3M Knob Adjust Keyboard Tray, Tool-Free Installation, Standard Platform, Gel Wrist Rest, Precise Mouse Pad, Black (AKT65LE)

This is my first product review on Amazon (I did review one book in 2009, and you can find my own first novel, "The Coin of the Realm," on Amazon -- how's that for a shameless plug!), after buying many, many items here for many years. It's primarily because I want to counteract the negative comments about this product, virtually all of which reference adhesive failure, and also to let people know that it's really a great unit if you install it right.I've used a standard keyboard tray for a long, long time -- the kind with four feet that attach to the underside of your desk via screws, with a standard drawer glide -- and the design flaws finally got to me. Meaning, the unsteadiness, the unreliable locking utility, the inability to adjust height, angle, and position, the tendency for the screws to work out of the particle board desktop, etc., etc. So I researched online and settled on this model.The very design flaw that people reference in the comments on Amazon were to my mind a plus, because I realized the adhesive aspect would make installation a breeze. No way I would trust adhesive alone to hold up this entire assembly, though, and it's wrong of 3M to sell it that way. So don't assume you can trust it either. And 3M does include a pack of screws, so evidently someone there knows the truth.Here's what you do: You hook the front end (it also has adhesive on it) to the desktop, then press the back end to the desk underside for 30 seconds, and you have perfect positioning. Now you don't have to hold up a heavy assembly while lying on your back trying to make pencil marks for drill holes. Then, with the assembly firmly in place, you just take your drill and drill through the holes in the chassis into the desktop, put in 6-9 screws, and you have a rock-solid installation with the adhesive adding to the stability provided by the screws.The drawer itself is great, slides smoothly, and adjusted perfectly for me. (Note: it doesn't hide all the way under the desk; about 2 inches are left showing when you shove it in. That doesn't bother me at all, and in fact makes it easier to pull out, but I thought I should mention it.) My Apple extended keyboard and magic trackpad sit on the plain black tray perfectly, there's no wobbling or unsteadiness, and all-in-all it's a very professional set up. They include a bunch of adhesive strips in case you want to affix your keyboard permanently to the surface -- I didn't use them or even try them. My keyboard just sits there and doesn't move.I've run my own consulting business (DubinMarketing dot com) out of my home office for 16 years, and my time and productivity are critical. Hard to believe something so minor could make such a difference. What an improvement, and how I wish I'd made the change many years ago.A word about Amazon. I got this via an open-box warehouse deal for $80, including shipping. When it arrived, the wrist pad was missing. I called Amazon, reached a great gal named Christy, and she took care of the situation fast and authoritatively. Together we located a replacement 3M wrist pad on the site -- for all I know it's a better one than the missing one, since it's a top-of-the-line gel unit that alone costs almost $30 -- and she sent it to me for $0. Wow.Hope this helps your buying decision!

Overall, I really like this keyboard tray. It's sturdy, has a nice wide tray that fits both the mouse and keyboard, and adjusts in several ways. However, the idea that it will stick just with the enclosed 3M strips is faulty. Mine fell after about 20 minutes and I hadn't even used the keyboard yet. It comes with the hardware to screw/drill it into the desk, but I had specifically been looking for a tray that wouldn't require that. However, it's very easy to screw it in and requires less work than a traditionally mounted keyboard (in my opinion). I was able to screw it in by hand (I don't have a drill) to my desk, which is press board on the underside. After that, the unit is extremely sturdy and I've been very pleased. My desk does have a slight lip on the front (where the front unit attaches) and it was a little difficult getting a good fit. If your desk has a more pronounced lip on it, I don't know that this would work for you.

Easy to install, worked great at first. Eventually the adhesive in the back came undone which bent the brackets in the front so the anchors no longer kept hold or could be screwed in. Now it falls off from the back at least twice a day.UPDATE 3/12/15: So after this tray failed I contacted 3M in January seeing if I could get a RMA on the tray. They took my details and said one was on the way. Well a few months went by with the tray constantly falling off my desk and frustrated me so bad that I ended up throwing the whole thing away. Bought a screw-in version of the tray and then much to my surprise the replacement arrived today... along with the new tray.I contacted 3M regarding this since I didn't have one to send back to them and they are letting me keep the RMA free of charge. Their customer service is beyond any other department I've ever dealt with and is really great. This time around however I am going to be screwing this tray into my desk.UPDATE 6/7/15: Well the tray started falling off again about a month ago but recently has been an almost daily issue. I now see why and what is failing on this tray. Unfortunately there is no fix and all of them will be subject to failure. On the front of the tray are two C brackets that have plastic risers you use to screw and clamp down the bracket to the front of your desk. The metal they used on these brackets isn't strong enough for the force that is applied from the tray and over time bends due to the force. Once the brackets have bent enough the tray gives out and the back flops off because the front brackets have failed. Because of the tray flopping downwards the brackets actually bend even more which means for most people the risers used on the initial install won't even reach the bottom of your desk. After bending the brackets to make them fit again over time the process repeats ad-nauseam. Anyone with a failed tray will notice cracking or missing paint on the brackets because of the metal warping from the force.

I don't believe I have seen anything so ridiculous. The keyboard base is too heavy for the runners,and it's massive. The instructions are useless. It's supposed to rotate 360 degrees and mine won't move. The keyboard base tilt is no use whatsoever. Must have been designed by someone who has had too much to drink.

The clamp model (one that does not require screwing to the desk) does not fit the corner maker. In any case, the product seems excellent so far, it glides smoothly, is very adjustable, and feels very sturdy. One thing to note is that if your desk is not super high, the tray will of course reduce the clearance to your legs. My knees now regularly bump into the tray, but I would rather that than type on my desk - so I don't mind it. Bought a second one!edit: over time the adhesive tapes have actually shifted and now the tray is misaligned. The first one actually kept falling off over and over again after the adhesive shifted. I had thought that it was just a lemon - so I ripped out the adhesive and replaced it with 3m VHB tape - which has held up like a champ for the last week or so. The second one that I bought I made sure to check that the adhesive was aligned when I mounted it under the desk. But over the course of less than a week, I noticed that the tray now wobbles and I see that the tape has been peeling and shifting from its original position. I will have to also replace this with VHB tape, as the adhesive for the velcro is not up to the task (the command strips sticking the velcro to the desk have been fine so far).edit: VHB tape stayed in place for 2+ weeks, but eventually fell off too like the factory velcro. Just going to screw it into place.

I'm not sure how everyone else is doing so well with this - mine failed miserably! Within 30 min. the sticky pads that adhere to the underside of the desk came unstuck and the entire thing went crashing to the floor. First the keyboard tray became unconnected from the part that sticks to the desk, the plastic "teeth" connection is incredibly weak. I re-attached it numerous times but within half an hour, even that wouldn't stay put. All hope was lost and the sticky lost its stick. I'm relieved I wasn't sitting there at the time or my feet and calves would have been hurt.I'm currently debating whether to return it for a refund or try to figure out how to Jerry-rig it to stay up in some other way. I would prefer not to have to duct tape a keyboard tray up. I have a glass desk so the screws are not an option. I was very excited to see this 'no tool install' and thought it was the perfect solution to my keyboard issues. Nope. FAIL.

The keyboard drawer works well. It is well constructed and was easy to install.

Great product, easy installation, and works beautifully!