AV Carts: How to Choose a Presentation Cart for a Classroom, Church, or Office
Somewhere in your building, there's a projector balanced on a stack of hymnals. Or a laptop on a music stand. Or an extension cord taped across the floor that someone trips over every single week.
An AV cart fixes all of that. It's a rolling set of shelves (sometimes with a locking cabinet) that holds the projector, the laptop, and the cables in one place, and rolls wherever the presentation is happening. It's one of the least exciting purchases you'll make this year, and one of the most useful.
Before you shop
Make a list of what lives on it
Laptop? Projector? Document camera? A desktop tower? Write it down, then pick the cart with a spot for each one. A projector needs a shelf at the right height to throw an image on the screen. A laptop needs a shelf at a comfortable working height. A tower needs an enclosed space with airflow.
Open shelves or a locking cabinet?
Open shelves are lighter, cheaper, and easier to reach. A locking cabinet keeps the equipment safe overnight, which matters in a classroom, a shared conference room, or a fellowship hall that hosts outside groups. If the gear stays on the cart between uses, lock it up.
Built-in power is worth it
A cart with a mounted power strip and a long cord means one plug into the wall powers everything. No more hunting for an outlet behind the piano.
Sit, stand, or both?
Some carts have a laptop shelf that adjusts from seated height to standing height, and a few raise and lower the whole top. If the cart doubles as a teacher's workstation, that flexibility is worth a lot.
Check the wheels
Look for larger casters if the cart crosses thresholds or carpet, and at least two locking casters so it stays put while someone is presenting.
Our favorite AV carts
Every cart here ships free, usually in 1 to 3 business days, and carries a 5-year limited warranty.
1. PRC200 4-Shelf Presentation Cart: best budget AV cart
A slim, open cart with four shelves, including a laptop shelf that adjusts from 19 to 39.5 inches off the floor for seated or standing use. A six-outlet power strip is mounted right on the frame. From $225.
2. EduTouch Sit and Stand Cart: best height-adjustable cart
One lever raises or lowers the whole 26 by 20.75 inch top anywhere from 27.75 to 44.5 inches, so it works as a teacher's desk, a laptop cart, or a standing presentation station. It holds up to 75 pounds. From $325.
3. PRC250 Premium Plus Cart: best small cart with a locking cabinet
A projector shelf, an adjustable laptop shelf, and a locking cabinet with three shelves, all on one compact cart. The six-outlet power strip has a 25 foot cord and a cord winder. From $499.
4. MMC Multimedia Cart: best for a document camera
A standing-height top with room for a document camera, two flip-up side shelves for a projector and laptop, a slide-out keyboard shelf, a locking drawer, and a locking cabinet. The side shelves fold flat when you're done. From $529.
5. PRC400 Jumbo Cart: best for a projector and laptop together
A large top, a projector shelf right under it, an adjustable side shelf for a laptop, and a spacious locking cabinet. Perforated back panels let the equipment breathe. From $561.
6. Wizard Pre-Wired AV Cart: best plug-and-present cart
The Wizard arrives wired. A six-outlet power strip on a 20 foot cord is mounted inside, and a console carries VGA and HDMI, so the laptop and projector are live the moment you plug the cart into the wall. It has a slide-out projector shelf and a locking cabinet too. From $775.
7. Duet 32-Device Charging Cart: best for a class set of laptops
A different kind of AV cart: it stores and charges up to 32 laptops or tablets behind locking steel doors, all from one wall outlet, and rolls to wherever the next class needs them. From $1,099.
See all of them in our AV and presentation carts collection.
When you need a lectern instead
If someone stands behind the cart to speak, you probably want a multimedia lectern: a reading surface up top and AV storage below, all in one rolling cabinet. The Greystone GSL is a good place to start at $849, and our best multimedia lecterns list has the rest.
Not sure which cart fits your gear?
Tell us what you're putting on it and where it's going. We'll point you to the right one.
Rather talk it through? Call us at 800-421-9678.
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