Price: $609
Sitting at your desk all day can have loads of unintended side effects, as does standing. The height-adjustable Victor High Rise Electric Standing Desk solves both issues because you can use it all day without interrupting your work to stretch your legs.
I enjoy the look of this standing desk because it fits my style. The minimalist, dark color scheme blends in well wherever you put it. It’s well-designed, sturdy, a breeze to assemble, and delivers a smooth ride for your devices while the surface goes up and down. I found a lot of convenience in the programmable height buttons on the hand switch. They make it easy to bring the desk’s surface to the perfect height for you and return it to the bottom level when you’ve finished using it.
The only major problem I have with this standing desk is its price. It’s listed at over $600, which is hard to justify that cost for any desk, height-adjustable or not. Other standing desks we’ve reviewed cost much less, come in larger sizes, and can carry more weight. That said, it still has many interesting features worth your consideration.
Assembly: A Quick and Easy Build
The packaging materials contain everything you need to put this standing desk together, like screws, a screwdriver, and two Allen wrenches. All you’ll need to do is position the pieces into place, tighten a few screws, and connect three cables. But, if you have a power screwdriver, you might want to bust it out to save a few minutes that you’d spend hand turning the screws.
I was happy to see that there’s minimal assembly for the electronic components. When I received the desk, I was worried I would have to install the motor myself, but it came preassembled and attached to the underside of the desk surface. This is great, because it means there’s even less room for error while you’re putting it all together.
The instructions are easy to follow, and there’s no room for misunderstanding. The unassembled desk comes in six main components: the surface, two legs, two feet, and the hand switch. Each part is instantly identifiable, and you can see how it all goes together before you even look at the directions. Every component is high-quality, durable, and easily connected to the other parts.
Ideally, assembly is a two-person job since some parts aren’t well-balanced on their own, and it’s nice to have another set of hands to hold them steady. When I put it together, I had additional help, and the process went quickly overall and without issue. Using only what came in the package, it took us about 30 minutes to unpack all the components and assemble the desk. I could easily see a single person completing the task in just a bit more time.
Design: Tall, Sturdy, and Smooth
Once assembled, the desk’s surface rests at a height of 28.7 inches. You can adjust that as high as 48.4 inches. It takes 20 seconds for the surface to go from its lowest level to its maximum height setting. That’s pretty impressive for a standing desk, even though you would have to be as tall as Goliath to use it as a desk at its top height.
I particularly liked its four height-adjustable settings. I can bring the desk’s surface to an ideal height for standing or sitting with just a touch. Then another touch brings it back down to its lowest level at the end of the day — super convenient.
The Victor High Rise comes in two sizes: three and four feet wide. The version I received was four feet wide. Throughout the month I used it, I never felt like I needed more space. The surface is just big enough to comfortably fit my laptop and a few accessories, though not large enough to fit my full, multi-device desktop setup. So, it should be big enough for most people who aren’t power users with three monitors and multiple peripheral devices.
The surface of the desk I tested has a handsome black finish, though it also comes in white. I found that the surface was resilient to dings, dents, spills, and more as I tested it—not even my cat’s claws were able to scratch the finish, and he jumped up there a lot begging for attention. When I cleaned off the surface to take photos for this article, all the grime and smudge that had accumulated over the course of a month came off easily, and there was no visible damage to the surface.
Using the hand switch to adjust the height of the desk surface is as intuitive as it gets — the up arrow button raises the surface, the down arrow button lowers it. When you find a height that works for you, simply save it the same way you’d set a radio station in your car: press and hold 1, 2, 3, or 4 on the hand switch until it accepts it as the preprogrammed height. With four options, you can set a height for when you sit, stand, and lean over. It’s even more convenient if more than one person uses the desk. A simple press of a button and the desk automatically comes to the perfect height.
Performance: Great for Small to Medium Workspaces
I initially tried to move my main workspace onto the desk, but there just wasn’t enough space. A desktop computer, dual monitors, keyboard, mouse, webcam, speakers, headphones, external hard drives, and more ate up real estate quickly. Plus, the desk’s power supply takes up an additional electrical socket. And those are golden real estate when you’re configuring a complex computer setup.
When I scaled back to just the laptop and a Bluetooth speaker, it was a perfect fit. There’s even enough room for an additional monitor, plus all the extra clutter that gathers on any desk. But when I wanted to do more complex tasks with my multi-device setup, I returned to my larger office desk.
This standing desk bears a maximum load of 110 pounds. While that should be enough for your computer and other accessories, it’s extremely weak compared to some of the competition. For comparison, other models we reviewed can lift loads from 275 to 350 pounds.
No matter what height the Victor High Rise is set to, it always feels stable. It never wobbles, and height adjustments are consistently smooth. You’ll never worry about things tipping over while you raise or lower the surface of the desk, either.
Bottom Line: An Acceptable, If Expensive, Standing Desk
The Victor High Rise Electric Standing Desk is a decent buy. It’s easy to put together, its interface is intuitive, the design is sturdy, and it fits well with almost any décor style. Personally, I found it to be a bit too small for my multi-device workspace, and its maximum carrying weight may be too small for people who work with several heavy devices. Its $600 price tag may also be an expense that’s tough for many to rationalize.
If I were to keep this desk for myself, it would be a secondary desk; however, that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t work as the main desk for someone who has fewer technical needs. It would also be a good option if you need a table to put a small TV on to make a presentation to a small group. It could also be useful for tabletop games with multiple players. And sometimes, it’s just convenient to have any height-adjustable surface around for unforeseeable circumstances.
Here’s What We Like
- Easy to assemble
- Intuitive controls
- Solid, sturdy construction
And What We Don’t
- Overpriced
- Not very spacious
- Can’t carry heavy loads
- Power supply takes up an electrical socket
