Review: The Glomtom isn't just for gamers

Image courtesy of Glomtom, used with permission.

If you watch a lot of Twitch.tv, then you may have seen one of your favorite streamers using a unique gaming accessory: The Glomtom. This innovative product provides comfort, support, and better posture for gamers who spend hours with their gaming controller. Glomtom sent us a review unit so that we can see what all the fuss was about, and yes, the Glomtom is more than just a glorified pillow.

Unlike a pillow, the Glomtom provides firm yet soft support through it's foam core and microfiber exterior. It's shaped with a curve and meant to fit snugly hugging up against you. This allows your arms to rest comfortably by your side on the Glomtom, which props them up by a 15 degree incline. Because of this you simply won't feel the same level of tension and stress in your neck, back, and shoulders that you'll normally feel from gaming for several hours otherwise. According to the company, using the Glomtom also improves the blood flow in your hands and arms and "your parasympathetic nervous system is triggered and your body embraces deeper relaxation and healing." While we can't confirm the the scientific claims, using the Glomtom it was immediately apparent that we had greater posture support and felt more comfortable even after just a few minutes.

There's a zipper pouch made from canvas and styrene along the front of the Glomtom which can store a Wii U gamepad, or another console's gaming controller and television remote, or anything else that you want to keep within arms reach. This gamer has really long arms, and couldn't help but wish that the zipper wasn't as close to the center of the top of the GlomTom, as our knuckles brushed against the rough zipper and canvas instead of the soft microfiber. This gamer's girlfriend didn't have the same issue, however, if you're freakishly tall with super long arms like this writer though you may run into the same issue.

Although the company markets the Glomtom specifically to gamers, we found that the product also excels a everyday use. In particular, the Glomtom is excellent when using tablets. While companies like Apple continue to make increasingly lighter devices such as the iPad Air 2, this gamer currently owns the older "new iPad" 3rd gen. At almost a pound and a half with a protective case on, using even the tablet for any extensive amount of time quickly becomes tiresome. With the Glomtom we were able to use the iPad for over three hours straight without our shoulders or arms beginning to hurt at all. This gamer's girlfriend is an English teacher, and has been using the Glomtom while correcting papers laying down on the couch or bed while watching television at the same time. She feels that she's "more productive" and can "grade more papers" using the Glomtom versus reading her student's essays on her lap.

Over the past few weeks the Glomtom has quickly become one of this writer's favorite gaming accessories, and we'd certainly recommend it to our readers. Our only complaint is the price. At $44.99, the Glomtom's MSRP is a little bit steep. Savvy shoppers will be able to find discount codes from Twitch streamers that'll bring the MSRP down by $5, however, we'd like to see that be the normal price and not the promotional one. It's also curious that such a great product is only be available online through the Glomtom website and not with online retailers such as Amazon. We could definitely see this product being sold not just in specialty gaming stores such as GameStop, but also in luxury home goods store like Bed Bath and Beyond as it definitely serves a function beyond gaming. When you consider the sheer amount of hours you spend with your console controller, tablet, or book and the huge difference you'll feel when using the Glomtom, we think it's absolutely worth it. Did you enjoy this article? Please share it and subscribe for updates.