Our review of the Varidesk height-adjustable standing desk

Countless studies cite the negatives of a sedentary lifestyle.  For many people this is compounded by a desk job and the many hours they spend sitting every single day.  This is part of the reason why standing desks and standing desk attachments have becoming increasingly popular as of late.  After one of our team recently took the plunge on a Varidesk Pro Plus 48 we thought it would be a good time to share our verdict on this overall fantastic standing desk attachment.

Setup

Like all of Varidesk’s offerings, the Pro Plus 48 arrives fully assembled and you’ll need two people to unpack and move it as it is rather large and heavy.  Initial reservations about the desk being a bit clumsy however quickly disappear once you start using it – it is a solid unit.  The Pro Plus 48 is what’s called a standing desk attachment; it sits on top of an existing desk and facilitates working from sitting and standing positions rather than actually being considered a complete desk.

Workspace

The Pro Plus 48 has 2 tiers, the upper tier easily containing enough room for two 21.5 inch widescreen monitors and the lower tier a full size keyboard and mouse.

The distance between the upper and lower tiers is about [], which we have found is pretty good in terms of viewing angles. Obviously this will depend on the height of the user and the height of their chair when they are sat down. The good news is that the desk will adjust to 11 different height settings, so with a bit of experimentation you should be able to find a comfortable position that suits you.

Movement

Transitioning the desk between sitting and standing positions does take a little bit of getting used too. The key is to push down lightly on the two central handles, squeeze the triggers and then gently pull or push it up or down. It can feel a bit clunky to begin with but it gets smoother the more you get used to using it.

It operates using a spring-assisted lifting mechanism so the effort required to lift it up or down is minimal but you do notice the noise of the springs.

Standing

The Pro Plus 48 is sturdy in it’s fully extended standing position. There is some minor monitor wobbling if you are typing in a particularly aggressive manner but nothing that causes you to hold your breath at the thought of your shiny new iMac crashing to the floor.

Price

At £375 in the UK, the Varidesk Pro Plus 48 isn’t cheap. That said, it is no where near as expensive as most full standing-desk solutions and it comes with the added bonus of not rendering your current office desk completely redundant.

Final verdict

Although expensive, the Pro Plus 48 has got to be up there as one of, if not the, best standing desk attachments currently on the market. It’s solidly built, easily transitions between sitting and standing positions and looks the part. Furthermore it helps facilitate a healthier lifestyle and refreshes any work environment – we highly recommend you give it a go.