The Only Desk Shelf You'll Ever Need

I am convinced that the Setup Cockpit by Balolo is the only desk shelf you'll ever need thanks to its modular design. Though similar to Grovemade's design, there are a couple of key differences that set the Setup Cockpit apart from the rest.
Check out the Setup Cockpit + Accessories below and use code MICHAELSOLEDAD to save 10%
AFFILIATE LINKS:
Save 10% by using code: MICHAELSOLEDAD
Setup Cockpit (LARGE): bit.ly/3np1wwR
Setup Cockpit (MEDIUM): bit.ly/45tR3Fc
Laptop Holder: bit.ly/3MXVmBt
Compartment: bit.ly/3WBrhur
Compartment (LARGE): bit.ly/3OCn0Fl
iPhone MagSafe holder: bit.ly/435aqmv
Tablet/Phone holder: bit.ly/4380vfU
Laptop Dock: bit.ly/3qfhgac
Stream Deck holder: bit.ly/3qdOBm3
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[@jmwutube1]

Great Review, you've got me hooked. You mention the large one is 60". At their site the large one is only 45"Am I missing something. I have two 32" monitors which I think are around 28" in width so really need some width. Thanks again for the review.

[@MichaelSoledad]

Thanks for bringing it up! I didn't realize that I made that error. Yes, the site has the correct sizing.

[@JDFrancis]

Okay that makes more sense. I just got my tape measure out and was like, "That's a really big desk shelf." 45" makes more sense. Have you looked into dual monitor arms? I've got one for my 35" ultra wide and I'm hooked. I don't think I'll ever use standard monitor mounts again.

[@OSCAR13431]

@@JDFrancis I have a 34" ultrawide monitor coupled with a 27". Would a dual monitor arm accommodate both side by side? I currently only have the ultrawide mounted, but want to also mount the 27"

[@JDFrancis]

@@OSCAR13431 Hey Oscar, I honestly don't know if they make monitor arms that can handle such a size differential like that. I think they're generally for handling dual monitors of a similar size (27 + 27, 24 + 27) and so on. Honestly, if you already have an arm for the ultra wide, I would just buy a new one for the 27" and a call it a day.

[@balolo-shop]

Thank you for such a great review of our Setup Cockpit!

[@wh0tube]

Modular is the foundation of customisability! 😁 well designed 👍

[@ForgottenTasmania]

We had desk shelves for our computer monitors back in the 70s. I love my (massively overpriced) Grovemade, but they didn’t invent it. 😊

[@MichaelSoledad]

Can you help me understand what these old desk shelves were? I’m aware that they exist but not in the form we know nowadays where it’s a monitor riser + desk shelf.

[@ForgottenTasmania]

@@MichaelSoledad I have a photo of one. Very hand made, rough as guts carpentry, but it lifts the mono CRT monitor up to eye level and has items either side of the monitor, clearly a shelf. Given it's c1978, I probably made it myself after seeing something similar at a friend's house, they were quite common. Then in the 90s they were called monitor risers and had drawers in them, albeit not much of a shelf. I've also got a nice one from Tasmanian timber made by my local mens shed. The product definitely existed for ages before Grovemade, although I'll give you that they popularised it and made it look good. I do like that the Balolo is customisable. My point is, its inaccurate to say Grovemade invented it.

[@MichaelSoledad]

@@ForgottenTasmaniaI actually didn’t contest your original statement as I was honestly asking so thank you for sharing. I’ve done a lot of googling way before I made this video and nothing came up that even resembled the desk shelf we know today. I appreciate the insight!

[@ForgottenTasmania]

No sweat at all. I hope you didn’t think I was grumpy, just sharing. 😊

[@MichaelSoledad]

@@ForgottenTasmania Not at all! I appreciate the comment!

[@Elio_JY_Yang]

Dang, I never even thought about having a desk shelf, but you got me seriously considering it! 😄🙌

[@LloydCarig]

Balolo really did great with their desk shelf to stand out from the rest, you did a great job showcasing them!

[@MichaelSoledad]

Thank you, Lloyd!

[@adamcanterbury]

Absolutely love your style and your content...big fan, keep up the awesome work and thank you for putting so much thought and effort into everything you do...😊

[@MichaelSoledad]

Thank you very much for the kind words, Adam!

[@creepycroisssant]

just scooped one up, thanks brotha!

[@user-nt3lj9zd5m]

Great shelf desk for customization making your workspace unique!

[@timernst334]

Great video just curious what are the monitor shown on the outro at 7:41 with the mountains, they look almost square? I have a 34" curved widescreen but sometimes find it to much for the way my work flow is evolving.

[@Reducer]

Well, guess it's time to order some accessories, I've had my large shelf from them for over a year now.

[@udp1073]

Sir, in the intro the camera pick up a "dual alarmclock" that seems really interesting, do you mind to link the product? For the rest: nice video as usual (even if I am a big fan of Groovmade product)

[@thailam]

is the medium cockpit has enough space for a laptop mount? btw thanks for the review

[@AX-fx7ng]

Can you or someone please share which size spec are the Allen Screws & Wood inserts in this System? Are they M6 - 10 / 13 mm? Larger/ Lesser? Flat or Round head screws?

[@eightfoldsg]

Hi Michael, do you have a link to the led corner lamp?

[@UrbanBDKNY]

Ohhhhh grovemade feels betrayed right now lol Great video. This company came on my radar like a year ago and they did a very smart thing to basically copy grovemade but even 1 up them by including this super smart organization system that is modular My next setup I am going to likely have 3 monitors and no desk shelf because I will put the monitors on monitor arms but something makes me want this thing...even though I don't need it lol

[@GotCoach]

The only challenge is they are backordered (been two weeks and they are saying another two weeks to ship) and dont tell you until after you order. Super poor service and now they will not refund either?

[@kidult9455]

What color is the large one that you showed in the video ?

[@jeffwinney3673]

Love all your videos. What are your (or anybody elses) thoughts on desks that are NOT pushed up against a wall (capitalized for emphasis, not anger). :) Any ideas a nice cable management that will be seen at the back (front) of desk? Keep the great content coming! Thanks.

[@MichaelSoledad]

Thank you, Jeff! I've had my desk setup in the middle of the room in the past which I also enjoyed. I think it's a great idea especially if you meet with clients in person. That sort of layout also works for a more formal feeling space.

[@WobbleMatic]

Well, that video turned out to be expensive! Glad of the discount!

[@Kozi03]

Wish they had a white option for the legs

[@darlwold1810]

Balolo vs grooves made, which one is better!?

[@AndyAPRELON]

What’s the distance between two between the screws of the macbook pro stand please ?

[@illyvanilly3578]

Where can I get the large desk mat shown at 7:40 😍?

[@shanghaikid6272]

Beautiful wood grains but I had a desk shelf in the late 1980's when PC's first came out, not something new and I don't think your company was the first to come up with it. But very beautiful compared to what I had.

[@MichaelSoledad]

Interesting. I've never come across anything like it in the 80's or 90's. Small shelves definitely existed but I can't recall anything ever built specifically for desks. Btw, Grovemade is not my company lol

[@cr3ativewill119]

whats the desk shelf at 7:31?

[@Gelsenkirsen]

You don’t even need desk shelf. These KZbinrs makes you believe you need one

[@19Jose91]

I have one but it’s an amazon simple one that was like 20€. Pretty worth it, since I can raise my monitor and ocuppy space under it

[@victortaylor9399]

Agreed. It’s a shelf. Just a shelf, and they want almost $300 CAD for it. That’s insane. I paid about that much for an entire entertainment console for my tv.

[@farmeunit]

@@victortaylor9399Just get a cheaper one… lol

[@MiningForPies]

I made my own with some spare wood. It’s really useful. Didn’t cost anything

[@marcolai9735]

Any link for that?

[@LizzDimaano]

Great review Michael! I love the additions to the balolo shelf. I only wish it was magnetized or something so you dont have to screw in all the attachments :)

[@MichaelSoledad]

That's a great suggestion, Liz! Who knows, maybe they'll incorporate that :)

[@sanjidulhaque1489]

Hey at 7:35 whats the lighting behind the monitors? Would anyone let me know please?

[@MichaelSoledad]

I used an LED stick to light up the background for the purpose of that video.

[@LiquaFoo]

At 6:57 what is the size of the curved monitor?

[@ilichio]

Plywood that feels "premium" 😂😂😂 that's new.

[@chiromoreno957]

Там натуральный шпон американского ореха , он стоит дорого )

[@Aethid]

TIL Govemade invented the monitor stand that my I had on desk in the late 1990s.

[@MichaelSoledad]

I’ve been around long enough to know what monitor stands are and I truly do not recall them resembling anything they do today. I am more than happy to be proven wrong as I’ve done enough research myself prior to making this video.

[@Aethid]

@@MichaelSoledad A shelf running across the back of the desk, elevated ~10cm, upon which you are supposed to place your monitor, and which creates a space underneath for storage and organisation. I have long seen and used ones with internal shelves or draws, ones made of wood and ones made of plastic, ones only wide enough for the monitor and ones the width of the desk. Computer desks (especially corner desks) often shipped with one designed to go with the desk. I genuinely don’t know what you think Grovemade invented here. Cork legs? I think you could perhaps credit Grovemade with popularising these shelves, after they fell out of fashion about a decade ago.

[@MichaelSoledad]

@@Aethid I didn’t ask for a definition but thanks anyway. If you can prove that desk shelves were categorically sold back then I will happily acknowledge it because I personally couldn’t.

[@Aethid]

The video opens with “Ever since Grovemade invented and popularised the concept of having a self on your desk”, which is outright absurd. Beyond the fact that monitor stands have been around for decades - and I have no idea what you think distinguishes these from Grovemade’s shelf - shelves on desks have been around since forever. Writing desks, for example, have them. Google “Edwardian writing desk” and you can find examples from 200 years ago. Scroll down enough, and you can even find some minimalistic versions which look an awful lot like a modern monitor/desk shelf.

[@Aethid]

You can find countless examples of “putting a shelf on your desk”, as you claim Grovemade invented, going back hundreds of years via a google image search for either “monitor shelf” or “writing desk”. I am also not sure how you managed to miss the point as to why I gave a definition of the thing you claim didn’t exist until a few years ago, given that you tried to weasel out of other comments calling this out with very vague “it’s not the same” responses. How, exactly, is the Grovemade shelf different from shelves matching the definition I gave? As I have said, I have owned and seen many shelves meeting that definition over decades, and it takes mere seconds to find examples of such on Google.

[@DavidNYC83]

I want the balolo so bad, but the don’t make my wood combination, black with maple.

[@ellisz5972]

Very nice. I wish their web-site was in English though.

[@MichaelSoledad]

Chrome browser automatically translates it to English for me. Maybe there is a setting that you can enable?

[@EbiAtawodi]

What colour is the one on your desk? I can’t tell if it is oak or walnut…

[@anemone08430]

that's 100% walnut i have the same one

[@anemone08430]

6:40 right?

[@migle25]

0:43 which shelf s that?

[@MichaelSoledad]

It’s the Gather collection by UGMONK. I made a video about it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5a9mnyomJdrnbc

[@nicklay1080]

That's a pretty bold statement right off the rip, saying a company INVENTED A SHELF. lol

[@halfwit2]

I was gonna say, I made a shelf on my desk in 2017, it wasn't the first time I've had one either

[@PicMus]

No drawers?

Balolo

[@shawwin07]

Not Hexcal?

[@MichaelSoledad]

I've seen their shelf but it didn't resonate with me.

[@ReaZRapTor]

I'm the only one shock by the price? 200€ for 3 pieces of wood ans some hardware????

[@thefitstuff]

Too bad they don't have a slim one for desks that are not so deep

[@needum9212]

i dont get why there so expensive i cant find cheaper ones

[@MichaelSoledad]

There are more affordable ones. Some simply don’t have the same build quality or additional functionality as this one.

[@needum9212]

@@MichaelSoledad thats what i figured while searching. i really like the attachments for the one in your vid so imma just get that one even tho its $200 hahaha

[@carlonalesso7100]

Per chi vive in europa ci sono da mettere in conto 80-100 euro solo di spese di spedizione, mi dispiace ma è troppo per quanto possa essere ben fatto

[@ds_7]

The small shelf on the balolo, its composite wood, its small size, its ugly legs, and its side edges all make it suck. I love the accessories, but when the base of the thing is bad and the shelf accessory is bad, the whole thing is a failure for me.

[@iain.]

"not sponsored at all"

[@andyrudd1966]

You can spend upwards of $500 on a piece of wood with legs if you want or you can make one for $20. Hell Home Depot will even cut the wood for you. Mine is way better quality and looks better as well.

[@MichaelSoledad]

Im sure you can! I’m in no way discouraging it so Im glad you can make it work.

[@LightYagami675S]

they are scamming with those mods 50 for a little piece of metal lol

[@monchogarciacom]

The supports of the BALOLO company are a fraud. Of poor quality and with flaws, TWO arrived wrong with flaws, missing parts, screws... Terrible shipping, slow and very poorly protected against transport shocks.

[@jasonprice9823]

"Invented" ? 😆 paid shill or what?

[@MichaelSoledad]

Unless you can name me another company that made a desk shelf years before the pandemic, I’ll stick to the term.

[@jasonprice9823]

@@MichaelSoledad the 15 year old desk from costco in my wife's office has a shelf on it. Shelves have been put on desks forever. I can't believe I'm even having this conversation lol

[@MichaelSoledad]

I can't believe it either. Any shelf can be put on a desk, yes. But creating a category for that specific use case I've not seen anyone do apart from Grovemade. Like I said, I'll stand by my statement until you can show me another company that made desk shelves specifically.

[@jasonprice9823]

@MichaelSoledad I don't need Google to translate this into "I'm paid by grovemade" lol

[@MichaelSoledad]

@@jasonprice9823 I'll take that as "i don't have an answer for you". Carry on, Jason.

[@tdadelaja]

You're just super amazing. I love your reviews and always look forward to coming here.

[@MichaelSoledad]

Thank you so much!

[@randymoberg40]

Purchased this a month or so ago and absolutely love it. I have the MagSafe attachment, but can't seem to get an iphone case that will allow the magnet to hold the phone on the stand. What case are you using?

[@MichaelSoledad]

Currently my favorite is from Spigen. Just make sure that you look for a case that is MagSafe compatible when searching. They add additional magnets within the case to make it stick.