Varidesk Pro Plus 36 review

There’s no shortage of standing desk evangelists out there. If you’re reading this review you’ve probably had at least one person tell you that sitting at a desk all day is slowly killing you. Whether or not that’s true or not, there are plenty of reasons why a standing desk could be a worthwhile investment such as increased focus and better posture. For those who are looking to take the step up to a standing desk, but perhaps not wanting to invest in an all-new desk, the Varidesk can convert your existing desk into a standing-friendly work station.

Set up couldn’t be any easier as it comes pre-assembled straight out of the box. All you’ll need to do is clear enough space on your desk to accommodate its sizeable footprint, which measures 914x990mm when flat. You might need a second helping hand getting the Pro Plus 36 out of its box, however, as it weighs a considerable 23kg.

Varidesk has different models that can accommodate different setups, including single monitor options and with and without dedicated keyboard trays. The Pro Plus 36 model we reviewed can support up to two displays, and includes a dedicated tray for your keyboard and mouse. This raises your peripherals to a comfortable level when you extend the station vertically. The Pro Plus 36 can take a load up to 15kg, so you shouldn’t have any problems with most monitors.

We tested with two 27in monitors side-by-side without any problems. You might struggle to go with larger monitors dependent on the size of the stands, as one of our monitor’s stands already extended slightly over the edge.

The Pro Plus 36 is, for the most part, well constructed. Varidesk’s various standing desk adaptors only come in black, which might not suit your office or workspace. It would have been nice to have other colour finishes so that they would blend in a bit better with your existing desk. The mechanism to extend the height is spring-assisted, so adjusting the height requires very little effort. You simple engage two clips on either side and pull in an upwards motion. This brings the surface both up and towards you. Adjusting the height only takes a few short seconds so you can transition from sitting to standing without any real interruption. Without an electrical motor there’s no sound generated when adjusting the height, so if you’re in a shared office you won’t distract any fellow workers.

^Varidesk Pro 48 pictured here

With the Pro Plus 36 at its lowest level, it’s low enough to use as a conventional seated desk. When you’re returning to a seated position you’ll need to make sure you’ve cleared any objects away from the sides, as they’ll get crushed or cause an obstruction when you lower the Pro Plus’ surface.

There are distinct height levels you can use and you’ll feel the Pro Plus 36 click firmly into place at each one. If you exert a degree of force to the surface there is a little wobble that transfers to the monitor, but in everyday use it’s generally rock solid unless you use the desk at its maximum height. Pulling it all the way up brings the desk towards you, creating a larger pivot point. This means leaning down on the keyboard tray can cause the entire assembly to tip precariously over so you’ll need to exercise a little more caution. Hammering away at a keyboard didn’t cause anything to shuffle and the keyboard tray is a generous size. The keyboard tray extends a decent way towards the back, so you have space to move your keyboard out of the way if you want to take handwritten notes (or eat your lunch at your desk).

On first inspection we worried the surface left for the mouse wasn’t large enough but in use we found it absolutely fine. The surface of the Pro Plus 36 is a speckled matt plastic and it makes for a suitable mouse surface, so we didn’t actually need to use a mouse mat. You can use a mouse to the right or left of the keyboard as the surface is symmetrical, so it will accommodate left-handed users, too.  

While a wireless keyboard and mouse will be the most elegant, we had no problems with using a wired set as the wires don’t get caught or cause an obstruction – either when using the desk flat or height extended. If you’re connecting to a desktop PC, however, you’ll need to make sure the wires are long enough.

While we won’t go into whether or not a standing desk if right for you from a physiological perspective, as this can be a subjective experience, we found transitioning to using a standing desk pretty seamless. It might be advisable to transition slowly, with an hour stood at first and then increasing the amount until your body adjusts. The Varidesk Pro Plus 36 makes this transition incredibly easy with its slick adjustment.

The Varidesk Pro Plus 36 is, at £350, rather expensive for what it provides, but once you start using a standing desk it’s hard to go back to a purely seated option. Arguably more attractive, electric motor-adjusted standing desks are available elsewhere, such as from Ikea, for not a lot more, but if you’re looking to keep your existing desk, the Pro Plus 36 is a great choice that is well made and easy to use.