As every person matures, they learn a valuable life lesson: all the advice given to you by old people turns out to be true, with the possible exceptions of ‘eating carrots make you see in the dark’ and ‘your face will get stuck like that if the wind changes.’ As an old person (I’m 47 in actual years, but in my early thirties in gay years) I can confirm that the many times you get told to ‘stop slouching’ is perhaps some of the best advice you can ever be given.
Whether you are working on spreadsheets or in the middle of an epic raid in World of Warcraft, being stationary in one position for an extended period of time just isn’t good for your body, and if you’re spending a lot of time at a desk, then a good desk and chair are essential. Standing desks are a relatively new concept and I, along with many people, previously viewed them as rather silly and just for people who want to look important.
Due to my height, most desks are too low for me, so my office gave me a standing desk a few years back and it was a revelation. It was something that I sorely missed when lockdown hit and I had to stay at home all day with a small and flimsy Argos desk. Enter Flexispot and their range of reasonably priced standing desks.
As you can see, plenty of space for all your tech. And yes, I need to get some cable ties. shush.
The Flexispot E7 Electric Standing Desk was provided for review with light wooden top, but it can be customised with different frame colours and a range of surfaces in different sizes, colours and shapes. You can also buy the bare frame and attach an existing top to it if you have one.
Coming in a couple of boxes, each leg of the desk is rather heavy thanks to the powerful electric motor to adjust the height, but while this makes assembly a two-person job, it only took about twenty minutes. Once done, the height of the desk can be set to anywhere within a range of 58cm to 123cm, more than high enough for someone who is 6ft 5″ to stand and use the desk comfortably.
A dinky control panel lives on the front of the desk – you can choose which side it is installed – and moves the desk up and down as you wish. You can save four presets allowing two people to set their preferred sitting and standing heights. There is also a child lock, a sleep mode to save power, and a collision warning system, and the desk can lift a total of 125kg – a little disheartening when you realise your office furniture can outperform your best deadlifts in the gym.
Now I know what you’re thinking, “125kg? That’s a lot, I could put my cat on it then raise it up and down like a fairground ride!” but I am here to tell you should not do that. I know we’re all very, very bored after a year in lockdown, but you absolutely should not do that when setting the desk up. I absolutely did not give my cat a high rise view of my lounge, no sir.
The novelty eventually wearing off, I’ve been using the Flexispot E7 for a few weeks and can honestly say I wouldn’t want to swap back to a regular desk, given the choice. For one thing, IÂ have two monitors, two keyboards, two mice, two sets of headphones, a laptop and docking station and a Yeti microphone on the desk (see picture above) and there’s still acres of room left. It’s so nice to have a solid desk that doesn’t feel like it’s going to tip over or collapse if I lean on it.
I’ve settled into a routine of starting day with the desk set for a seated position and then after lunch it’s just a single button press to raise the desk up and use it as standing desk for the rest of the day. Even with a PC installed underneath, there is plenty of space under the desk when it’s raised up so you could slide in an exercise bike and do a few miles while gaming.
The minimalist “I don’t have any cables” look
Flexispot has transparent pricing and breakdown the costs involved in making the desk so you can see you are getting good value. The E7 frame retails for £399 including tax and free shipping, and you can add on a desk top for around another £80 – there’s often flash sales and discount codes that can reduce this significantly. That’s still a fair amount of money, but it is still cheaper than many other standing desks I’ve looked at, and it comes with five-year warranty for the frame, motor and other mechanisms, and a three-year warranty for the control panel. Quite how you would damage such a beast and need to the use the warranty is beyond me, but perhaps some people are very silly and use the desk as a fairground ride for their cat.
If you don’t want to fork out that much, then Flexispot have a range of desks including the E1 which at present is £179. It’s lower-spec with just one motor, but if it’s anything like the E7 then it’s a bargain – a standing desk from IKEA which you have to raise by hand currently costs £195 before you factor in shipping. For more information and check out the pricing, head over to the Flexispot website. UPDATE: There will be deals running from May 24-30th 2021 with up to 45% off, and you can check out any other special deals here.Â
The Flexispot E7 Standing Desk is an investment that’s well worth your while, whether you’re stuck at a desk for work, leisure or both. Your back will be thanking you for many years to come. Your cat, perhaps less so.
