Uplift Desk E7 Motion Board Review

May 9, 2023
  • First Look

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Uplift Desk E7

Overview

Review Summary

The UpLift E7 Motion Board is nothing special, but it does prevent some common problems we see with less imaginative balance boards. The surfaces are conducive to using without shoes and its motion is not so aggressive that it hampers your ability to work. However, it’s visually mundane and doesn’t really have any features that distinguish it from the lot of other balance boards already out there. It works better on solid wood floors than on carpeting, at least as far as twisting motion goes.

MSRP / List Price $89
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Shipping

Free

Warranty

15 years

Colors Available

Black

Construction

ABS plastic
Faux leather top surface

Weight Capacity

250 lbs

Dimensions

22″L x 17.75″W x 3″H

Product Weight

10 lbs 14 oz.

Shipping Weight

12 lbs.

NEAT™ Certified by Mayo Clinic

No

Competition

Top-Rated Balance Boards
Compare to Other UpLift Products

Where to buy Buy on Amazon

Rating

Stability
4.0
Safety
3.0
Customer Experience
2.5
Quality and Aesthetics
2.0
Ergonomics
3.0
Innovation
1.5
Value
2.0
Positives The plastic top surface has texture, making it not so slippery when wearing socks. The faux-leather bottom surface has some give to it, making it slightly better than most for using without shoes. The ability to fully swivel on it is great for spinal health and fending off back stiffness. The narrow range of rocking motion is good for users who may have difficulty balancing on more aggressively unstable boards (but is beginner level, for sure, and there’s no way to increase the motion range once you get past beginner level).
Negatives There’s only one color option, plain black. That same plastic that provides some grip for your feet has a cheap look to it and can be hard on your soles if you’re barefoot. We try not to judge balance boards too much on their appearance, but in a field of competition where many are actually rather striking in the looks department this one comes across as a bit uninspiring. The 250-lb weight capacity won’t work for everyone, and it’s a true maximum limit. While one of its best features is the ability to get rotation into your spine, the twisting motion won’t work if you’re on carpeting.

Bottom Line

2.5
Better than some balance boards, but nothing special, the UpLift E7 Motion Board is simply not the best option for most.

Functional, yet homely, the UpLift E7 Motion Board is about as basic as it gets when it comes to balance boards. We take a deeper look to see if there are any redeeming qualities that make this board stand out in a crowded field of options.

Functionality When Working

This is the biggest question for standing desk balance boards in general. Does a balance board affect your ability to get work done at your desk? Many balance boards that provide more of a challenge or a workout aren’t suitable for a work environment because they can significantly degrade your typing and mousing ability, along with your ability to concentrate on your workflow. The brain can only take on so many foreground tasks, and if it’s constantly expending effort to keep your body balanced, it will take a toll on other cognitive functions.

This is where balance trainers, rocker boards, twist boards, exercise boards and many other devices generally falling under the category of “balance boards” that we’ve tested fall short for work use. Our expert review staff always looks at these products through the lens of how usable they are without having to step away from your actual work.

The UpLift E7 Motion Board is sort of in the middle of the road in terms of the amount of concentration it requires to actually use while typing. While it’s not as bad as some truly aggressive balance boards, in that you can make limited movements while continuing to think and type, you may find that you just wind up standing still for the majority of the time that you are focused on your thoughts and hand movements. 

Like many balance boards, its best use is thus relegated to times when you’re perhaps consuming content rather than creating it, like watching a boring webinar or standing in on your fifth Zoom call of the day. Building a spreadsheet or drafting a memo is going to be much harder to do while you’re trying to keep your body moving fluidly on the device.

Not As Hard On The Feet As Some

One place the E7 board is clearly better than some that we’ve tested is when it comes to foot surface. While most balance boards have a hard, flat wood or plastic top surface that will quickly cause foot pain and be slippery if you’re not wearing shoes, the E7 surface has a slight amount of give to it thanks to the faux-leather under surface. The top surface itself is plastic with some texture that will prevent slipping. It’s not ideal in this regard but in a category comprised mostly of surfaces that are too slippery to stand on barefoot or in socks, “OK” is a selling point.

This board will also be easier on your floor than most but, like almost all balance boards, will cause some floor marks eventually. Uplift still recommends putting a mat underneath to prevent floor damage, however. And if you do that, be sure it’s a hard rubber mat, not one that is so soft that the board will sink into it and make it hard to get that twisting motion going for spinal rotation.

The Details

The E7 board has an advertised weight capacity of 250 lbs. This is fine for most users, but well behind our favorites in the category like iMovR’s Gymba and the Wurf Maui (350 lbs, each) and Fluidstance’s The Level (300 lbs).

There’s only one color option, black.

The Takeaway

At the end of the day, the UpLift E7 Motion Board is yet another commodity quality, made-in-China entrant that doesn’t have anything particularly special to offer the standing desk user. The surfaces are more conducive to using without shoes and its motion is not so aggressive that it hampers your ability to work, so we don’t have any reason to recommend against it.

However, it could be more pleasing to the eye and doesn’t really have any significantly distinguishing features. At $129, there’s really no reason to select it over much better balance boards out there, especially more ergonomic ones that were truly designed to be used while working at a standing desk. Even within Uplift’s own growing line of balance boards, it is perhaps the most mundane. 

Check out our comprehensive round-up of Balance Boards For Standing Desks reviews to find out which motion boards actually work best.

If you’re interested in exercising with your balance board, we’ve put together a list of our favorite balance board exercises.

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