REVIEW – Over a year ago I reviewed the Vari Curve Electric Standing Desk 60″x30″ and I love it. It has helped reduce my lower back pain and I try to stand as much as I can throughout the day now. I recently moved to a new office so it was the perfect opportunity to add a smaller Vari Electric Standing Desk with ComfortEdge in 48″x30″ to my workspace setup. Let’s see how it does, spoiler, it’s awesome.
What is it?
The Vari Electric Standing Desk with ComfortEdge is the smallest standing desk they offer with the ComfortEdge at 48 by 30 inches. It features a curved front edge that is very comfortable and with a 1.5 inch thick 3D laminate wrapped desktop that is available in 6 different finishes. The telescoping legs are super solid and can lower to 25 inches or raise to 50.7 inches. Right now until 29 Feb 2024 with the purchase of any ComfortEdge desk you can get 50% off two select accessories so add a monitor arm, drawer, storage cubby, or a standing mat to complete your workspace.
What’s in the box?
The Vari Electric Standing Desk ships in two boxes
Box 1: Vari top, gross weight 66.37 lbs net weight 50.1 lbs
- 48″x30″ top in walnut
- Instruction manual
- Bag hooks
- Coaster
- Cable straps
Box 2: Vari Curve base and legs, gross weight 65.05 lbs net weight 59.76 lbs
- Two legs
- Instruction manual
- Bolts and two Allen wrenches (4mm and 6mm)
Power Hub box
- Power hub
- Clamp
- Instruction manual
Hardware specs
Click to expand hardware specs
- SKU: 402273
- Total Weight: 109.86 lbs final assembly
- Dimensions: 25-50.5″(H) x 48″(W) x 30″(D)
- Weight capacity: 200 lbs
- Maximum height: 50.5 inches
- Lowest height: 25 inches
- 4 programmable memory height settings
Design and features
The Vari Electric Standing Desk with ComfortEdge comes with a durable 3D laminate finish in white, black, reclaimed wood, butcher block, light wood, or walnut. You can also get a wider desk with 60” and 72” wide desks also available. They all feature a gentle waterfall front edge which softens rest points for your forearms and wrists. You can work comfortably sitting or standing with the sturdy T-Style legs, powerful electric motors, and 4 programmable memory height settings that can be set anywhere between 25”-50.7”.
Setup
Setup was super easy and is best assembled upside down requiring only 8 bolts. Per the instructions I left the top upside down in the box and bolted the legs to the table using the included 4mm and 6mm Allen wrenches.
Once I had the legs bolted in I then bolted the feet on with two bolts each.
Then I slid the control module in and plugged the legs and the control panel in. Vari includes a couple of cable clips that you can tape in place but I found they weren’t needed.
Due to the hefty 100 lbs final assembled weight it is recommended to have another person help you turn the table over and move into your desired position. If you are strong enough you can tilt it and flip it up on your own but watch out for the control panel as it might break if flipping on the front edge. Fit and feel of all the materials was top notch and everything just felt super solid. The Vari Electric Standing Desk comes with a 5 year extended warranty to back up their craftsmanship.
Vari also sent me their Power Hub to try out as well and setting that up was super easy too. Once I got the desk where I wanted the Power Hub attached without tools and with a 12 foot cord it easily reached my nearest plug. It has 5x AC plugs total with three in the front and two in the back. There is 1x USB-C and 1x USB-A port in the front as well with both rated at 5V and 2.7 amps.
Performance
The ComfortEdge is actually way more comfortable than you would expect and I notice a difference when using a regular edged desk or table. On a regular desk my arms will get sore from the edge and I noticed I tended to fidget more due to being uncomfortable. Not the case with the Vari desk.
The leg motors are super quiet and being able to program the heights I prefer and then change levels with the push of a button is super convenient. The display even shows its current height in inches (can be reprogrammed to cm) while it moves up and down.
I like to lean on my standing desk occasionally and that has been my biggest complaint about desktop converters which aren’t stable enough for me to do that. They also reduce usable desktop space. Having a full size standing desk is the best option to maximize work space and still provide standing capability with the option to lean on it.
What I like
- Very sturdy and quality construction
- Wide range of adjustment
- Super comfortable edge
What I’d change
- Nothing
Final thoughts
The Vari Electric Standing Desks are the best desks let alone standing desks as far as comfort and ergonomics that I have ever used. Vari’s quality construction and materials set the standard in the standing desk arena. I will keep the bigger Vari desk as my main workspace with laptop and dual monitor setup but I love having the smaller one now for paperwork. Once you try a Vari desk you won’t want any other desk. The biggest complaint I had in my old review was they didn’t have a drawer but now they do along with other storage cubby options so you can easily set it up your workspace the way you want to.
Price: $750.00 with free shipping, free returns, and 5 year extended warranty
Where to buy: Vari website
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Vari.
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Do you prefer the curved edge or the straight across edge?
How does it compare to the Uplift Desk?
Hi Alison,
For the two Vari Desks I have reviewed I will say I like this one with the straight across edge better since it keeps my knees further from the lifting electronics in the middle underneath the table.
I have not reviewed an Uploft but it looks like Bill reviewed one here
https://the-gadgeteer.com/2015/11/12/uplift-height-adjustable-standing-desk-review/
and it does look very similar. I’d say you couldn’t go wrong with either but I really like the Vari waterfall edge instead of a 90 degree edge. It is a lot more comfortable on my wrists.