VariDesk Pro Plus 36 by Vari – Height Adjustable Standing Desk Converter – Stand Up Desk Converter for Dual Monitors – (Black)

I bought the Pro Plus 36, and later added the rubber mat and adjustable monitor arm.This has, without a doubt, positively improved my working day. Save for the occasional stint at the gym, I've essentially spent the last 20 years of my working life sat on my backside. As a computer programmer, this doesn't tend to be 9-5, either. It's not uncommon to be sat down 8-12 hours or more at a stretch. After reading an article suggesting that 'sitting is the next smoking', it brought home just how much this could be impacting my health, so I decided to try a standing desk.After doing a bit of research, the Varidesk Pro Plus 36 seemed like the best option. I already have a pretty decent table, but it's not adjustable at all - this 'hybrid' model works perfectly, by essentially transforming my static desk into something height adjustable. The price was a sweet spot for me -- while there are cheaper table-top options, this is incredibly good value for the build quality. At the same time, I didn't want to shell out £1,500+ for a full standing desk, since I have a perfectly decent table already. So this was ideal.Speaking of the build quality, I'd sum it up by saying "it feels American". American products seem to be sturdier, larger, easier, better engineered, somehow. I've found that with numerous higher-end products, and this is all of those things. The desk was shipped from the Netherlands but I believe it's manufactured in the US. It's big and heavy, and feels incredibly well made. This is evidenced by the fact it's sent as a SINGLE item-- there's no assembly required. Just take out of the box, put on your table, and you're ready to go.Size-wise, the 36" model is perfect for my use. On the lower rung, it fits a Macbook Pro 15", a separate mouse and mouse mat, and a book or notepad comfortably. On the top layer, I have a 27" monitor on Varidesk's adjustable arm (sold separately- worth the investment, see my other review), often a large mug of coffee, and a book stand that often seats a heavy technical manual of some kind. It fits all of that stuff without having to shift anything around; what's more, adjusting between seated and standing positions is sturdy and smooth enough that I don't have to move loose items around out of fear of dropping anything. It's incredibly sturdy and well made.Health-wise, clearly, using your legs throughout the day as a means to be healthier is a no brainer. Few people would dispute that sitting down all day is good for your well-being. With that said, I think the health benefits of standing may be a little overstated (by others; not Varidesk directly). I've read miraculous stories of people dropping kilos of weight and curing life-long back pains. That's perhaps possible, but for me, it was much simpler -- it helped me stand up straighter, and put a little less stress on my back. I don't think standing is a panacea alone; it's more about not being locked into one position all day, every day, and having the freedom to move.It takes a good few weeks to adjust to standing, routinely. At first, I found myself putting all my weight on one leg or another, and would often end the day with leg cramps. It takes a little persistence to remember not to stand 'lazily', and a few weeks to get the balance between standing time and sitting time right. For the first little while, I went a little gung ho on standing and my legs and back actually felt worse before they got better.In my experience with this over the last few months, the ideal balance is to sit for maybe 3/4 of the day, stand for the other 1/4. Alternate between the two every couple of hours. It's here where this desk REALLY shines. Adjusting takes 5 seconds. Just shove your chair out the way, grab the clips at either side, and lift up or down. I was quite surprised by how adjustable the desk was; there are plenty of 'notches' and finding a position that works for any height is simple. I should add that I'm 5'8" and the desk goes PLENTY high for me. It could comfortably work for a someone 6" or taller. It depends on exactly what height desk you're starting with too, of course.I would recommend this model to anyone that has a large enough desk to host it (see the attached pic to get an ideal for the size), and who wants to improve their health whilst working for longer periods at that desk. This will solve the 'standing' part. It won't alone solve the sitting. I'd still recommend a good chair (swapping a cheap IKEA one for a Herman Miller Embody, in my case, made as much difference as going from a static to a standing desk since snapping the attached pic.)A good chair + this standing desk = a positive improvement to your health for years to come.

Having read way too much about the health benefits of standing versus sitting, I finally decided to do something about it. I got two cardboard boxes out of the garage and used them to elevate my keyboard, mouse and monitor - a somewhat perilous situation for the monitor and a bit of pain as I wanted to stand and sit at regular intervals. But I found that I really loved working standing up - I know that may sound weird (it does to my son), but I am not alone in feeling that way.So I started reading (again, way too much) about standing desks. There are surprisingly many and various ways of tackling this, ranging from modifying IKEA furniture, to replacing your desk with an electronic one that goes up and down at the push of a button - plus a ton of money. But I wanted to keep my desk and I did not want to spend upwards of £1000. I looked at Ergo Kangaroo & ErgoTron but ended up with this. Why? ErgoTron did not handle non-VESA mountable monitors (afaik), Kangaroo has a little support leg and looked a bit industrial and both were more expensive for similar double monitor footprint (I have a laptop + 24" Dell). My Varidesk Pro Plus is a new model which features a different height keyboard shelf that, whilst not being adjustable versus the monitor shelf, is just right for me anyway. The two shelves lift up as one and go back down very easily together so I can change from sit to stand and back again in seconds. It's a very sturdily made unit and has plenty of space for a full size PC keyboard and mouse. I think it is utterly brilliant - if I was looking to criticise, I'd suggest the mouse area could be a mite bigger and some cable management would be a good addition. But this is a worthy 5 star item from someone who only very rarely is moved to write any review at all.

I love this desk. I had started suffering from aching calf muscles and realised that I had more chance of getting a DVT from sitting at my cramped computer desk all day than I did from a long haul flight. I decided to order the Varidesk and I love being able to stand and work for a while and then go back to sitting when I want to.The varidesk can be raised or lowered really easily. It was a lot heavier than I anticipated and required 2 of us to get it up the stairs but I can understand why it is so heavy as it is a serious piece of kit.The varidesk sits on top of a normal desk and I the desk I have it on is not as deep as the varidesk and I made a silly mistake of initially letting it overhang at the front of the desk - until I realised that when the varidesk is raised it not only goes upwards but it comes forward too so all the weight comes forward and could easily be tipped forward which, with the weight it is, would have been disasterous. I moved the varidesk so that the overhang was at the back and it's now safe to use. I do think that it should come with a warning that it needs to rest properly on the surface it is placed on as it would have been an accident waiting to happen.Having said that I am very happy with the varidesk and all the muscle problems seem to have gone since I started being able to be flexible how I worked