The Chrysler Building
                                       405 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY  10174
                                       (212) 704-6000 Fax (212) 704-6288



                                  April 7, 2000


Labtec Inc.
1499 S.E. Tech Center Place
Suite 350
Vancouver, Washington 98683

Dear Sir or Madam:

         We have acted as counsel to Labtec  Inc., a  Massachusetts  corporation
(the  "Company"),  in connection with its filing of a registration  statement on
Form  S-3  (the  "Registration  Statement")  with the  Securities  and  Exchange
Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, relating to an offering
of an aggregate of 262,237 shares of common stock, par value $.01 per share (the
"Shares").

         Capitalized  terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the
respective meanings set forth in the Registration Statement.

         In our capacity as counsel to the Company,  we have examined  originals
or  copies,  satisfactory  to us, of the  Company's  (i)  Restated  Articles  of
Organization,   as  amended,   (ii)  Amended  and  Restated  By-laws  and  (iii)
resolutions of the Company's board of directors. We have also examined a certain
letter  agreement,  dated  December  1, 1999,  between  the  Company  and The KB
Mezzanine Fund II, L.P.  concerning the issuance of the Shares.  We further have
reviewed  such  other  matters  of law and  examined  and  relied  upon all such
corporate  records,  agreements,  certificates  and other  documents  as we have
deemed relevant and necessary as a basis for the opinion hereinafter  expressed.
In such  examination,  we have assumed the  genuineness of all  signatures,  the
authenticity  of all documents  submitted to us as originals and the  conformity
with the  original  documents  of all  documents  submitted  to us as  copies or
facsimiles.  As to any facts  material to such  opinion,  we have, to the extent
that  relevant  facts  were  not  independently  established  by us,  relied  on
certificates  of  public   officials  and  certificates  of  officers  or  other
representatives of the Company.

         Based upon and subject to the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the
Shares have been legally issued, fully paid and non-assessable.





Labtec Inc.
April 7, 2000
Page 2


                  We hereby  consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit
to the Registration  Statement and to the reference made to us under the caption
"Legal  Matters"  in  the  prospectus  constituting  part  of  the  Registration
Statement.


                                                              Very truly yours,

                                                          /s/ Parker Chapin LLP

                                                              PARKER CHAPIN LLP