Uplift V2 standing desk review

Standing desks like the Uplift V2 (from $569) have become all the rage as people seek to improve their home offices. The electrified Uplift V2 can raise and lower itself at the touch of a button, making it handy for those who don’t want to — or can’t — sit down all day. 

The Uplift V2 can rise from 25 to 50.9 inches, supports up to 355 pounds, and comes in a wide range of styles. But where does it rank among the best standing desks? Our Uplift V2 review will help you decide if you should make it part of your home office setup.

Uplift V2 standing desk review: Price and availability

The Uplift V2 standing desk starts at $569 for a 42 x 30-inch walnut laminate top, two basic grommet covers, and a basic keypad (one that has two buttons).

Uplift offers its desk in a variety of surfaces, from laminate to bamboo to solid mahogany; there’s even a whiteboard option, in case you like the idea of writing on the desk itself. More premium solid wood options can drive the price up considerably — a solid Walnut top that’s 1.75 inches thick adds $890 to the price.

You can choose from a variety of sizes, ranging from 42 x 30 inches to 80 x 30 inches. There are also a few frame types and frame colors, though your options are gray, white, and black — the Fully Jarvis standing desk gives you a few more colorful choices. 

Our model came with a basic keypad with simple up/down buttons, but you can add a programmable keypad with a display that shows the desk height for an additional $29. 

Included free with every desk is a cable management tray that screws to the underside.

Uplift V2 standing desk review: Design

The Uplift V2’s walnut laminate finish is fine, but gave me flashbacks late-70s wood-paneled rooms. It feels a little dated, and is nowhere near as pleasing to the eye as the Vari Desk’s reclaimed wood, nor the bamboo tops of the Fully Jarvis and Flexispot. To be fair, you can choose from a variety of other finishes and surfaces. 

Like other standing desks, the Uplift’s support legs are slightly offset towards the rear of the desk, which gives you a bit more space towards the front. However, you can configure the desk so that the legs are centered underneath each side.

Two grommet holes towards the rear of the desk let you thread wires through to the cable tray underneath.

Uplift V2 standing desk review: Assembly

The Uplift desk’s components are nearly identical to those of the Fully Jarvis desk; it’s as if the two came out of the same factory. As such, it took roughly the same amount of time to assemble the Uplift desk as it did the Jarvis — half an hour, give or take. 

Both took about twice as much time as it did to assemble the Vari desk, which comes together with just a few screws. That’s because the beams that connect the Vari Desk’s top to the legs are already installed; with the Uplift and the Jarvis, you have to attach those beams yourself.

Uplift V2 standing desk review: Performance and in use

Uplift V2 standing desk review: Performance

The Uplift V2 performed just as well as the Fully Jarvis and the Vari desk; like the latter two models, the Uplift’s motor raised and lowered the desk smoothly and quietly. There’s a slight hum as it works, but I’ve heard phones that buzz more loudly than this.

At its maximum height, the Uplift was as stable as our other top picks. It can support up to 355 pounds — a considerable amount, and 150 more pounds than our favorite model, the Vari desk. The Uplift’s minimum and maximum height of 25.3 and 50.9 inches, respectively, was roughly the same as the Vari desk, so you’ll have a nice wide range from which to choose.

Uplift V2 standing desk review: Verdict

The Uplift V2 is a perfectly functional and practical electric standing desk, though it’s not my favorite among the standing desks I’ve tested. For one, it takes longer and is slightly more complicated to assemble, and once put together, it’s not as attractive as the Vari desk, which costs about the same for a similarly specced model. 

For example, the 48 x 30-inch Vari Desk costs $695; a similarly sized Uplift Desk with a comparable keypad is $708, while a 48 x 30-inch Fully Jarvis Bamboo Standing Desk with programmable controls costs $640. 

In short: the Uplift V2 will make a fine addition to any home office, but it’s worth considering other options too.