You want to get noticed at the office, impress your co-workers, and make some new friends? Buy a Varidesk! The minute this was delivered to this reviewer’s office, I had people stopping by to inquire. They wanted to know how it worked, see it in action, stand behind it themselves . . . it became a conversation piece. Any time someone would walk by when I was standing behind the Varidesk Pro Plus, I had a visitor.
I don’t have a bad back, or chronic back problems, the Varidesk Pro Plus wasn’t recommended to me by a doctor or chiropractor, although I think it would be if I were to ask. I had been having some extreme carpal tunnel issues (waking up with numb hands), and after just a week of alternating between standing and sitting, those issues started to go away. That was one HUGE benefit.
Personally, I hate sitting still and do not like sitting at a desk all day. The Varidesk resolved that. It helps me feel refreshed when I can jump up and within seconds be back to work, but standing up. I truly feel this increased my productivity. For all the desk jockeys out there, treat yourself to a Varidesk! If you own a company, you should offer this as an option for your employees.
Key Features
- Keyboard Deck lifts with the display surface: all one piece
- There is a companion app that gives you sit and stand alerts so you don’t stay in one spot too long!
- Switch from sitting to standing in just three seconds!
- Ergonomic design adjusts to most users’ height
- Fully assembled for easy set up
Design:
For review, we were furnished with a Varidesk Pro Plus, which has two levels. The top tier has room for one monitor and a laptop (which I used as a second monitor), and the lower level fits a keyboard and mouse . . . both levels had room to spare! The Varidesk accomodated a small file, a drink, cell phone, pens, post-its, and other basic office items.
We LOVE how easy the Varidesk is to lower and raise. There are two levers on each side that you simply squeeze together and then gently lift up. It is spring loaded so you do not have to lift very hard for it to come right up. You can lock it in at various levels too, so it adjusts to different heights. I am about 5’7” and it worked for me wearing flat shoes, or a 2” heel.
The only thing that was a minor problem for this reviewer was that I felt like if I needed to type the level that I needed to have it at for my keyboard was lower than what I liked my monitor to be. I would need to lower the Varidesk for my hands to be at a comfortable level, and then I would be looking down at my monitors. However, this was VERY minor and just inches off of what I would normally prefer.
There are a variety of different sizes available that you can check out on varidesk.com. They make a more narrow option for people that just use one monitor, and then sizes in between that and the Varidesk Pro Plus 48, which is the largest model. You should be able to find one to fit your specific needs.
Overall, the Varidesk is well made, easy to use, and comes in a variety of sizes to fit your needs. Check out the embedded video below to see the Varidesk in-action…
Setup:
When we saw the huge box that had been delivered, and that it was only about 10 inches wide (if that), all we could think was “this is going to be a mess to put together!” Much to our surprise, the Varidesk shipped in ONE PIECE – all we had to do was open the box, slide it out, and plop it on my desktop. While one person was able to do this all on her own, it would have been easier to have one other person to help lift it – since the desk is all in one piece, and very sturdy, it was not light.
Once we had the Varidesk on the desk top, we took it for a test drive and saw how easy it was to raise and lower! To complete the setup, we simply put the computer equipment where we wanted it, ran the cords through the back, and was ready to work. We would say it MAYBE took 20 minutes to get it out of the box, on top of the desk, and everything hooked up and in place. Easy peasy.
Durability:
While we only have been using this for about a month, there is no doubt that the Varidesk will stand the tests of time. We knew this as soon as we tried to lift it out of the box – weighing in at 52.65 lbs, you know the Varidesk is SOLID and very well built. The hinges and springs are all thick metal, and there was almost no wobble when you lifted it to max height. The upper and lower levels were made of a thick material that was obviously sturdy and durable – we’re not talking particle board here folks!
Functionality:
In this reviewer’s job, a lot of time is spent working with files, and taking phone calls. When in the standing position, it was very difficult to accommodate a large file (although pieces of a file, or smaller files were fine). Additionally, when receiving phone calls, it would require either quickly lowering the Varidesk down to sit and take the call, or just leave it up and take the call without looking at the computer. Both of these things can be solved in one way or another (putting the phone on the Varidesk, getting a longer cord or wireless headset for the phone), but it did decrease the functionality of the desk a bit.
Hands-on Photos:
All that being said, when we were just typing or doing work on a computer, the Varidesk was fantastic – no issues at all.
Value:
Most of the team at the Busted Wallet HQ agreed that $350 for the Varidesk Pro Plus was a great deal. A few said they wouldn’t pay that, but when informed that there were smaller versions at lower prices, that generally got everyone on board! Personally, I think this is a GREAT value. It is well made, easy to use, nothing to be put together, and made me more productive and healthier. If that doesn’t all come out to a great value, I don’t know what does!
Why on earth did they make the curved cutout on the front of the keyboard tray. It looks nice, but severely constrains the usefulness of the tray. Every photo of this thing always shows a teeny keyboard. With a full size keyboard, it doesn’t look like there’s enough space to put the mouse and pad on the right side of the keyboard. You could place it far right like in the photos, but then you’d sacrifice the 90 degree ergonomic rules (which physically matter to me, and should be important designing a “healthy” desk option). Did you or anyone in your office try putting a mouse and pad along the right side of the keyboard? For your review, did you contact any ergonomic specialists and ask for their opinion of this accessory? I want one of these things, but the keyboard/mouse issue is a deal breaker.
Hello JohnW:
In my opinion the curved cutout on the front of the keyboard tray contributed to the functionality. When standing (which is what this desk is primarily made for) it allowed you to stand closer to the screen and for the desk to come in around you.
As you can see in one of the pictures, yes, in fact, we did put a mouse and pad along the right side of the keyboard. It fit with plenty of room. The keyboard I had was a standard sized keyboard, but there would have been room for a larger one – i.e. the wave type that is more ergonomic.
While we did not have any ergonomic specialist come in, I have worked in enough offices (and been subjected to ergonomic specialists) to know that you could adjust the Veridesk to be completely ergonomically correct. Whether that means you add height to your monitors so that your keyboard and mouse can be at the correct level, or getting a specialized keyboard. You seem to be very well versed in the area of ergonomics and, as you know, no two people are the exact same when it comes to ergonomics – therefore, flexibility is key. In my opinion, the Veridesk would be able to be adjusted to be ergonomically correct for MOST people (i.e. a 6’6″ guy in my office said it would be a bit too low for him, even when it was fully extended).
I’ve never had a setup with the mouse set further back from the line of the kbd, but it seems like that could be advantageous. I’d have to try it before I took a chance.
I have secondary concern that turned out to be the deciding factor–the Varidesk would not work as a sit down desk for me. My desk height is 30.5″, pretty much std. I have tried three office chairs, and none of them raise high enough for me to sit in an ergonomically correct way, so like most people, I use a keyboard tray. Since the Varidesk, in its collapsed position, adds at least 3/4″ additional height, I’d need to find an expensive, commercial office chair with greater maximum height (likely costing several hundred dollars), or keep my keyboard tray which negates the value of the Varidesk.
The Varidesk offers a lot of potential and I know there are some satisfied customers, but I can’t use it as advertised so I went another way.