About six months ago, I joined the rest of the modern world and bought myself a standing desk. I spent about $250 for a Flexispot standing desk and absolutely loved it – well, until the unexpected happened!
Out of the blue, Flexispot offered to send me their latest Glass-top Comhar Standing Desk. I already had a standing desk, but out of curiosity I agreed. Below is my review of the new Flexispot Standing Desk, according to a physical therapist.
Disclaimer: Flexispot did not pay me to do this review; everything I say about the desks is based on my honest opinion.
Benefits of Standing Desks
At this point in work-from-home trends, it’s common knowledge that standing desks provide great benefits. If you work at a computer, a flexible desk will help vary your posture throughout the course of the day, increase your energy and workflow, and promote better overall health.
As a physical therapist, I can attest to these benefits. Staying active is vital to musculoskeletal health, but when a sedentary lifestyle isn’t optional, the next best thing is a flexible desk setup, particularly one that encourages good posture and variety throughout the day.
That’s why I bought a Flexispot standing desk and absolutely loved it. You can’t go wrong with Flexispot, but if you’re shopping around for a new desk, you should definitely take a look at their Comhar Standing Desk.
Here’s what I think of it.
First Impressions of the Comhar Standing Desk
The first thing I noticed about the Flexispot Comhar All-in-One Standing Desk was its easy assembly. Compared to the standard Flexispot desk, which took me about an hour to assemble, the All-in-One Comhar desk was really simple, taking about 5 to 10 minutes max.
The desk came in 4 parts with a total of 16 screws. Where furniture is concerned, that’s very few parts to keep track of. It’s essentially a table, with one small drawer, that rises and lowers at the touch of a button.
When installing your desk, just make sure you plug in both cords in the back, and you’ll be ready to go.
Dimensions and Durability
The dimensions on this desk are 24” deep by 48” long, perfect for small spaces like my studio. The desk height is adjustable from 28” to 47.6”.
I stand 6 feet tall, yet found the desk height to be plenty tall for me. I don’t even elevate it all the way. Based on my arm position, 42” is my ideal table height.
This desk comes in two varieties: wooden top or glass-top. The one I received was the glass-top, and let me tell you, this desk is solid. In fact, it’s pretty heavy, but that also makes it feel really stable and sturdy, whether you’re sitting or standing.
Standout Features
Programmable Height Settings
What sets this version apart from my other Flexispot desk is the programmable height control.
When I first shopped for desks, I didn’t put much importance on programmable options. But after using the standard desk, I can tell you that getting it to be “just right” is a bit annoying without programmable presets. You’ll feel like Goldilocks each time you switch from sitting to standing.
With the Comhar, you can program 4 different height settings, which is especially helpful if you share the desk with someone else and need two sets of heights for standing and sitting. You could even program heights for different chairs or stools.
Programming the desk is easy and reversible. Use the arrow buttons to find the right height, then press and hold for 3 seconds the number for the preset (1-4). The desk will save that setting, so the next time you select your number, it’ll automatically adjust to the perfect height.
Touchscreen Buttons and a Whisper-Quiet Motor
If this is your first standing desk, you may never have imagined a desk could be “loud” – but the truth is, anything with a motor makes noise.
Both Flexispot desks are pretty quiet, but the motor on the newer desk is a little softer, reaching just 50db. Whichever desk you choose, you won’t hear crazy hydraulics each time you tweak your desk position.
The standard desk features just two buttons for up and down, and these operate with a conventional “click” on and off. Meanwhile, the Comhar desk uses touchscreen buttons, which are silent but take a fraction of a second to respond.
Safety Functions
If you’re worried that the touchscreen buttons will be too sensitive for your workstation, just press the lock button to keep the desk in place.
The Comhar desk also features an anti-collision sensor which prevents it from crushing anything. If the desk lowers onto something, be it your leg, chair, or heaven forbid your child, it’ll sense the obstruction and reverse the direction. This is a feature my other Flexispot desk doesn’t have with its manual up-and-down buttons.
Ports and Storage
If you’re looking to streamline your charging station, the Comhar desk is designed for modern tech, featuring 2 USB ports and 1 USB C. What the desk requires in outlet accessibility, it gives back in charging ports.
As an added bonus, the Comhar desk includes a small drawer. Like a miniature storage area, this drawer promotes a clear workspace and provides quick access to items such as pens, a keyboard, or earbuds. It even contains my laptop! This feature is not available in the standard Flexispot desk.
Some Drawbacks to the Comhar Standing Desk
There are just a couple considerations I should share about this desk.
- It’s heavy. You might have trouble maneuvering the giant box by yourself – but it’s not impossible. Just be careful if you’ve ordered the glass top version (and mind your back!).
- It hides nothing. Unless your house is 100% dust-free, expect to find little specks of dust on it within minutes of cleaning it off. The white version would definitely hide more dust and look cleaner up close, but I doubt it’s as sleek as the black glass.
Comparing the Flexispot and Comhar
If you’re on the fence about a standing desk, I think you’ll enjoy the quality and build of the Flexispot desks. To sweeten the deal, here’s a coupon for $15 off any Flexispot desk, on behalf of PTProgress.
After trying them out, I recommend chipping in an extra $140 for the programmable settings of the Comhar All-in-One desk. But if you are on more of a budget, the standard version is also great; it’s what I’ve used for the past six months and I think it’s a solid desk too.
| Standard Flexispot desk | $250 |
| Comhar All-in-One Wooden-top | |
| Comhar All-in-One Glass-top |
The Comhar desk retails for $500, but right now it’s discounted on their website. Prices vary for the wooden-top version, which comes in 3 colors, or the glass-top version, which comes in 2 colors. With these options, you can match the look and feel of the desk to your style preferences.
The standard desk isn’t bad at all, but I think the Comhar desk is worth the extra money. It’s both slick and solid, and the height presets alone make it worth the upgrade.
(Remember, Flexispot didn’t ask me to write that – they don’t even know I bought the standard desk a while back!)
Standing Desks: A Physical Therapist’s Review
Finally, I have to mention this one thing about standing desks from a physical therapist’s perspective. As great as they are, standing desks won’t correct poor standing posture. Plus, an improper standing desk setup could irritate your wrists and forearms, especially if you don’t elevate your screen or use a detached keyboard for your laptop.
While buying a new standing desk is certainly a step in the right direction, you’ll still need to make sure the rest of your setup is ergonomical and your posture optimal.
