SP3 hinge slipping down when about 10 to 15 degrees of fully extended (is this inevitable?)

[5Mike5]

Hello All,

My Surface 3's hinge/stand does not hold up the device when it is leaned back to almost fully extended (canvas position). I've owned the Surface since September and use it constantly. I've looked at Surfaces on demo in stores and they all seem have more sturdy stands than is the case with my Surface. It's been this way for quite some time and I assumed it might be normal over time for it to loosen, but now I'm concerned about the hinges loosening even further. It is almost as if the hinge has too much grease in it.

Does any0ne know of a way to tighten the SP3's hinges? I'm assuming that the hinges may have loosened because I do a lot of writing on my Surface in the canvas (fully extended) position. Maybe the weight of my hand has caused the hinge to loosen up? From what I can tell, the left-hand side hinge puts up less resistance than the right. As I'm left-handed, it would make sense that the pressure from my hand resting on the screen as I write may have caused the hinge to loosen up.

Is any one out there experiencing slippage in the hinge over time?

Mike

 

[ptrkhh]

Mine too, at the angle between "Surface Pro 2 mode" and "canvas mode", its definitely weaker than the rest. However, it could still hold its position as long as I don't touch it.

 

[daniielrp]

Mine does the same when it's at extremes, but I've only noticed in on slippery surfaces where the stand/Surface easily slide around. A solution really would be some more rubbery "feet" on the edges of the stand to prevent it slipping.

 

[VickiFL]

Mine does the same when it's at extremes, but I've only noticed in on slippery surfaces where the stand/Surface easily slide around. A solution really would be some more rubbery "feet" on the edges of the stand to prevent it slipping.

I also have this minor problem, but I love my SP3 too much to return it. I'm on my 3rd replacement, and I have a really good one this time. I really like your solution! I just need to figure out how to do it now.

 

[wynand32]

Mine doesn't seem to be doing this. Seems like it would be grounds for a warranty claim--the kickstand mechanism is pretty vital, so if it's going bad I wouldn't accept it for long.

 

[5Mike5]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I'm relieved to know that others are seeing similar behaviour, and I agree that it is a minor issue given that I rarely find myself wanting to use the Surface at the problem angle and everything else about the device is working fine as far as I know. My main concern was whether my kickstand situation was an outlier/special and whether it might get worse.

The rubber feet idea is excellent and I will keep a look out for material that might serve the purpose without degrading aesthetics too much.

I'm fairly certain that Microsoft would not flinch to replace it, but then there is no guarantee that the next device won't exhibit the same behaviour straight out of the box (thus my question to the forum whether others have seen this) or after time under normal use, and I would really rather keep using the device as a productivity tool rather than having to handle it with kid gloves in order to avoid what is at the moment a minor issue for an angle that I rarely if ever use.

I will look into placing a bit of resistant material along the edge of the kickstand to see how that goes. If I find something that works, I will post a picture.

Thanks again all.

P.S. Anyone else reading this post who is experiencing the issue, please let us know by dropping a quick post to this thread.

 

[5Mike5]

I think I've found a creative work-around for those times that I absolutely need to work at a shallow display angle. (Rubber feet on the hinge did not work out - still slipped where the keyboard connects.)

 

[5Mike5]

To be fair, the orange is an exaggeration for comic effect, the Surface is able to hold that angle, but not much further back. As for a minor adjustment at a shallow angle, then this is a simple work-around. As long as the hinge doesn't get worse, I think I can live with it. Despite this issue, the design still offers a lot more flexibility than was available with previous models.