I have really enjoyed using my Flexispot E1L standing desk. It has been performed admirably in its duty as my workspace and has been a joy to work on. However, it has had one major issue that I had not considered when I was offered the desk for review purposes.
My old Flexispot E1L Standing desk when I first set it up
The desk is massive so much so that it takes up nearly half of the room it is in. So when I was offered the opportunity to get another desk in to review in the form of the new Flexispot Q8 8 in 1 standing desk I jumped at the opportunity. It also coincides nicely with the fact that my son i going into the last few years of primary school and he was going to be needing a desk for homework and working on his Lego projects.
So out with the old and in with the new here is the new Flexispot Q8 Standing desk with Bamboo desktop.
Flexispot Q8 and BS 8 Chair
Design-wise the same basic principles are applied here as they were in the previous one. However, there is one very significant difference in the frame, the rails that stretch between the legs are no longer angled and are also not adjustable as they were on the E1L. This makes for slightly easier assembly for the frame. The feet are slightly different in that they are curved this time around and this gives it a softer feel to the desk which could very easily end up looking quite industrial.
Frame rails and cable tray
This theme is continued up into the legs which are oval in shape and feel very smooth in their movement when they are being lifted up and lowered.
Underneath the frame, we can find another very welcome feature, a cable tray and cable channel cover, to keep all those unsightly cables tucked away out of sight. It makes for a clean-looking setup on the underside.
Moving up again we now come to the desktop frame itself which is a significant difference from the E1L as the frame is screwed straight into the desk. This time there is a frame that has already been assembled and mounted to the underside of the desk.
Built-in wide drawer
The reason for this framework design is to allow it to support the desktop properly and securely. It also allows for a slide-out drawer to be built into the frame which is something I missed on the old desk. I have found the addition of a wide drawer with a good depth to it has been invaluable for storing stuff that I need during my working day. There is one other thing that is tucked into the frame and this is the control panel for raising and lowering the desk. In addition to the normal panel that I had on the E1L, rather handily this control panel also include two USB Ports one type A and one Type C.
I have not had the need to use them yet but they would be handy for quickly suing to juice up a small battery in something like a wireless mouse or pair of Bluetooth headphones. The outputs are rated at 18W for the Type A port and 45 W for the Type C, so not too shabby.
Convenient place for charging your phones
So with the availability of these two chargers on the front of the desk why have I not used them? Well, that is where the other hidden secret comes in, this is kinda part of the frame but also part of the desktop itself.
I am, of course referring to the built-in Qi wireless charging pad that sits just under the desk on the right-hand side just behind where the control panel is located.
Qi Wireless charging pad
Unfortunately, this is one of the few places where I was left a bit disappointed. This was found to be disappointingly slow. I tested the charger with my Pixel 6 Pro which is not the fastest phone in terms of wireless charging. The charge is rated for 10W but I am not convinced that this is the actual speed that is being transferred to the phone. I found that the phone was inexorably slow to take on power so much so that it is not really something I use that often.
Underside of Qi Wireless charger
I did look into whether this pad could be upgraded for a slightly faster unit and I would be very interested in trying a more powerful unit if Flexispot ever offers one.
Now onto the most important part which is of course the desk surface. This is a joy to work on and it doesn’t seem to be as easy to mark as I found with the black surface on the other desk.
The Bamboo desktop life
I really do like the way that there are subtle curves on the corners as this makes it feel a little bit more suited for the home. One side effect of the way that this desktop has been made is that it is quite thick. This did present an issue when it came to attaching my monitor arm but I was very fortunate to have had a small desk which sits to the side of the standing one that still allowed me to for the stand to be used. This has allowed me to have quite a spacious setup when everything is in place on the desktop as can be seen below.
Everyone likes a clean setup
So that pretty much covers the design and functionality of the desk, but there is one feature that I have not covered yet. It is called anti-collision and it is very important to the function of this desk. I did cover this feature in the review of the E1L as i actually ha da lower desk situated underneath the desk with that setup. It was essential that these desks did not collide as this would put the whole system under far too much strain and would potentially cause one of the two motors to fail or to strip the gears on the legs. Well, I am pleased to say that as on the E1L the tech works in exactly the same way and it works really well. Here is the video from the E1L.
Overall I am extremely happy once again as I have a great standing desk which actually fits into my workspace this time around. I have got exactly what I was looking for, it is a comfortable surface to work on the desk rises and lowers in near silence and the extras of the drawer and the extra charging ports are very much appreciated. I can’t even be too annoyed with the charging pad which is a bit slow but is nice to have on board so to speak.
If you are interested in getting a Flexispot Q8 or indeed any other desk from Flexispot then do check out their site as soon as you can as they currently offer significant discounts on their lineup of desks and office chairs. head over to Flexispot to check out their tech day offers between the 7th and the 9th of September 2022