Flexispot E7 review: "A well-made, solid bit of kit"

Standing desks like the FlexiSpot E7 are all the rage, and for good reason, right now. Their adjustability allows you to get comfortable in more positions than a standard fixed desk, improving circulation and reducing the amount of time we spend sitting down. Since 2020 many of us have spent far more time sitting at desks in our homes, so we are having to give more thought to our choices.

FlexiSpot has a range of desks, mostly height-adjustable, and mostly electric. The FlexiSpot Standing Desk Pro Series E7 (to give it its full title) sits near the premium end of the spectrum and begins life at $499.99/£479.99 in its most basic form. This is because your choices will alter the price potentially increasing it from this starting list price. While not great news for the wallet, it is good news for those who value choice, as there are multiple combinations on offer. And, if you're willing to really go for it with your new standing desk, FlexiSpot even offers extra accessories from drawers to under-desk exercise bikes(!).

So, what does the FlexiSpot E7 look like, what is it like to use, is it one of the best standing desks, and am I a changed man thanks to standing up to work?

Construction, design & features

This desk comes flat-packed, so you will have to do some building. And while it is very simple and straightforward to build, it is quite a heavy thing, so you would benefit from another person assisting you. It took me around 45 minutes to build this on my own, and I'm quite good at these things, but I’d budget for about an hour. The build isn’t hard and everything you need is included, but the time is something to be aware of.

The desk legs are made of very sturdy steel, powder-coated in either black, white, or silver. As mentioned, my review unit came with the black legs which help to enable the desk to melt into any setup. At the time of writing, there are seven different desktops you can choose from: white, black, maple, bamboo, mahogany, cherry wood, and walnut. Finished with the walnut surface to complement the black legs, my review unit makes for a great-looking desk, with a pleasing aesthetic. The FlexiSpot website will show you previews of your combination choice too, so you're not going in totally blind.

In terms of dimensions and weight capabilities, the legs are sturdy, weighty things, but so is the desktop itself: the desk could easily hold the stated weight limit of 120kg, and the range of different desktop sizes means there should be a size for your space.

Performance

The key selling point of desks like the E7 is the adjustability, allowing you to sit or stand, and to change between the two easily. And the variation in height of the E7 is thoroughly impressive. The lowest it goes is 58cm, which is low enough to sit on the floor to work or play. This would be great to go with one of the best gaming chairs for PS4, PS5, or Xbox at this height. At its highest the desk gets to 123cm, which is pretty high - I am 6ft2 and I have the desk at 113cm when standing up which leaves you a bit more wiggle room should you need it.

One of the things that sets the E7 apart from cheaper models is the electric motors and control unit, which includes a memory function for both sitting and standing heights, a child lock, useful anti-collision tech, and an extremely valuable USB port. My favourite feature, and not one that’s immediately obvious on the FlexiSpot website, is the way the desk slows as it reaches the end of its travel rather an abrupt stop, there is no spilled coffee or tumbling ornaments here.

The aforementioned electric control unit is also very intuitive and easy to use, it has touch-sensitive buttons for up and down as well as the two memory functions. The screen displaying the height is really clear, turning off after a few seconds to remove distractions.

A slight concern is that at the very top of the E7s height, the desk is mildly less stable, but this is never truly worrisome. It comes with adjustable feet so you can make sure your desk sits level and stable too, which should put that to rest. Plus, this is unlikely to be a concern for users looking at this for regular home use or as one of the best gaming desks.

One of the unmentioned challenges of sit/stand desks is cable management, and this desk doesn’t solve these issues. Currently sat on my Flexispot E7 are two Sonos Ones, a TP-Link Deco mesh Wi-Fi hub, a laptop, 2 monitors, a keyboard, a mouse, various peripheral chargers, and a Lego man. Most of this poses a challenge for cable management. Having a variety of plugs and other cables dangling off the back of the desk does sort of ruin the solid aesthetic of this desk. FlexiSpot will sell you some accessories to combat this, but for the money you’ll pay for this desk, they could probably include some. I’d personally trade the memory function for a cable solution.

The ability to adjust the height of the desk, even just for different sitting tasks has improved my posture and reduced my backache. Sometimes It is just useful to adjust for different tasks, researching with little typing means I may want a different height to when typing. The option to stand improves this even further, as well as the added benefit of improving the circulation to my feet and them being warmer as a result.

so will suit those using one of the best gaming chairs

Overall - should you buy it?

Despite the cable management issues, I love the FLexiSpot E7. It is a well-made, solid bit of kit, that is more adjustable than I will ever need and it has loads of great features. The only flaw is the lack of cable management options, but they’re easy enough to source yourself.

While prices of electric standing desks can get wild with the likes of the Herman Miller Nevi (or X Logitech Nevi in the UK), there are more budget-friendly models available from FlexiSpot - the cheaper FlexiSpot EC1, for example - if you want a nice, bordering-on-premium sit/stand desk you would be hard pushed to find better for the money for the E7.