Tom's Guide found the Vari Classic Electric Standing Desk attractive, sturdy and one of the easiest desks to assemble, coming together with eight screws in about 15 minutes. Height travel from 25 to 50.5 inches was smooth and consistent, and the keypad stores four presets. The criticisms are fewer configuration options than other standing desks and a 200 lb capacity that is below the 350 lb of the Uplift V2 and Fully Jarvis.
Full review
Eight screws and about 15 minutes
Tom's Guide's Mike Prospero called the desk one of the easiest things he has assembled at home. It goes together with eight screws: four hold the legs to the top and four connect the feet to the legs, with the control panel sliding into the front of the desk. Vari says it should take about five minutes; the reviewer put it at about 15, which was still half the time other standing desks took him.
A thick top and a four-preset keypad
The reviewed desk was the 60 x 30-inch model in reclaimed wood. Tom's Guide found the top a good inch-plus thick and more substantial in look and feel than the other models tested, with a cutout at the back for running cables so the desk can sit flush against a wall. The control panel under the front lip has up and down arrows and a small LCD readout of the height, stores four preset heights, and can be moved from the right side to the left by removing two screws.
The box also includes two hooks that clamp to the side of the desk, six cable straps and a silicone coaster.
Smooth travel, 200 lb limit
The desk lowers to 25 inches and rises to 50.5 inches. Tom's Guide described the movement as smooth and consistent and the desk as very solid, with a little rocking at maximum height. It supports up to 200 pounds, and the same review points out that the Uplift V2 and Fully Jarvis support up to 350 pounds.
Fewer options than rivals
The one drawback Tom's Guide lists is fewer configuration options than other standing desks. Its verdict is that the desk is among the best-looking and easiest to put together and, compared with other standing desks, not much more expensive. The buyer this fits wants a desk that is built quickly and looks finished; anyone loading it with very heavy equipment or wanting a deeply customized frame should compare the higher-capacity alternatives.
Strengths
- +Very easy to assemble: eight screws and about 15 minutes in Tom's Guide's testing
- +Top more than an inch thick that Tom's Guide found more substantial than the other desks it tested
- +Four programmable height presets with an LCD height readout
- +Includes two clamp-on hooks, six cable straps and a coaster
Watch-outs
- −Supports 200 lb, less than the 350 lb Tom's Guide cites for the Uplift V2 and Fully Jarvis
- −Fewer configuration options than other standing desks, per Tom's Guide
How it compares
The Vari Classic Electric Standing Desk took about 15 minutes to assemble in Tom's Guide's testing, half the time that reviewer needed for other standing desks. Its 200 lb capacity is below the 350 lb Tom's Guide cites for the Uplift V2 and the Fully Jarvis, making it less suitable for very heavy setups, and it offers fewer configuration options than those desks.
Rating sources
Our 4.5 score is the average of these published ratings, each adjusted for how strictly its publisher scores. More about methodology.
