The Vari Electric Standing Desk is a comfortably-sized unit with a standard feature set. Its key selling points are the ease of assembly and the absolutely gorgeous finish. But high costs and questionable materials prevent the desk from being the top choice when it comes to incorporating a standing desk into your home or office setup.
- Easy Assembly With No Additional Tools
- T-Style Steel Legs
- Durable Laminate Surface
- 5 Color Options
- Brand: Vari (Formerly Varidesk)
- Lifting Mechanism: Electric
- Maximum Load: 200 lbs (90KG)
- Colors: White, Black, Dark Wood, Butcher Block, Reclaimed Wood
- Desktop Size: 60″W x 30″D x 25″H
- Finish is Exceptional
- Smooth Operation
- Assembly is Easy
- Prop 65 Warning: Lead and Lead Compounds
- Expensive
- Only Basic Features
- No Anti-Collision Detection
Vari Electric Standing Desk
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Vari (formerly Varidesk) is a leading standing desk manufacturer that has been making office furniture since 2013.
Unfortunately, Varidesk hasn’t always had the best reputation. Vari’s previous Pro 60 series standing desks under the Varidesk brand were criticized for poor stability, high cost, and the infamous “knee crusher” crossbar that many manufacturers have since abandoned.
With new branding and a newly redesigned Electric Standing Desk, Vari is hoping to remove some of the tarnish that has eroded its reputation. But where does this new desk stand in relation to its competitors? Has Vari made enough changes to its product to earn a space in your home? Today we’re taking a closer look at the new Vari Electric Standing Desk to find out.
Why Buy an Electric Standing Desk?
An electric standing desk is a convertible solution to sitting down all day. Unlike a normal desk, a standing desk can adjust to suit both standing or sitting positions.
These units are great for people who spend a lot of time at their desks, but who appreciate some added movement incorporated into their workday. A recent scientific study conducted by Texas A&M also shows that adjustable standing desks can improve productivity by approximately 45% over workers who sit all day.
That’s why, when Vari offered to send the review team one of their standing desks to review, we got excited.
Shipping Woes
Our 60×30 Vari Electric Standing Desk arrived in three boxes. The shipping time between the initial order and receipt was around 4 days, which was extremely fast for something so heavy that it had to be shipped in separate boxes.
When checking tracking numbers, there was the question of whether all parts would arrive simultaneously due to the information on the tracking website. However, all three packages showed up at the same time.
When you purchase a product like a standing desk, especially if it is over $500 (like the Vari Electric Standing Desk is), you expect that all components will arrive with minimal shipping damage. In our case, the shipping boxes were beaten up, the large box containing the desk surface was torn open, and the desk’s surface was exposed.
While this isn’t Vari’s fault, it is something that should be addressed. We did not contact Vari about this issue. Surprisingly, everything arrived without any damage, despite the boxes looking like they had been mishandled.
Once the boxes were opened and the parts were laid out, it was shocking how few items were needed to get this unit up and running.
What’s in the Box?
- 1 Faux-wood laminated desktop
- 2 t-style motorized legs with bases
- 1 Plastic-housed control unit
- 1 Power cable
- 1 Cable Tray w/hardware
- 1 LED display
- 1 Vari silicone coaster
- 2 Vari plastic hooks
- 1 pack of Vari hook-and-loop cable wraps
- Allen bolts and Allen wrenches
Assembly
Assembling the desk was fairly straightforward. The instructions said to leave the desktop upside down inside the box to protect its surface. However, we like to live dangerously, so we set it onto a sheet of foam packing material and disposed of the damaged cardboard.
The next step in installation was to attach the legs, which slide into the cross member of the desktop. These legs were fastened down with two Allen-head bolts each and the pigtails for each leg were routed through the cross member. We then installed the plastic control box into the middle of the cross member and plugged in the pigtails.
Attaching the LED display was done by sliding it into a preinstalled bracket on the underside of the desk. This bracket is on the right side of the unit by default, but the mount is detachable if you would like to reposition it to the left side of the desk. The cable for the LED display unit was also long enough to reach both sides of the motor control unit without issue.
Installing the T-style support bases was done via two more Allen bolts on the bottom of each leg. Once this was complete, we flipped the desk over and slid it into position in our workspace.
This installation and assembly were some of the easiest that this reviewer has completed. It was impressive how quickly things came together, and while the Vari claim of 5 minutes is slightly unrealistic, (it took us about 30 minutes) this desk went together faster than any piece of Swedish furniture.
Technical Specifications
It is important to note that this unit is not a converter. It’s a full-size adjustable desk.
The weight rating for the 60 x 30 desk is 200lbs. The weight rating for the smaller, 48 x 30 is 220lbs. Both desk styles use 120V AC single-phase 60Hz 4A motors, that are suited for both home and commercial use.
As tested, the desk weighs 126.1 lbs. The rear of the unit has a slight indentation for routing cables through. This allows easy access to the included cable management tray.
This standing desk also carries a 5-year warranty against any manufacturer defects.
Color and Finish Options
Unlike other standing desk manufacturers who offer a confusing array of finishes, the Vari standing desk comes in only five available finish options: White, Black, Dark Wood, Butcher Block, and Reclaimed Wood.
Despite the look of wood, each of these options is instead labeled as a “contractor-grade” laminate surface by Vari. Our demo was sent in the Reclaimed Wood finish. From a distance, it is hard to tell that this is a laminate surface.
Vari has even added some minor imperfections to the surface to make the reclaimed wood seem more realistic. This is a nice touch, and other manufacturers should take note.
Upon close inspection it is possible to see the pattern of the laminate and the shine of light off of the surface is notably laminate-looking. Even so, the Reclaimed Wood finish is very handsome.
Operation
Raising and lowering the Vari standing desk is done via a series of buttons on the LED control unit. There are four buttons that can be preprogrammed using a simple press-and-hold method. Set the desk to the proper height, press the “M” button, and then hold the number of the button you’d like to assign.
Vari recommends that when this desk is first assembled that it be calibrated using the included instructions. We followed these instructions and calibrated the desk without any issues before programming the buttons to their preferred height.
Once the desk is calibrated, you can press each button a single time to activate the desk’s movement. For people who are particular about fine-tuning, The LED display counts in increments of .1 which makes tiny adjustments possible.
The desk extends to a height of 50.5” and lowers to a height of 25”. While 50.5” is a decent maximum height for many people, those who are extra tall may find themselves non-plussed at this maximum height. For average height users, and folks on the shorter side, this desk works just fine.
No More Knee Crusher
One of the first and most important changes that Vari has made to its standing desks is the removal of the lower crossbar. Early in the standing desk game, many manufacturers resorted to a lower crossbar to increase the stability of a top-heavy standing desk.
This crossbar was dubbed a “knee crusher” primarily due to worker’s tendencies to bang their knees into it when sitting. Once this nickname became common, many standing desk manufacturers abandoned the knee crusher in favor of a top-mounted crossbar under the desk’s surface.
Vari has adopted this practice, and its upper crossbar is the only one you will find on its new Electric Standing Desk. But what does this do for stability? Well, even with the removal of this cross member, the desk did not seem unstable.
The new Electric Standing Desk is extremely sturdy. While this desk does experience some of the classic wobbles that most standing desks exhibit, the likely cause is more physics than design. Anything that is top-heavy is almost certainly going to have a slight wobble due to gravitational force. It doesn’t take a game of wobbly stick to understand why.
That being said, this design choice was a good one. The freedom from worrying about bruised knees is something you don’t realize you need until you don’t have it. By removing the crossbar, Vari has banished one of the major pain points, both literally and figuratively, from its standing desk lineup.
Missing Anti-Collision Detection
Something that is missing from Vari’s offering is anti-collision detection. Anti-collision means that if the desk is going to hit, say, a $300 commissioned watercolor painting hanging on the wall, then the anti-collision will stop the desk from moving. This isn’t a feature that Vari highlighted in its product documentation, but we wanted to test the unit to see what would happen.
Our testing was conducted by simultaneously raising the desk and pressing down on the desk surface. Surprisingly, we found the motor would reverse slightly if enough downward force was placed on the desk’s surface after movement had begun.
Despite the reversal, we were unable to get consistent results. Sometimes the desk would stop and back off a bit, and other times it just kept going as long as we held the button.
If anti-collision is something that is important to you, then you might want to reconsider buying this desk.
Proposition 65 Warning: Lead and Lead Compounds
An important aspect of this desk that should be considered before purchasing is the warning that Vari has presented on their website about lead and lead compounds in accordance with California Proposition 65.
This proposition states that any company involved in the manufacturing of products that contain chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer must disclose those chemicals in the product’s official documentation
On the Vari website, the Prop 65 warning is displayed under the information sheet on the 60 x 30 standing desk. This is a problem for some people. If you have young children, or are pregnant/nursing, or have a member of your family who is pregnant or nursing, then this may be a significant concern for you.
If lead is not something that you are concerned with then this documentation may not bother you, however, the potential for exposure to harmful chemicals is something that should be carefully considered before adding this unit to your home or office.
For full details on Proposition 65 and what it means for consumers, we recommend you visit the California Office of Environmental Health and Hazard Page regarding Proposition 65.
Poor Cable Management
The included cable tray for the Vari Electric Standing Desk is a nice idea, however, the execution is something that is a bit lacking for this reviewer’s setup. For those with large numbers of cables, or who run dual monitor setups, the included cable tray leaves cables looking sloppy and unkempt. If you’re a neat freak, or you really love cable management, then this tray is going to make your eyes twitch.
The tray might be fine for those with few power cables, or those who use a single monitor. Additionally, if you don’t mind your cables appearing slightly messy then this may not be a problem for you.
Can You Repair the Vari Electric Standing Desk?
The internal motors and electronic parts of this unit are not designed to be taken apart. However, if you have a malfunctioning component like a control unit, isolating that part is fairly easy to do. Since everything is plugged into a central control unit, simply unplug the malfunctioning part.
That being said, it is unclear if Vari is offering replacement components for products that break. We’d recommend you contact Vari if you are looking for advice on repairing this desk.
Teardown of the desk to relocate, however, is about as easy as setting it up. Flip the desk over, remove the Allen bolts holding the base and legs to the surface, and everything should slide apart. Once the unit has been relocated, just reinstall the legs and the bolts.
Should You Buy the Vari Electric Standing Desk?
Due to the high cost and the potential for exposure to harmful chemicals, this desk is tough to recommend. Obviously, avoiding any type of harmful chemicals is important when you have young children or are pregnant/nursing.
If these conditions don’t apply to you, or if you’re not concerned about these chemicals, then this desk will be a good choice. It works well, is an exceptional size, feels sturdy, and the overall aesthetic appeal is great. If you don’t need features like Bluetooth, app control, or anti-collision detection, then we think this desk will suit your interest.
However, if you are concerned with the aforementioned potential for exposure to harmful chemicals, are looking for real wood, or are budget conscious, then this desk might be a poor choice. It’s expensive, and the limited feature set doesn’t justify costs that are one-third to one-half higher than other standing desks with similar features.
Does Vari’s Desk Stand Out From Others?
Overall, the Vari Electric Standing Desk is a comfortably-sized unit with a standard feature set. Its key selling points are the ease of assembly and the absolutely gorgeous finish. But high costs and questionable materials prevent the desk from being the top choice when it comes to incorporating a standing desk into your home or office setup.
While we really wanted to like the Vari Electric Standing Desk, the manufacturer is going to have to make some upgrades to both the materials and the feature set if it wants to justify Vari’s unreasonably high price.