Whether you’re gaming, working, or browsing on your PC, chances are, you’re doing it while sitting down. These days, that doesn’t have to be the case, as standing desks have become more popular to those that spend extensive time at a desk. All standing desk, however, aren’t created equal, but Flexispot’s Comhar All-in-One Standing Desk has a pretty good case for one of the best price-to-performance options on the market.
Sitting for long hours came into focus several years ago, when a round of studies unsurprisingly showed that it wasn’t very healthy to sit for countless hours on end. Enter, the rise of the Standing Desk, and Flexispot’s Comhar All-in-One model, means to give you the best of both worlds, a comfortable sitting desk, with an option to stand to your comfort level. Before we get down (or up) with the desk review, the specifications are below:
Specs:
- Price: $429 (As pictured from Flexispot)
- Model: EG8
- Color Options: Black / White
- Glass top thickness: 0.2″
- Total glass top thickness with drawer: 1.7″
- USB Ports: 2 Type-A, 1 Type-C
- Lifting Mechanism: Motor
- No. of Leg Stage: 2-stage
- Height Range: 28.3″ – 47.6″
- Lift Speed: 1″/sec
- Memory Presets: Yes
- Lifting Capacity: 110 lbs
- Input Voltage: 100 – 240V
- Desktop Size: 48″(W) x 24″(D)
- Noise Level: Under 50 dBs
- Actuator: Actuator is certified and supplied by Loctek Linear Motion.
- Warranty: 5 year for the frame, motor and other mechanisms, and 2 year for the controller and switch, electronics
- Get It Together
As with any furniture you order through the mail, the desk needed to be assembled once received. The good news is, the assembly of the Comhar desk is extremely simple, with only 4 main pieces to handle, and foolproof instructions that include all the tools you need to get you from sitting to standing in no time. The problem with the desk, however, is that it weighs over 100lbs so you may need some assistance in setting it up, or at least moving the box to its final destination.
The toughest part of setting up the desk would probably be lining up the desk legs so that you can easily screw them in or connecting the motor to the adjustment panel. If you consider that you can properly hand tighten the screws prior to utilizing the provided Allen Wrench to screw them in, and the plugs easily mark how they need to be connected, I can’t in good conscience say that assembly is difficult, and unless you need assistance handling the heft of the desk, assembly should take no longer than 10 minutes once unboxed. I also spent some additional time cleaning the desktop, as the tempered glass looks gorgeous, but it picks up dust and fingerprints like Mario picks up coins.
What Stands Out?
As previously mentioned, all standing desks aren’t created equal, and Flexispot’s Comhar desk has a few notable inclusions aside from its main function of climbing in height. One of the first things I noticed, was the inclusion of a middle drawer. Many standing desks don’t come with any kind of storage, though some do allow you to purchase add-ons later. The Comhar All-in-One’s drawer is sleek and doesn’t take away from the aesthetic of the desk, though it does ultimately increase the thickness of the desktop by almost an entire inch from comparable desks. Unless you’re like me, a nitpicky observer of desk thickness in conjunction with chair height, it’s unlikely the added thickness would be seen negatively.
The other feature that stands out from other standing desks, is the addition of USB ports built right into the front panel of the desk. USB Ports are a fantastic and versatile addition, as it gives you options to charge your devices without taking up ports on your PC or Laptop, nor does it force you to string along charging cables that may not reach your devices once the desk is raised. In tests of both USB Type-A ports and the USB-C Port, fast-charging enabled automatically and charged my devices quickly.
Practical Applications
It’s easy to understand the appeal of a standing desk, but the actual use of one is a different story altogether. As this is the first standing desk I’ve actually owned, I didn’t realize exactly how difficult it would be to convert my gaming PC, along with my 3 monitors, and all of my peripherals, into a setup that could easily raise and lower at will. While most users may consider playing their PC directly on the top of the Flexispot Desk, that just wasn’t in the cards with my humongous gaming tower, and my power and monitor cables wouldn’t extend far enough to reach maximum height if my PC was on the floor. My temporary fix was to place my PC on a small table next to the desk, but for first-time “standers” you’ll need to think ahead on how the elevation change will affect you – especially if you’re a gamer!
After daily use, and splitting my time between standing and sitting, I learned to make full use of the programmable buttons, of which there are 4, and I found reasons to use each one of them. Programming the quick presets is as simple and intuitive as holding the button down once the desk has reached your desired height. There’s also a quick lock button, which will prevent someone from toying with your settings while you’re away from the desk. In addition to the anti-collision function, Flexispot has put in plenty of safety features to prevent children, pets, or in my case, a curious wife, from causing trouble.
The Final Stand
There are two perspectives when looking into moving to a standing desk. Form a productivity, office and web-browsing standpoint, Flexispot’s Comhar All-in-One Standing Desk has brought some positive changes in my work habits. I find myself standing about half the time, which is far more than I did throughout the day without a standing desk. Because I’m still not used to it, I hop from one foot to the next, from time to time as my feet get used to standing in the same place several hours out of the day.
Functionally, I thought I would have trouble concentrating while standing, but I was surprise to find that wasn’t the case. Gaming, however, is another story. The concentration it takes along with the involuntary and repetitive motions I make when gaming are not suitable for long standing sessions. That isn’t to say that I haven’t raised the desk during a game session, mostly to raise the desk out of reach from a cat or two, but I find it difficult to utilize a mouse and keyboard successfully while standing.
Luckily, Flexispot doesn’t force you to choose one or the other. The versatility and features raise the Comhar All-in-One a step above other comparable desks, even if you may end up paying slightly more for it.
