After watching the video and reading the article covering my home office, a representative from Various reached out to see if I wanted to test one of its Electric Standing Desk options. My old Costco desk is great, but the days of sitting in one spot can get monotonous during this all-remote work environment.
A 60 by 30 inches Vari Electric Standing Desk kit with a white finish arrived in three boxes; one for the legs, one for the top, and another containing a cable management tray. Vari offers this desk in five color/finish options for $650. A 48 by 30 inches model is also available for $550. I considered the unique reclaimed wood one, but the white one offers a very clean appearance and items on the desk stand out too.
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While I was just planning to test out the Vari Electric Standing Desk and use it for standing time only, I’ve since migrated two monitors, a wireless phone charging stand, and my computer docks to it as I use it daily for standing and sitting. I was able to position it in my office near the window and changing up my perspective has clearly helped me handle the fact that my office is now in my home and I no longer commute more than two hours a day. The ability to move the desk to optimal positions, whether sitting or standing, has made it my favorite office component and I’ve been recommending it to coworkers.
Desk assembly
The desk arrived in two separate boxes a couple of days apart. The legs, feet, and controller were in one box and the top was contained in another box. The leg box was something like 40 pounds while the top was over 80 pounds. The desk is designed to be assembled and positioned in place by a couple of people. However, I’m a pretty big guy so I went ahead and did it all myself without any problems.
The legs and top were well protected in the boxes and were in perfect condition. The box with the legs includes the directions, allen wrenches needed to install the bolts, a silicone coaster for the desk top, Velcro straps for cord management, and two hooks that connect to the sides of the table so you can hang bags and other items from the desk. I was also sent the cable management tray that arrived in its own box, along with the brackets needed to install it on the bottom of the desk top.
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The directions were very easy to follow and assembly went surprisingly fast. You only have to attach the two legs, the feet to the legs, the electric control module, and the electric control panel. I installed the desk in an office with carpet, but the feet also have levelers on the bottom in case you need to level the desk.
The cable management tray comes with two brackets that fit into holes pre-cut into the bottom of the desktop. The tray is very spacious and has an opening on one end to run power to the other cords you set into the tray. I have a number of cables and adapters that rest in the tray, making for an attractive and clean desk setup. This tray is a must-have if you are going to use more than a couple of pieces of powered gear on the desk. It swivels to make it easy to plug in and store your cables and adapters.
Vari also has monitor arms, standing mats, and other accessories available for the Electric Standing Desk.
Design and setup
I wasn’t sure what to expect from the table because the $650 price is reasonable for a standing desk with electric controls. I’ve been using a Varidesk converter unit on top of my old desk at work so I trusted the brand that is now known as Vari. However, I figured the white one would be particleboard covered with a white laminated covering. It turns out the desk is a solid laminate sheet that is very durable, impact-resistant, dense, and finished with chamfered edges and rounded corners. I can’t say enough how great the desk feels under your arm or hand; it’s truly awesome.
The desk has a matte finish with a slight texture on the surface. There is a slight notch in the back of the desktop so you can run cables down the back when you have it against a wall. The legs are gray metal with silver hardware. The desk supports up to 200 pounds of weight so you can load it up with monitors, computers, and more.
After connecting everything together, plug in the desk to activate it. There are four programmable memory settings and up/down arrows with a LED display showing the current height. Height settings are available from 25 inches to 50.5 inches. My preferred sitting height is 30.5 inches and my preferred standing height is 43.3 inches. Switching between these two only takes several seconds and the movement is quiet too.
The four settings are great for supporting others using your desk and for different positions. I sometimes like to push the desk even higher to rest my arms since I am 73 inches tall.
The desk top is 60 inches by 30 inches with the length of each foot 28-7/8 inches. The desk doesn’t take up much space and it’s simplicity is rather elegant. It is quite a heavy desk with stout legs and stays securely in place even when others lean on the desk.
Everything about the Vari Electric Standing Desk has been a great experience. The price is reasonable (there is currently a 10% discount), shipping is free (amazing for how heavy the desk is), everything is packaged well, the assembly was a breeze, setup was easy, and I actually am joyful to use it every day.
Even if there aren’t measurable health benefits of standing over sitting, simply changing my perspective throughout the day has made me more productive. In addition, I find when I transition from sitting to standing it prompts me to leave the office and walk around my house so more activity is being initiated through regular sessions of standing.
The Vari Electric Standing Desk is now my primary work platform and I’m already thinking about outfitting other areas of my house with desks to serve as alternate work locations and craft/activity centers that are a part of our lifestyle.
Moving to the Electric Standing Desk also prompted me to set up my Yeti Blue microphone so others are now experiencing better call quality from me as I enjoy a rich home office environment that I no longer feel trapped in. If you are looking for a high-quality standing desk, or even a high-quality one you sit at most of the time, then I highly recommend the Vari Electric Standing Desk.
