I just received this stand despite reading some finicky reviews about the stiffness of the hinges, the finish and the texture of the sandblasted aluminum. I'm glad I did because I love this stand. It has a rock solid feel, the stiffness of the hinges adding to the rock solid feel. I can type on my laptop without feeling like it's moving or collapsing. I don't plan on moving to many places, so the stiffness of the hinges doesn't bother me at all. As for the finish, it's true that it doesn't quite match the color and texture of my space gray MacBook Pro, but it seems perfectly acceptable to me.