A modest group of people based in London, with a desire to create the most ergonomically superior products for the workplace, have been designing industry leading and award-winning accessories for 30 years. Colebrook Bosson Saunders (or CBS) has always been driven by novelty and innovation. They’re known for industry firsts, such as Wishbone, the world’s first flatscreen monitor arm, and Ollin, the world’s first dynamic monitor arm that supports any weight up to 9kg.
CBS are experts in ergonomics work tools and committed to enhancing the connection between people and technology. Their latest product, Lima, is the youngest and most cost effective entrant to their addition to their family of award-winning monitor arms. But don’t let that fool you into thinking that it may be basic. In fact, Lima boasts a design that will make you fall in love, and the price point to ensure that it’s well within reach for most. It’s so good that it won the Red Dot 2020 award for Product Design, joining the likes of Ollin and Flo. “We’re committed to creating the most comfortable working environment through the use of our products,” says Matt Geddes, Director Asia Pacific at CBS. “That means designing them to be of the highest quality, easy-to-use, and long-lasting. With Lima, we continue our legacy of human-centered design.”
If you’re wondering what exactly makes Lima an entry-level product, you’re not alone.
A lot of it has to do with the component design, but it starts with the very material used to make the arm. The product images might have you assuming it is aluminium due to its sleek look. But we were amazed to learn that it’s an engineered plastic that is injected molded to create the arm. The material and design engineering behind Lima is an industry first (no surprises there!), and while it may not have the metallic sheen of aluminium monitor arms, it is certainly comparable in durability and strength. It also helps that it’s lighter and easier to move around when mounted. Less weight means easier and more economical to ship
Here’s another question we never thought we’d be asking ourselves: what’s the fastest time to install a monitor arm?
In Lima’s case, the answer is 17 seconds, Matt claims.
Even if you know nothing about installing a monitor arm, 17 seconds is an absurdly fast time. It’s a testament to the simplicity of product design and packaging. “We wanted to make it as easy to install and intuitive to use as possible,” says Matt.
Lima is based on a single post system with a simple press and release mechanism. The post and clamp are a single piece that attach to a desk with a thumbwheel screw. No tools are needed except for a screwdriver to tighten the VESA mount, a very simple requirement that is perfectly okay with us. What we found impressive is how easy it was to add a second monitor when needed, a bonus made possible through the single post design. All one has to do is slide the second arm onto the same post, with absolutely no need for disassembly or additional tools! It also comes with two standard cable clips that hide behind the post. This makes for good cable management and, from a user perspective, it’s designed to stay as hidden as possible. It encourages investing in dual monitors, which have been proven to increase productivity because of the time saved in switching screens. With Lima, buying a dual setup works out more cost effective because of the shared parts. The projected cost saving is about 30 to 40 percent, which can be a sizable saving for large organisations.
The entire set-up is packaged in a simple compact package with nearly everything you need. Less packaging, less landfill, less hassle. All you have to do is place the order and the package gets shipped to you with ease.
Laila: Most clients almost always see monitor arms as add-ons, even though they make a significant difference. I think Lima will help change that perception. It’s a great product that differentiates through clever design with the single post. The price point will really help with adoption because clients are always looking at the economical option. The fact that you save more when you upgrade to dual monitor arms because of shared parts, is actually a big deal. Not only are you saving on price but on parts as well. Reducing both cost and wastage is a great selling point.
Mayukh: I’ve honestly never looked into a monitor arm as carefully as I have for this product, mostly because of my experience in having to convince clients that it’s important and not an add-on. But Lima has me convinced that it’s worth it. It helps that the design is so sleek as well, because every single touch point adds to the aesthetic value of the workspace. It’s easy to install, doesn’t have more moving parts than needed, is smooth and simple to use. The single post mechanism, reduced packaging, and the fact that you can upgrade so easily to dual-monitor arms, makes it more appealing.
Lima might be an entry-level product, but that doesn’t mean it lacks any of the features that make a CBS monitor arm so great.
Starting with the degree of screen tilt – Lima’s head can move 80 degrees back or 10 degrees forward with ease. Not only does this provide a wide adjustment range to set it at a level that you find comfortable, but it also helps you adjust against the lighting in your workspace and any glare. The mechanism effectively future proofs the product, accounting for touchscreen devices that are becoming mainstream.
Not only is the tilt easy, but so is the height adjustment. All it takes is just the press of a button, and you can move the screen up or down as you like. Working with two screens? No problem. You can move each one independently! Lima is designed to ensure as much flexibility as possible towards getting the right posture for you.
Of course, what’s a product review without discussing aesthetics. Lima comes in three simple colours – white, black, and grey – with the posts available in anodised black and silver. It’s simple, concise, and in our opinion, just enough to have Lima blend into the environment.
The entire arm can take on up to 6.5 kgs with ease. It is 100 percent recyclable and comes with a 12 year warranty that is certainly impressive for an entry-level product. Lima has been tested over 50,000 cycles, so you can rest easy knowing it will last a long, long time. The investment of the product over its lifetime is enormous.
Furthermore, just a few weeks post our review, CBS launched two key accessories that quickly propelled Lima into our favourite products list. The Lima Laptop Mount and the Ondo, a USB connectivity attachment (the latter was in Laila’s wishlist). The Laptop Mount integrates seamlessly with the monitor arm to raise laptops off the desk and is ideal for mobile or hybrid workers who want to use their laptop as a secondary screen. According to the brand, it’s perfect when matched with any monitor up to 27 inches and can support any laptop up 2.8 kg (6.2 lbs). The Ondo seamlessly integrates into any CBS monitor arm and can be used in conjunction with an under-desk docking station. With two USB-A and two USB-C ports, it neatly manages all power, data, monitor, mouse and keyboard connections.
“A lot of people have been investing in ergonomic accessories for their work from home setups since the lockdown began,” says Matt. “As work from home becomes the new normal, we can see people investing in products like Lima. It’s cost effective, valuable, and easy to use, and fits in so well with the new working style.” Worth noting is how competitively Lima is priced to work its way into new or previously price-sensitive markets. “It’s a great conversation starter that allows us to show the value CBS can bring to a workspace. It’s a stepping stone for us to share the rest of our portfolio.”
Monitor arms are almost always classified as accessories – ‘nice to have’ ergonomic tools that designers have to try to somehow fit into the budget. With an entry-level product like Lima, that is so well priced but does not leave behind core CBS features, the budget might not be a problem. It’s a simple, straightforward, product that shouldn’t have a hard time becoming a staple at the workplace and the home office as well. Because of its simplicity, user friendliness, and affordability, we are confident that this product will soon enter the mainstream user market, and for that, we are proud of CBS for promoting wellness and good ergonomics into our lives.
Laila: It’s an intuitive product and I can see it being used in different spaces because of the look and feel. It helps that it looks and feels lightweight, yet is durable enough to last long. It’s slim and doesn’t take space, which I like. Being 100 percent recyclable helps when it comes to the sustainability component of a project. I do see more clients opening up to the idea of investing in monitor arms because of the various selling points. With WELL Building standards now becoming the norm, I see it becoming a staple in the workplace.
If I had one recommendation, I would suggest including a USB charger because it’s so ubiquitous on products now (this accessory was introduced into the market by CBS shortly after our review!). Additional colours would be nice to have but I absolutely don’t see it becoming a deal breaker. It depends on whether you want to match the arm with the desk or the monitor screen, and in nearly every case it’s the latter.
Mayukh: I really like Lima’s aesthetic profile and I’m confident it will do well in a work from home setup, or even better, in a medium to high-end gaming setup that uses dual monitors. The degrees of tilt are certainly impressive and you don’t get that level of smoothness in other monitor arms. It’s usually hard to fit monitor arms into furniture budgets, but I think we finally have a way to include this without trying too hard. You’re saving a sizable amount of money for just one person, imagine the savings in a company with at least 500 plus people.
The market is more aware now and people are starting to invest in products that make life easier for them. Keeping that in mind, this should become a part of mandatory work from home packages. I’d love to see Lima work with different desk configurations, like three way desks, where you have three monitors on a single post. That would be really cool!
