Vari Electric Standing Desk Is a Must-Have for Your Home Office

The Vari Electric Standing Desk is an excellent work-from-home upgrade that lets you sit or stand at your desk for a more ergonomic workday. Starting at $550, this is an affordable electric sit-stand desk that comes in two sizes and includes many accessories to match your needs.

Vari offers two Electric Standing Desk sizes and many finish options so you can match your home or office décor. The 48-by-30-inch desk is $550, can accommodate most home office setups and is priced right perfectly for a work-from-home upgrade.

I tested the 60-by-30-inch version, which is $650. The wider desk better matches the number of items I keep on my desk. Aside from the size difference, these models are the same.

To round out this work from home setup, I also tested the Vari Task Chair, which is $295. The company also offers an Active Seat that lets you sit and keep your lower body moving as you work.

Assembly

Vari's Electric Standing Desk is easy to assemble thanks to smart packaging. The desktop and the legs ship separately. Opening the top of the packaging reveals slots to place the legs in while keeping the top protected in the packaging. After attaching a few screws, the legs are secure.

The controller mounts on the front edge, and you can choose which side of the desk you would like it on. I kept mine on the right side of the desk.

After securing the legs and the optional cable management basket, I routed the wires and plugged them into the controller.

You can do all the assembly by yourself, but it is convenient to have someone to help you flip the desk upright. It's possible to do this alone, but you'll need to strategize on it.

Vari includes instructions on running the cables to keep them from hanging down and includes several Velcro ties in the box so that you can secure additional wires.

From opening the boxes to lifting the desk upright, the assembling takes about 10 minutes, and all the tools are included.

Putting the Vari Task Chair together took about a minute, as the chair arrives already mostly assembled.

Design

There are options for any décor from standard white and black finishes to the reclaimed wood, butcher block and darkwood.

The top of the desk is smooth and has held up under several weeks of heavy use. Vari included a coaster and some small hooks to hang headphones or a light bag with the top as a bonus. It is a good idea to use a coaster to keep the top looking good for the long haul.

All edges are rounded and then chamfered, so they feel nice when you touch them throughout the day. This is much nicer than the trimmed edges on many cheaper sit-stand desks. There is a small cut out in the back so that you can quickly run wires down and keep the desk close to a wall.

I highly recommend the $45 cable management tray to hold the various power adapters. This keeps the look clean and keeps cables in place during the up and down adjustments. You can put a power strip in here so you don't leave all your cords hanging down the back of the desk to catch on something when you raise the desk eventually. As a long time electric standing desk user, I like this approach better than using 3M Command strips and 37 zip ties, which is how I've secured wires on other sit-stand desks.

The T-shaped legs are a dark slate and include adjustments in case your floor is uneven. Each leg includes a motor to raise or lower the desk. The control panel is recessed a little under the edge of the desk so that you don't catch yourself on it. I left the control installed on the right side of the desk, which is closest to my wall. Switching it to the left side is simple, so you can choose where it fits best for you.

The Vari Task Chair design is pretty standard for an office task chair in this price range. The base is wide and very sturdy. The seat is adjustable from front to back to ensure that you have enough room to sit comfortably.

Usability

The things that I look for most in a standing desk include how easy it is to control, how stable it is in a standing position, and how well it works as a standing desk.

Vari's Electric Standing Desk is easy to control with the press of a button. You can adjust the desk height using up and down buttons and store four heights in memory. You can choose a one-touch operation that automatically moves to the saved height with a quick push, or an option to hold the memory button until the desk reaches the height. The desk height ranges from 25 to 50.5 inches.

The desk is very stable, even when one is standing and typing heavily. I highly recommend using a good monitor arm to reduce any monitor movement. You can order various mounts from Vari, or you can use one you already have on hand. The key is to use a high-quality monitor arm; otherwise, the arm can introduce monitor sway in a standing position.

After setting the initial heights for sitting and standing, I adjusted them until I found the best placement. When you use a monitor arm, you can also change the height of your monitor independently. That way, you can adjust the overall ergonomics of your work form home setup.

Switching from sitting to standing during the day helps me in multiple ways. The most immediate effect is that I have more focus and a bit more energy as I work through a long afternoon. While working with the Vari Electric Desk in the standing position, I can remain on task, get into music or stay engaged in late-day video calls. Longer-term benefits include less back pain and more calories burned each workday.

The Vari Task Chair is comfortable for long periods of sitting. I spend a good part of my morning sitting, and then I switch to standing. The adjustment options make it easy to find the right fit. The adjustable armrests are good for finding a comfortable position, but I wish they felt sturdier once I found the right placement.

Is the Vari Electric Standing Desk Worth Buying?

The Vari Electric Desk is a great value. It's well made, easy to set up and there are many accessories to round out the experience.

For an electric standing desk, $550 is an excellent value, and if you add this to your home office, the four programmable heights are perfect for sharing a space with a partner or roommate.

As we all look to figure out better ways to work from home and the permanence of the change sinks in, Vari offers the perfect mix of design, features, and value.

Whether you upgrade your home office on your own budget or convince your company to cover the bill, the Vari Electric Standing Desk is a nice option, and you can add to it over time with accessories, chairs, and monitor mounts.

The Vari Task Chair is good for the price, and when you combine it with the 48-inch Electric Standing Desk, you get a full work from home upgrade for under $900. If you want to get more of the benefits of a sit-stand desk setup, the active seat and an anti-fatigue standing mat might be a better fit.