Here's why the FlexiSpot E8 adjustable desk is great for gaming and working from home
Raise your game, literally.
We can spend a lot of time at our desks, whether you work from home throughout the day or have those long gaming sessions in the evenings and weekends. It's important that we take regular breaks from sitting in our chair because it can cause back ache and poor posture. A standing desk is a great choice to manage both issues, plus it gets yourself standing up more throughout the day.
Buying a height-adjustable desk means you can carry on working without having to be sat down. During Black Friday 2022, we saw some good deals on standing desks, including some from manufacturer FlexiSpot. They were kind enough to send me one of their desks, the E8, to review. This allowed me to see how easy it was to put together, how much difference a standing desk can make - and also find out if it's worth the price.
The E8 desk from FlexiSpot starts at £440, which just gets you the frame. You can order a desktop to go with the frame, I ordered the 120x60cm desktop which is the smallest option and costs £80, but the frame fits desktops up to 180x80cm in size, and FlexiSpot have different options including curved and sliced desktops at various price points. Right now the E8 desk frame has a £20 discount on the Flexispot website. It is also available at Amazon, with an £80 voucher available so you can get the frame and desktop for £350.
In the US, the Flexispot E8 starts from $589.99 for the frame, with desktop options ranging from $20 for chipboard up to $200 for solid wood.
The E8 was delivered in three boxes, one very large box containing the desktop, and two smaller boxes which contained the beam and control box in one, and the pedestals, lifting columns and other parts in the other. My first impressions were that the parts were heavy, as I had to carry them up some stairs to get to my office room. This was encouraging however, because the frame is made of steel and the desktop is made of bamboo coated with a water-resistant 2H lacquer which makes it moisture-proof, insect-resistant, and scratch-proof.
I chose the white frame and a white desktop to match my peripherals, but you can also get the frame in black and there are multiple desktop colour options including black, mahogany, bamboo, marble, and more, so you can mix and match as you please.
Once I had taken all of the parts out of their boxes and laid them out on the floor, it was time to start putting them together. The E8 came with an allen key but you will benefit from having a drill to screw the desktop onto the lifting columns, I didn't have a drill but managed to get by with a Phillips head screwdriver.
Following the instructions was simple and I managed to attach the brackets to the beam, then install the lifting columns and pedestals without any issue. I was impressed with how sturdy everything felt, as you'd expect with parts made of steel. Lifting the now-assembled frame onto the desktop by myself was a bit of a struggle due to the weight, so if you have someone to help you lift it safely, definitely get them to lend a hand.
I did have some issues screwing the desktop onto the frame at this point. The holes on the underside of the desktop wouldn't line up correctly with the holes in the frame. You can extend the desk frame out to over 172cm if you're attaching a larger desk frame, and this helped me line up some of the holes but it still wouldn't line up exactly. In the end I managed to get most of the screws through, but one side of the desk is missing a screw.
This was frustrating at the time, considering how easy everything else had been, but wasn't a long-term concern as the desk is really firmly attached to the frame, and it's also being held down by gravity. I have no worries or issues with the desk over a month later.
The E8 desk looks great in the all-white option I chose, and once it was moved into the right position I was really impressed. The adjustment on the E8 is done with a nice control handset that screws onto the left side. It has an up and down button, and four buttons that can be programmed to move the desk to a set height when pressed, as well as a child lock. I have the sitting button programmed at 74cm, and the standing button set to 105cm, so with just one press of either button I can raise or lower the desk for whatever I'm doing rather than have to hold a button down every time I stand up or sit down.
I spend a lot of time at my desk, whether it be writing deals articles and guides here or on the Jelly Deals Twitter account, and I play my fair share of games in the evenings and on weekends. Having a height adjustable desk has been a real game-changer for my computer usage. Being able to keep working or playing while standing keeps my legs stretched and my back less sore at the end of the day.
Despite being larger than my original 100x60cm desk, I've actually ended up with more space due to the positioning of the E8's legs and the adjustable height. In my case there is a radiator on the wall where I have my desk, and I had to place my old desk next to it. Now because the E8's legs are further inside the desktop I can have the desktop sit over the radiator and not have to worry about it thanks to the E8's anti-collision detection.
Overall it's really easy to recommend the FlexiSpot E8 adjustable desk if you have the budget for it. £440 is a lot of money, and the huge upgrade from my old standard desk has proved worthwhile. The quality of the parts is very high too, so you won't have to worry about replacing the desk anytime soon, and the different colour options mean it will look good in so many setups.
If £440 is out of your price range and the E8 isn't on sale in the future, FlexiSpot has a number of other desks that use the same parts that will be just as good for their price. Their basic E1 standing desk starts at £290 with a desktop, but you can get it on sale right now for £240, which again is a great price for a height adjustable desk made with this quality.
FlexiSpot have regular sales on their website throughout the year, and you can also order their products on Amazon where they are often on sale too. We'll let you know when FlexiSpot's desk go on sale here and over on the Jelly Deals Twitter so make sure to follow us so you don't miss out in the future.