It holds my 13" MacBook Pro with no problems (although it's a fairly thin and light computer). The open design seems to keep the laptop cool. Pads are for the lower ones "Legs" provided where the edge of the laptop sits, which helps prevent slipping. A velcro strap usually seems unnecessary, but I still use it for extra security, mostly in the case of the VESA end of the arm it's mounted starts to tilt down. A small detail that could have been better is that the velcro straps are twisted very tightly so the last few inches are curved and not very usable. I trimmed the worst of the wrinkled bits as they were, enough extra length for my small laptop (and it made the straps easier to use in general), but that might be more of an issue on a larger laptop.
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