We’re willing to bet that there’s a good number of you who spend long hours seated at a desk while work or studying. The Gear Patrol Crew is no different. You can find us hunched over our desk tweaking photos, writing articles, and trying to provide quality content for you, our readers, at all hours of the day and night. No matter what other people may think, being a desk jockey is actually quite physically challenging and can take toll on your body. Literally, it’s a pain in the neck.

The pain can be bearable for some but for others, it’s only exacerbated by the fact you’re headed to the same tiny torture chamber day after day. After a while, you’re desperate to make the space more welcoming. You start off by trying to find a new chair or maybe a new keyboard. You may have even purchased a book holder.

No matter how awesome that new chair or keyboard is, if you’re hunched over trying read your paperwork, you’re still going to feel the pain. Average book holders and copy holders only prop up your documents. They don’t bring it up to eye level so you’re stuck being bent over and the nagging buzz from your iPosture keeps going off.

If this is you, we’ve found the solution you need.

Years ago, a certified professional ergonomist, Marilyn Dainoff, sought to find a cure for (y)our pain. Ms. Dainoff, with the help of Paul Cooker and Klaus Thiel, based their research on her core design values of functionality, usability, and simplicity with sound ergonomic principles and created the Standard Atlas Book and Copy Holder.

Lately, work hasn’t been as painful with the Standard Atlas. It’s been tremendously useful for bringing documents and books up to eye level with 11″ of vertical adjustability, and we’ve also found it to be extremely sturdy. We couldn’t find a book that the Atlas couldn’t tame and the 3″ wide shelf can easily withstand over 27 lbs, certainly a copy holder well worthy of its name. In addition to vertical adjustments, the Standard Atlas features ten different viewing angles between 15 and 60 degrees to ensure optimal viewing. Each Atlas comes equipped with page stoppers and a pencil well. Additional accessories such as line guides and spring loaded clips for loose papers are also available.

In addition to the Standard, Atlas also offers a smaller, portable version, the Ultra. The Ultra takes only seconds to install and is made from earth-friendly Trespa, an extremely strong and durable material. A key feature so you won’t find broken plastic tabs or bent wires when pulling this beast out of your bag. The Ultra weighs in at 4.8 lbs and is not the lightest portable book stand in the world but it will fit easily into your Ogio Politan. While it weighs more than your 13″ Macbook Pro (at 4.5lbs), lugging both across campus is a small price to pay when you’re settling in for a long night.

Both the Standard Atlas and Ultra book and copy holders are great products and help tremendously to reduce neck pain and shoulder strain. We can’t imagine what working would be like without them and are finding more ways to implement their use. They’re perfect in the kitchen to hold cookbooks and recipes when you’re whipping up another batch of Gear Burgers or Steak au Poivre. Not to mention they’re an excellent choice if you’ve got a great book you want to display. (The Complete Pirelli Collection, perhaps). No matter what you need a book holder for, do yourself a favor, get an Atlas.

Not for nothing, but here’s a few tips to give you the ergonomic edge:

• If you have to bend or twist your neck to one side for more than a few hours, it’s probably going to hurt.
• Keep your neck in a relaxed, upright position, as if you were walking down the street.
• Look straight ahead, keep your monitor at approximately arm’s length, and at a height that doesn’t require you to bend your neck up or down.
• Keep your document holder the same distance from your eyes as the computer monitor, if possible. This prevents eye fatigue and strain caused by constant refocusing. However, if you can’t read the print on your documents from that distance. Move it closer so you won’t have to bend your neck or strain to read it.
• If you’re tall, adjust the shelf on the copy holder to the necessary height. Purchase a booster box, or use large book to raise the copy holder if necessary.
• If you write on your document, place a large book behind it so you’re writing flush with the edge.

Cost: $79 (Standard) | $65 (Ultra)