Flexispot E2 Desk Review – The 1-year Review and What I’d Change

After about a year of freelancing, I came to the sudden realisation that I sat, on average, 14 hours a day (8 working, 6 watching t.v./YouTube/vegging). My back hurt, my hips were tight, I was getting headaches, and my waistline was slowly but surely growing. I came to the point that I had to say no more or I’d have to buy an all-new wardrobe.  So I started to look for solutions. As one does when they’re looking to buy something I first Googled it, and then checked on Amazon. Unfortunately, I currently live in Europe and the selection is quite a bit less than what you guys have in the U.S. So, I ended up choosing the Flexispot E2 standing desk, and this is my Flexispot desk review after using it for 1 year.

Pros: Flexispot E2 Standing Desk

Flexispot Review: Easy assembly

As you can see in the photos, the box comes with about 10 parts, but the actual structure is only about 6 things.

To get to this point (below) took me less than 30 min. I used a desktop I had on hand and not the Flexispot desk one, so things got a bit more complicated for me here. However, if you buy the Flexispot E2 desktop, and follow the directions, it shouldn’t take you more than an hour from start to finish. If you’ve ever put anything from Ikea together, this will be a breeze.

Electric motor:

As I wrote about in my article Height Adjustable Standing Desk – What to look for when you buy, buying a hand crank, or physical button to raise or lower a desk is just not practical. You may use it for a week or even a year, but eventually, you’ll get tired of having to move it.

The motor on this Flexispot E2 desk, and particularly the 3-position memory, is incredibly useful. Having to push only 1 button to transition between sitting and standing is the only sustainable option for a height-adjustable desk.

High-quality material/weight capacity

These two things basically go hand in hand, and with a 220lb weight limit you could probably sit on it (not recommended) and it would still work. I currently have a monitor, laptop, printer and a bunch of junk I should get rid of and I’ve had zero problems so far. I usually switch from sitting to standing 4-5 times per day (over 1,000 up and downs this year) and have had zero issues so far with the Flexispot desk.

Flexispot Review: Price

I bought the Flexispot E2 desk frame only, and I’d say that at $329.99 for a desk I use every day is a steal. Fortunately, I had a removable desktop, so I’m currently using an old-school Ikea desktop on top of the frame. It works for me, saved me money, and I’ve had no problem with anything so far.

Warranty:

At this price point for a desk that you’ll use almost every single day, a 5-year warranty on the frame and a 3-year warranty on the motor is quite generous and a testament to Flexispot’s confidence in their desks.

Cons: Flexispot E2 Desk Review

The top is $150.00 extra

If you’re not lucky enough to have a desktop you can switch out then you’ll either have to find another one at your favorite store or buy Flexispot’s E2 desktop. I haven’t actually seen there top in person so I can’t attest to the material or quality, but $150.00 just seems a bit steep to me. A piece of cool, sanded down plywood would probably work just fine.

*Flexispot zip ties don’t stick very well*

So, I threw some asterisks around this one because after some time I realized that it might not be entirely the zip-tie’s fault. The ones they include are to strap the cable to the bottom of the desktop, so they’re not hanging. It’s pretty unsightly if they’re just hanging there and your feet could accidentally get tangled up.

I was pleasantly surprised when I saw them, but unfortunately, after about 3 months they all fell off. However, in my Christmas-morning-like frenzy to put everything together, I didn’t clean the spots on my old desktop where I was sticking the zip ties. So, it could be that the desktop was dirty or the zip ties really don’t stick, probably the former.

Flexispot E2 Desk Review – Instability in Standing position

This one pains me to write, but I need to be completely honest with you guys. When in the standing position there’s quite a bit of wobble. Not enough to ruin typing or spill your drink but enough for it to be noticeable and move the screen back and forth. I’m a freelance translator, and I do a lot of typing. Unfortunately, typing while standing at this Flexispot desk is not very comfortable. However, I’ve found a workaround, and if you’re a freelancer who doesn’t do a lot of typing, this probably wouldn’t be a problem for you.

I made a little 20-second video where I put a glass of water on my desk and typed out the sentence “If I type out a normal sentence, what will the water do?” As you can see, it moves around a bit.

That’s the first 12-13 seconds, and then the last few seconds I forcibly move the Flexispot desk forward and backwards so that you can get an idea of the range of movement. As I said, it’s not that much, but it’s just enough that my screen moves and I have to stop for a second for the desk to stabilize again.

The way I get around it is I do my first translation/draft while sitting and then edit while standing. If you’re not typing away and just doing a lot of mouse work, there is barely any movement. The side-to-side sway only comes into play when you’re pressing a lot of keys and moving around a lot. Moving your mouse, clicking, typing a few words here or there, and this really is no big deal.

Flexispot Desk Review – My Recommendation

As I mentioned at the beginning, I bought the Flexispot E2 desk (see photo below). As you can see, the legs only have 2 sections with the lower one being smaller than the upper. This naturally leads to a bit of instability. When the top section raises, there is less contact with the bottom, which means more side-to-side movement. I really enjoy this desk, and love everything about it, except the instability while standing. However, that’s a bit my fault for not doing enough research before buying.

However, don’t give up on Flexispot desks just yet. They have a very similar model, the Flexispot E5 Desk, which, instead of only having 2 sections for the legs, there are 3. They go from larger to smaller (see photo below). This dramatically improves stability when it’s raised to higher positions, and the 5-star rating on Amazon definitely reflects that. It’s $80 more at $409.99, but if you actually use it for 5 years because it’s stable while you’re standing and working then the price of a dinner out shouldn’t sway you from going for it.

Flexispot E5 Desk review

For my first standing desk I wasn’t sure if I’d even use it, so I went cheap and regret it. Obviously, it’s one of those you-get-what-you-pay-for type things, as it should be, and I dropped the ball. Don’t blame Flexispot for this one. They have different tiers, at different price points, and different qualities of desks. Go for the Flexispot E5 Desk. You can check it out here at the Flexispot website and if you use this link you can get yourself a 5% discount: Flexispot.com.

Buy NOW: Flexispot E5 desk

All of this being said, if you don’t type very often, like video editors, photographers, or anyone who uses their mouse more than their keyboard, the Flexispot E2 could be a great, budget-friendly option for you as the instability wouldn’t come into play. Although the Flexispot E5 is still a great option if you’re a just-in-case type of person.

Here’s a link to the Flexispot E2: Flexispot E2 desk

Lastly, if you’re just getting started out then take a look at my article, Planning a Home Office – Function and Comfort over Form to get you going on the right foot. Thank you guys for checking out my Flexispot E2 desk review!

Have you tried any Flexispot E2 or E5 height-adjustable standing desks? Would you recommend it to friends?