Effydesk Executive Standing Desk Review

This is a “first look” synopsis on the Executive Desk manufactured by the Effydesk company based out of Vancouver, British Columbia. A full review of their line of standing desks is coming soon.

The Executive Desk by Effydesk is the L-desk version of their Business standing desk, which comes in one standard size, 71″ x 71″ and only three color options. It is a very basic desk in that regard, considering that there are other sit-stand L-shaped desks that come in literally thousands of custom size and color combinations. But if you’re looking for something “made in Canada” it’s basically this unit or the Progressive Desk Corner Ryzer Standing Desk. Truth be told, though, both of these desks are made in China, not Canada.

As cheap as this desk is, for what’s available from Canadian standing desk companies (as compared to some of the really cheap, low-quality imports you can find on Amazon.ca) this is a minimal quality product at somewhat of a premium price for what you get. While the particleboard desktop is pre-drilled for “easy assembly” many users report having to get their drills out because some of the holes do not align with the frame. The low-quality laminate is susceptible to easily showing fingerprints. It comes in only three colors: oak white, oak black and oak wood.

The minimalist lifting base is a dual-stage affair with a height adjustment range of 24” to 50” and a lift capability of 410 lbs (minus the 95 lbs of particleboard tops, so 315 lbs, really), and a transit speed of 1.4 inches per second. There are no common features you’d usually find at this price point like anti-collision or anti-tilt sensors, much less Bluetooth.

The instruction manual is equally minimalist, and the assembly video assembly is only helpful to a point, as it doesn’t actually show how cables are hooked up or how you’re supposed to flip over a fully assembled L-desk. User reports of the assembly process actually sound pretty horrific, as they can be for L-desks in general when they’re not designed for quick-install. Some mechanically experienced users reported that it took them three to six hours because of poor documentation that allowed them to make missteps that later requiring backing out steps and starting over. Power drill and screwdriver are definitely required to pull off this assembly. We can’t advise strongly enough against their recommended method of building the desk upside down and then flipping it over once fully assembled; this is a great way to break an L-desk.

Effydesk backs its Executive L-Desk with an 8-year warranty on the electrical motor and frame, but if you read the fine print (as in, look carefully for what’s missing) there is no warranty on the desktop itself. Unfortunately assembly error is one thing that is specifically carved out of their warranty coverage. Effydesk offers a 30-day trial period as well.

We’re also reviewing Effydesk’s Home, Business and Terradesk standing desk models.

Be sure to check out all our top-rated standing desk reviews, but if you are looking for something specifically Canadian, see our roundup of Canadian standing-desk reviews.