Vari - VariDesk Pro Plus 48 - Two-Tier Standing Desk Converter for Dual Monitors - Sit to Stand Desk for Office with 11 Height Settings, Spring-Assisted Lift, Dual Handles - Fully Assembled, Black

Bought this for an employee who wanted to stand occasionally at her desk to work. She loves it and I may get one for me, too. It comes in a couple sizes. it does take up a lot of room on the desk, and our monitors sit on top, so even when you are sitting your monitors are 4-5" higher. Make sure that works for you. It is very easy to raise and lower the system. Seems very well made. Very sturdy and was easy to set up.

Before the review, here's some context. I am a software engineer and sit at a computer 9-10 hours a day and it takes a toll on my back by the end of the day. As work gets busier, I sit for longer periods without realizing it. I was in the market for a standing desk and there are a lot of options out there. I have a 23" monitor and a 19" monitor + docking station/keyboard/mouse.I ultimately decided to go with the Varidesk line because I have a desk which I really like and didn't want to get rid of it. It's nothing special, but it has drawers, a file cabinet and some shelving for my printer/desktop. The other standing desks on the market are just essentially tabletops with hydraulics that move up and down - so I'd have to then get a separate file cabinet or build a cabinet system. I also just wanted to plop my monitors on something that could easily alternate between standing and sitting - wasn't enthralled with buying monitor arms or extra accessories.Now onto the actual review...I really love this thing and it absolutely solves my desire to stand more. I find myself standing whenever I am on a call, getting antsy or sick of sitting. When I get tired, I sit. A high-quality anti-fatique mat is key. I'm able to fit my large docking station platform, router, speakers, 2 monitors mentioned up above and there's still some room in between them.Moving it up and down is extremely easy - it sometimes requires a bit of a push to make sure it locks into position. But they did a really good job of making this thing lift with ease - it really does work like the videos you see. You will read some reviews that talk about it being wobbly - it's not untrue and there is some wobble. The base itself is not wobbly, but as you extend it up it tends to be more susceptible to movement. It doesn't feel unstable in the least, but it does exist. It's probably no different than a crane/cherry picker going in the air and shaking a bit as it extends.As others mention, this thing is heavy. I actually see this as an advantage - I know that if I lean on it, it's still not going anywhere. Let's face it - you're going to put it on your desk and leave it there. I don't think people are transporting these around, so I don't really get the criticism on that. You'll also see people mention that it takes up the entire desk. This is not untrue - it's a big unit. However before my Varidesk, my equipment took up the majority of my desk anyway, so I didn't see any issue with this. If you just had a laptop which takes up no space and went to the Varidesk, I guess I can understand that argument.The only gripe I have is that I wish the keyboard tray were adjustable. It's probably 2 inches higher than I'm used to/would like. It's probably more ergonomically correct than I used to have, but it will take some time to adjust. It's not a huge deal so I didn't deduct any stars, but it would be pretty handy.Overall if you have a similar use case, I think you will like this. I hemmed and hawed over which one to get, but in the end I'm really glad I went with the Pro Plus 48.

Some reviewers complain about stability. Maybe they got a lemon, or I got one of the few gems, or they are using them wrong...I suspect the latter, so I'll respond to that one. In the UP-position, it stands up higher than a normal desk does, so it naturally amplifies your desks responses to changes that happen to desks all the time, so don't treat it like a normal desk surface: don't host arm-wrestling competitions on it, don't use your elbows to lean your entire body weight on it, and don't expect equipment on top of it (either standard computer monitors or seismometers) to not wobble just a little when you do normal stuff, like push the arm wrestlers off your desk.The desk I received, when treated like the movement amplifier it is, behaves better than I could have expected. I often have multiple open beverages sitting on my desk WHILE changing positions, and after the first time or two of doing that, I've barely given them a second thought, much less worried that they might spill on my computers or keyboards. That's how stable this desk is, when treated right.Then there's ease-of-use. When I want it to go up, I gently pull it up; when I want it to go down, I apply a little body weight and it goes down - its internal springs do all the heavy-lifting, while my muscles do almost as little work as my will-power to change positions. A few co-workers seemed to not get this - they asked me if I've thought of some pre-set schedule to dictate standing-vs-sitting time. The first time that happened I didn't even understand the question...like asking a person driving a car if they use the steering wheel to turn left in the morning and right in the afternoon...no, it's adjustable, that's the point. The second time a coworker asked me when I sit vs stand, I felt like Forrest Gump describing the pace he ran at: when I get tired of sitting, I stand; when I get tired of standing, I sit.Then there's professional appearance. If the desk is in the down position, it just looks like a sleek monitor stand. The executives at my work have them, and they fit well into their neat, tidy, polished offices.The only room for improvement that I can put my finger on is not worth a whole star, but I would very much like if they included in some future model: There is no adjusting the height of the locked standing position. When you bring it up, you bring it all the way up until you hear the *click*, and THAT is the one-and-only height. This is a little annoying when you have to change your monitors' viewing angle, your head's viewing angle, and when you can't get some ergonomic measurement right in one position or the other. BUT if they had to sacrifice one of the good qualities about this desk in order to make an adjustable one, I would rather they leave it alone and focus on what they already have working so well - maybe instead figure out how to lean/six sigma the production costs down.

Upper deck, back side had a dent right out of the box. Probably half an inch in width? Other than that, the functionality is great.