A Fix For The “Sharing The Armrest” Problem?

by SharonKurheg

A while back, we heard about a product that sounded really cool – Soarigami could be attached to an armrest on a plane, in a theater, in a stadium, etc., and turn a single armrest into a double one. What a convenient little gadget, huh? Soarigami sounded impressive enough that I bought one. Here’s what we thought of it.

IMG_0201

The Soarigami package came, as you can see, in a padded envelope (which was inside an Amazon box and air pillows for protection), along with a safety card with directions on how to use it. The directions were pretty simple:

  1. Invite your neighbor and/or travel companion to share.
  2. open the device so it looks like a paper airplane.
  3. Use the winglets on the underside to clip onto any existing armrest.
  4. Loosen or tighten the screws to secure.
  5. Place arm on device and enjoy. You’re welcome.
  6. When done, loosen screws to fold flat.
Screen Shot 2018-10-08 at 7.44.47 PM.png

Photo via Soarigami. And is that really an ashtray on the seat arm???

Did it work?

Because the Soarigami folds flat, I was able to easily store it in my under-the-seat handbag (you know – the one with the newly repaired zipper). Once Joe and I were settled in our seats on the plane, I pulled the Soarigami out and attached it to the armrest. Knowing what it was supposed to look like in use, setting it up was pretty self-explanatory.

a white envelope with red and blue stripes on it

And even better, it worked like a charm! The Soarigami attached easily, held the weight of our two arms, and felt sturdy; we felt no noticeable wiggle.

Photo Oct 02, 12 29 47 PM.jpg

As had been described on Soarigami’s website, the product can be used with the thicker side facing the front or the back of the seat. We noticed that it was more comfortable to have the thicker side facing the front, which we would suspect would always be the case unless you’re very skinny or small.

Photo Oct 02, 12 30 20 PM

With the thick end of the Soarigami facing the back of the seat, it dug into Joe’s side (Joe is the size of a typical middle-aged 6′ tall guy with kind of a “Dad bod” (not my words…that’s how he described himself LOL!)

When our flight was over, it was super simple to remove the Soarigami and put it back into my bag.

Any bad stuff about it?

The only issue I had was while I was trying to adjust the Soarigami with the attached screws, one of the screws, which is normally pre-threaded into the other side of the product, came out of its hole, and it was a little challenging to try to screw/thread it back in (but eventually did). Also, as you can also see from the “Dad Bod” picture above, one screw of my Soarigami screws in all the way and the other doesn’t. I don’t know why. I suppose the one that doesn’t screw in all the way could potentially scratch someone as (s)he is resting his/her arm, but it didn’t cause any issue this first time we used it.

Would we recommend this item?

Yes! Here’s why:

  • It’s easy to store
  • It’s easy to use
  • It does what it’s supposed to do
  • It’s easy to remove from the armrest
  • It’s not super expensive

Only cons we encountered:

  • Pre-threaded screw came loose and was difficult to put back into its hole
  • One screw didn’t lay as flat as the other, leaving the possibility of scratching oneself on it.

Want more info? Click here, which gives more description of the product, as well as a link for purchase. Enjoy!

*** We were not reimbursed for this review. The company didn’t even ask us to review it. We just thought it sounded like a cool product.

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5 comments

The Caribbean Beach Where Pigs Swim and Pilot Loses License for Accidentally Eating Marijuana - View from the Wing October 10, 2018 - 2:36 pm

[…] the shared arm rest belongs to the passenger in the middle seat but there’s another solution, an airplane arm rest splitter, in the same ‘do-it-yourself passenger comfort’ genre as the […]

Reply
Jeff W. October 13, 2019 - 10:22 pm

Yes, also get an Ostrich pillow (https://www.amazon.com/OSTRICH-ORIGINAL-Pillow-Airplanes-Accessories/dp/B00B4S6SLW/) and a Knee Defender (http://www.gadgetduck.com/goods/kneedefender.html). It’s not weird at all. No one will mind.

Reply
SharonKurheg October 13, 2019 - 10:32 pm

Heads up that Knee Defenders are banned by most, if not all major airlines.

Reply
Jeff W. October 13, 2019 - 11:57 pm

Sorry, I don’t think my sarcasm came through the keyboard right.

Reply
SharonKurheg October 14, 2019 - 12:04 am

(sarcasm) Gee, ya think? (/sarcasm) ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Reply

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