Flexispot Q8 8-in-1 Standing Desk Review

Standing desks have become very popular in the past few years. Many people believe that it’s better for your posture and general health to stand while working, but the jury’s still out on whether that’s true. There are two varieties of standing desks: the static desk with a fixed height and the motorized or movable desk, which convert from a sitting desk to a standing desk. This review covers an example of the latter: the Flexispot Q8 8-in-1 Standing Desk.

Going Up

The Flexispot Q8 8-in-1 Standing Desk is a standing table with a bit of a difference. Yes, it’s a motorized standing desk, but not all of its refinements are mechanical.

To facilitate its transformation from regular seated desk to standing workstation, the Q8 has buttons on the front controlling heavy-duty motors in the legs that crank it up from its lowest height of 60cm and lofts it to the dizzying height of 124cm. This should accommodate most heights of potential users.

The table also features a load capacity of 100kg, a built-in cable management system, and a slim drawer for stationery items. There is a wireless charger built into the surface so that you can park your phone there all day and walk away with it recharged.

There are USB charging ports on the front alongside the buttons that raise and lower the desk. There are also preset buttons so that you can set and store several working heights and switch easily between them. The LED display tells you the height of the desk and also displays any error messages.

The top surface of the desk is a smooth and durable bamboo, which is hard, heavy and doesn’t warp very easily. It looks very elegant and modern: a top of the line item.

Feature Furniture

The Flexispot Q8 8-in-1 Standing Desk is a very imposing presence in a room. It looks sleek and simple but has hidden depths. Its look is very chic, in a sort of Scandinavian minimalist way, and it wouldn’t look at all out of place in an IKEA catalogue. The tabletop is very smooth and wide, and although we all know you’ll take up all the space in a very short time, there is room for a computer monitor and a bunch of research material or crafts. It will hold weight up to 100kg.

The desk comes as a flat pack, so you will have to assemble it. The tools to do so are supplied in case you can’t find your toolbox. Assembly is not difficult but physically challenging due to the weight of the desk. You’ll need the help of a friend.

The drawer is slim and discreet and best-suited to small items, like books, paper and pens rather than bulky items. It’s nice to have a drawer, but it’s not the kind where you can just shove in everything you don’t want on your desk. You may need to get a little cabinet under the desk for all of your junk.

The wireless charging port is on the right side of the surface. When you first get the desk out of the box, there is a sticker on the tabletop to show you where the charging antenna is located. You can remove the sticker if you want your desk to be unsullied by signage. Obviously, the right side is favoring right-handed people. It would have been nice to have the option of placing it over the other side. It’s not a huge inconvenience – just a minor quibble.

The buttons which raise and lower the desk have sensors to detect your finger rather than being tactile mechanical buttons, so you may not always be sure that you pressed the button. However, this is not a huge problem.

The raising and lowering of the desk is fun, but be careful – if you play with it too much, you’ll fall foul of the limits on the motor’s operating temperature. These are heavy motors lifting a considerable weight, and doing so very quietly, I might add. This means they will only work for a certain amount of time before they have to rest to let the heat dissipate.

You get about 20 to 30 seconds of continuous motor action before you have to stop and let it rest. If you don’t remember this and send it up and down repeatedly, eventually the motors will stop, and you’ll get an error message on the display. But let it rest, and it’ll clear itself. If it doesn’t clear the error on its own, you can turn the power off for a second, and the desk will reset. Once you get your desk at its working height, you won’t need to alter it much.

Once you have your desk at a height you like, you can set this height as a preset by pressing and holding one of the preset buttons. You can store up to five presets, but I’m guessing you’ll use no more than two or three.

Having USB ports so close to the desktop is useful for charging devices with short cables so that you can have them on the desktop rather than languishing on the floor by the plug socket. Also, you can power devices while you work with them. It’s very convenient to have USB power so close to your working surface.

Summary

All things considered, the Flexispot Q8 8-in-1 Standing Desk is a classy and powerful addition to any office. The benefits to your back will doubtlessly offset the cost of such a luxury item.

It’s another fine product from a company that has many more stylish back health products in its lineup. A luxury item at the top of its range, it retails for £699 and is worth the money.