My Varidesk Review | The Best Standing Desk I’ve Seen and Used

So about a week ago I ordered myself a Varidesk.  In fact, I grabbed this exact model.  Honestly, it’s one of the best choices I’ve made in my life and I’m going to explain my reasoning.

I spent hours combing the Internet looking for the best standing desk I could find.  My research had a couple of goals I wanted to meet.

I wanted to find something that would:

• Work with my existing desk (meaning I wouldn’t need to buy a completely new desk)
• Installs fast (this thing installs in less than 2 minutes)
• Was not something I needed to build!

Outside of those 3 things, why the hell would I buy a desk that’s main purpose if to force me to stand up instead of sit?

There are 3 reasons I bought a Varidesk and I’m going to explain them all.

1. Better Health
2. Better Spinal Alignment & Back Health
3. Better Productivity

Let’s First Look At Why It Helps Improve Your Health

Sitting most of the time is harmful for your body.  Recent studies back this up and you can read about that here if you’re interested.

I was growing frustrated from sitting for 8-12 hours everyday and I really wanted to make some changes in my life.  My goals are to finally knock off the final 15 pounds that I need to lose to look my best and reveal the extra muscle I put on –the standing desk will help.

Having the ability to stand up while I work most of the day also lets me move around more than before.  The more you can move around the more calories you can burn. This also helps increase blood circulation and decrease body stiffness. Everything you can do to help prevent being lethargic is good.

Better Spinal and Back Health

I noticed before I had my Varidesk that no matter how I adjusted my monitor, mouse and keyboard I would always end up with a sore back, next and elbow area.  I was simply tired of the aches and pains that came with sitting.  So my goal along with increase my activity and improving my health is improving my posture.

Because the Varidesk has a bottom rack where I can place my keyboard and mouse, I can also rest my hand arms and elbows here.  This helps take the tension off of my joints.

Improving my posture should also help improve my lower back pain and overall spine health.  So far, It feels like it’s working.

I’ve had less back pain recently because with the Varidesk I am no longer slouching at my computer at my office desk.

Better Productivity

I like to be as productive as possible and with the Varidesk I feel more productive then before.  As humans I believe we were meant to work on out feet and move around rather than sit the majority of our lives.  Think about when you’ve done something on your feet before, did you feel more productive?  I always do!  Maybe it’s just me but I feel like it makes a very distinct difference.

Better productivity leads to getting more done in a shorter amount of time.  So one of my goals was to step up my own personal productivity.

My Varidesk Review

I ended up buying the Varidesk Pro Plus 36 as this model does the following:

• Allows for dual-monitors if needed
• Has a lower area for mouse and keyboard
• Adjusts up to 36 inches across top of my current desk
• Comes pre-assembled and installs in a couple of minutes
• Conveniently folds back down in seconds when I want to sit
• Raises up to a great height.  I am 5’9 and it works very well

How Easy Is It To Assemble The Varidesk?

Step 1: The Box Arrives

So this standing desk comes in a box as shown.  My cats didn’t want me to open the box and install as you’ll see in the picture.  The box weighs about 55 lbs or so and is pretty easy to open and slide the product out.  The box is somewhat large but this should still be an easy move for most people.  It was easy for me to navigate by myself and lay it down on the floor.  Once the box is down on the floor it’s simple to open.

It was easy for me to navigate by myself and lay it down on the floor.  Once the box is down on the floor it’s simple to open.

Step 2: Remove Desk From Box

This is pretty self-explanatory but you simply open the box and slide the product out.  Once you get the desk out of the box there are a few pieces of cardboard that are tapped on that you’ll want to remove.

This will only take you a moment.

Step 3: Clear Off Your Desk

I cleared off everything on my desk except for the case and my speakers. With this exact model, you need 36 inches of setup space.  Varidesk makes slightly smaller units if needed.  But, I think for the average home the Pro36 is going to be your best option.

Step 4: Sit The Varidesk Down and Put Stuff Back On

Now you simply sit the Varidesk on your existing desk and then add you monitor, keyboard and mouse to the unit.  This was almost too easy to install and I spent less than 2 minutes doing everything in these steps.  I tried to get the lighting better but the sun was starting to go down and the room light + flash wasn’t doing the desk justice.  But, you can see the way the desk sit there.

The Varidesk Adjusts

You can adjust the desk up or down as needed.  Keep in mind you want the monitor to be lower than eye level.  You should be slightly looking down at the middle of the screen as you type or work.  I think most people make the mistake of trying to match their eye level to the middle of the screen rather than slightly above it so you can look down like you’re going to read a book.

The adjustments of the desk are nice because when you adjust the unit up or down it will click into place assuring that it’s not going to suddenly give out on you.  I’ve never had a time where I felt like the unit would tip or collapse.  The entire unit can hold up to 35lbs easily.

The unit also adjusts completely down so you can pull up a chair and sit at your desk as well if you ever want to get off of your feet.

Executive Version For Taller Folks

If you’re a taller person you are going to want to get the taller setup.  If you are over 6″0 you’ll want this model.

Solid Construction

The construction of this product is great.  It’s dense, locks into place with ease and I feel confident that my monitor is not going to fall off the stand.  All of my stuff fits on the stand easily and even though I am using just one 27″ monitor I could easily get another one on here.  The mouse and keyboard fit easily on the lower deck and I feel like there is plenty of room left.

Do My Feet Hurt?

After a week of use, I can report that I feel better.  My feet did not hurt much after the first couple of days of getting used to it.  Being on my feet more meant a slight discomfort the first couple of days but on the third day and beyond my feet felt fine.  Plus, my back and spine felt much better so the trade off to have slightly tired feet for a few days is worth it.

Varidesk makes an optional thick mat if you believe you’ll have foot pain while standing more.

Anything Negative About The Varidesk?

So far, there is nothing that I can complain about.  I highly recommend this desk and think in the long run I’ll feel better, be more productive and have overall better health.

This standing desk is so easy to install, setup and use that I was somewhat shocked by the simplicity.

This Is The Best Standing Desk

For the price, ease of assembly and use I have to say I am pretty impressed.  I honestly thought there would be so much more involved in getting this setup.  I am a happy customer and I highly recommend this as the best standing desk your money can buy.

The fact that you do not need a separate desk not only saves plenty of money but it makes installation convenient since there is no need to throw the old desk out.

If you’ve been looking for the best standing desk, one that won’t need tools or assembly to install I highly suggest the Varidesk.  Get one here.