Varidesk ProPlus 36 review

With posture, ergonomics and living a healthier life being very prevalent at the moment, we thought we’d take a look at a standing-desk setup to see how this works in practicality.

The ProPlus 36 from Varidesk is their best selling model, with a two-tier design including a top shelf for your monitor(s) and a lower shelf for a mouse and keyboard. This works very well, as the idea is that you set up all your computing equipment and just adjust the Varidesk up/down to a height that suits you. Feel like sitting? Pop the desk down. Want to stand up for a bit? Nudge it back up again. The handy locking mechanism works at variable heights, so you’re never forced to hunch.

Thankfully the unit arrived fully assembled, because it’s massive and surprisingly heavy, which is great as it proves to be a very sturdy bit of kit. Simply place the ProPlus on top of your existing desk, put your gear on top and you’re good to go. Saying that, one thing to keep an eye out for is your wiring. It’s too easy to accidentally cut through cables, particularly thinner mouse/keyboard wires, when opening/closing the Varidesk . Make sure you’ve cable-tied and tucked things in and that everything works at both an up and a down position. Don’t’ make the same mistake we did, and almost chop through an expensive mouse and keyboard!

We found the monitor shelf to be very adequate, but would’ve loved more room on the mouse/keyboard shelf. While there is room for a full sized keyboard, you’ll struggle to get a decent sized mouse-mat on there too. Gamers might despair at the amount of real-estate left to play with. Which raises the question, can you game with a standing desk?

We think you can. This reviewer put in hours work of game time while standing at a Varidesk . While it does take some getting used to, it’s certainly doable. The benefits of standing vs sitting are well documented, but essentially it comes down to personal preference. If you want to really concentrate on an FPS title you’re going to wait to be seated, with some decent arm rests. However if you’re playing an MMO for example or something less ‘twitch’ intensive you’ll have no problem doing so while using a Varidesk .

If you’re looking to move your desk to a standing position, even if only for short bursts, this may be a good solution. It’s pricey, but it’ll give you the posture support you need.