VESA monitor arms may spring upward when un-docking your Surface. If you're not careful, this could result in personal injury or damage to your Surface. To avoid this, you can add weight to ensure the arm is operating within manufacturer specifications. A Vertical Dock with the MS Dock electronics attached weighs 1-1.25kg (~2-3 pounds) depending on the model. With the Surface docked, the combined weight is 1.4-3kg (3-6.75 pounds). USB-C models or cover-plate-only models without docking electronics attached weigh less and are more susceptable to gas-cylinder based arms springing upwards. Monitor mounts without gas-cylinders offer less adjustablity but don't have these issues. A selection of products to add weight is listed at the bottom of this article.

SAFETY NOTE: Rotating between vertical and horizontal orientations

To rotate your Surface between vertical and horizontal orientations, your VESA arm needs to have a pivoting mounting plate. Look for models that advertise 90° or 360° rotation. To be clear, the Vertical Dock does not include rotation capability built-in - this capability is provided by the VESA monitor arm. Depending on the options ordered, your Vertical Dock will come with the necessary mounting bars to ensure the Surface is well-supported in Vertical, Horizontal, or both orientations when used with your VESA arm. Do not attempt to rotate into horizontal mode without the horizontal bars otherwise your Surface may fall out causing damage and/or injury.



 


Free-standing weighted mounts

Free-standing weighted models are simple to install because they don't require clamping to the edge of the desk or through a grommet hole. But they take up desk space and offer less adjustablity than desk-clamp style mounts. They are well-suited for glass tables and writing desks. Some models offer a wide range of tilt angles which can be helpful for illustrators, drafters, or writers, but may lack the ability to rotate between horizontal and vertical orientations.


Single mounts -  can hold a Vertical Dock 

  • VIVO Single Stand V001H (~$30) - minimal adjustabilty - OK if you don't move your Surface
  • Hemudu HT05B-001 Single Monitor Stand (~$30) - has rotation but minimal height adjustment
  • VIVO STAND-V0001R  (~$60) - gas adjustable with rotation, can slide fore-aft on your desk to switch between illustration/drafting vs regular desktop use; tuning of gas adjustment screw is needed to minimize vibration/movement for pen/touch use
  • Wearson WS-03U (~$30) - compact, has rotation, minimal height adjustment, odd design/shape, can slide fore-aft on your desk to switch between illustration/drafting vs regular desktop use
  • Wearson WS-03A (~$40) - no rotation, minimal height adjustment, has large tilt angle adjustment range, has stiff hinges which is excellent for drafting/illustration, can slide fore-aft on your desk

Dual and triple mounts - can hold a Vertical Dock plus 1 or 2 monitors:


 


Desk-clamp style mounts

Desk clamp style mounts attach firmly to the desk either by clamping around the edge or through a cable grommet hole. Gas-cylinder models offer the most adjustablity but require tuning to work well with the Vertical Dock.


Single arms - can hold a Vertical Dock only:


Dual arms - can hold a Vertical dock plus a single monitor:


Dual stacked arms - while not recommended for most customers, mounts that allow monitors to be stacked vertically can be helpful for specific applications


Triple arms  - good for a clean look in mounting two monitors plus a vertical dock. Many customers are better served getting a dual mount plus a single mount due to the added expense and reduced adjustabilty of triple arms.



 


Related products

Weights - To fine-tune heavy-duty gas-adjustable arms to work better with the Vertical Dock, you may need to add weight to the arm:


Single -> Dual  adapters -  If you already have VESA arms and just want to add your Surface on the side without buying a new arm, these single -> dual adapters *might* work. Do note that these adapters weigh ~5.5 pounds (2.5kg) and when combined with the weight of the Vertical Dock + Surface, may be too much weight for budget single arms. Check the manufacturer specs carefully.


Height adjusters - some dual mounts do not have independent height adjustment. So to raise or lower one screen with respect to another you can use an adapter:


Wall mounts - some customers prefer to have their screens wall-mounted like a home theatre TV for maximize available desk-space: