Flexispot Adjustable Standing Desk Pro E7 review: a premium motorised desk at a mid-range price

The best standing desks can be a lifeline for any home office worker, helping protect your spine, improve your core strength and raise your mood. Over time, the boost in productivity and creativity you'll get means they basically pay for themselves. However, if you don't have a massive supply of cash to draw on, you'll still be looking for something relatively affordable. And that's exactly what Flexispot promises with the Adjustable Standing Desk Pro Series E7. 

This electric-powered desk has an RRP of £399.99 for the frame and mechanism. Then you can either add your own worktop, or order one of Flexispot's own options, which start at £79.99 and come in black, white, maple, bamboo or mahogany (the one we chose for our review model).

That's still a fairly large amount of money to spend, but with some standing desks on the market costing over a grand, it's certainly not the priciest around. But before you invest – what are they actually like in practice? I spent a month with the Adjustable Standing Desk Pro E7 to find out.

• Buy Flexispot Desk Pro E7 from £399.99 at Flexispot

Flexispot Adjustable Standing Desk Pro E7 review: self-assembly

The Flexispot Adjustable Standing Desk Pro E7 comes in two boxes (three if you order a worktop), which contain several components you need to put together yourself. Be aware that one of these boxes is very heavy, so you may need some help from another person to carry it.

Personally, I am not a huge fan of self-assembly. Given the choice, I would rather spend far more money on a fully assembled product and its transportation than put myself through the agony of anything approaching DIY. My spacial awareness is poor to the point of embarrassment, which is why I usually rely on other people to do such things for me. 

I'm hugely thankful, then, that the way the product is packaged and the instructions are written were actually very easy to follow. My heart soared, for example, as I realised that the various nuts and bolts, plus a hex key, were clearly identified in a clear plastic bag, each labelled by a different letter of the alphabet. 

The main components are also clearly identifiable and distinguishable from each other, the instructions are clear and comprehensive, the diagrams clear, and the six step process of assembly quite straightforward. 

You don't need any tools of your own, other than a pair of scissors or a Stanley knife to open the box and plastic bag: everything else is supplied. You do need a certain level of strength, or someone to help at certain points, as the main parts are quite heavy. But overall, assembly of this desk is not a huge problem, even for a dolt like me. It took me about 90 minutes, which means the average person will probably get it done within an hour.

Flexispot Adjustable Standing Desk Pro E7 review: operation

Once your standing desk is assembled, its operation couldn't be simpler. There are two electric motors connected to each of the legs, and a wired handset (shown below) allows you to move the desk up and down to the height that suits you, at a gentle 3.8cm per second.

The movement is beautifully smooth and sensitive, and I especially like how it subtly slows in the lead up to reaching maximum height. The operation is very quiet too, if not totally silent.

Once you've found a few positions that suit you best, you can save up to four of them, so you won't have to fiddle around every time. There's a comprehensive troubleshooting guide in the instruction booklet, but so far, I haven't needed to use it because I haven't had any problems.

There's not much to say about the desk's operation beyond that. It simply does what it needs to do, reliably and consistently. 

Flexispot Adjustable Standing Desk Pro E7 review: daily use

I mentioned the weight of this desk earlier: it's quite heavy. But while that's a bit of a grind when you're carrying it up the stairs, on the plus side that does make for a solid and robust desk, which is capable of supporting up to 125kg in weight. 

That should certainly be more than enough for most people, however much equipment you have. I can't really conceive how many monitors, speakers and other devices you'd need to tip the scales, but it would be a fairly ridiculous amount of stuff, quite frankly.

In fact, with laptops and even desktop PCs getting lighter these days, you're more likely to be worried about space than weight. Here you're well served too, with the worktops ranging between a width of 120-200cm and a depth of 60-80cm.

What you're probably keenest to know about, though, is how high and low the adjustable height is. Well that, too, is pretty dramatic: a maximum of 123cm and a minimum of 58cm, which means that for most people this will function as a sitting desk as well as a standing one. This maximum lowness also makes it easy to store, any time you're not using it.

One thing to be aware of is that the worktop simply sits on top of the frame, and is not attached to it. That's not a problem in itself: it makes it easier to assemble, and the weight of the worktop and the design of the frame means that it's nice and stable. But it's just something to be aware of.

Flexispot Adjustable Standing Desk Pro E7 review: the small print

Although Flexispot has stores in the US and Canada, the Flexispot Adjustable Flexispot Standing Desk E7 is currently only available in the UK. It ships for free via DPD, in two separate packages. Meanwhile, if you also order a worktop that will be sent separately via DHL, due to its size. 

Orders are packed and despatched from Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays), and will normally be shipped within 24 hours from receipt of order. Orders placed before noon will be dispatched on the same day. 

Flexispot will send a confirmation email with your tracking number to confirm that your order has been accepted. If you have a registered account, you may check the status of your order online.

If you wish to return your product, and it is not faulty, it must be returned unused in their original packaging and in a saleable condition, with all labels and tags still attached, within 30 days from the date your order was placed. Moreover, you'll have to pay for the postage or courier yourself, and given the serious weight of this item, that's going to cost an awful lot. 

On a more positive note, all height-adjustable desks purchased by Flexispot include a five-year warranty for the frame, and three-year warranty for the motor, controller and switch, electronics and other mechanisms.

Flexispot Adjustable Standing Desk Pro E7 review: should I buy one? 

In daily use, I really enjoyed using this standing desk. The motor functions perfectly, the ability to save specific heights made it easy to swap between sitting and standing, and I just generally like the solid, robust nature of the E7.

It's relatively easy to put together. It's sturdy, well constructed, and reliably consistent in its daily use. It's very flexible: absolutely nobody is going to think that this doesn't go low enough or high enough. And quite simply, it does everything a standing desk needs to do, at a quite affordable price.

For all these reasons, I'd recommend buying this standing desk if you're looking for a mid-range, electric-powered model and just want a sleek, simple design. 

The main reason to opt for a competitor would be price: the much smaller and lighter Yo Yo Desk, for example, comes in a significantly lower cost. That said, you'll struggle to find something as large, solid, robust and stylish as the E7 for much cheaper.