Hardware FlexiSpot E7 Pro Standing Desk Review

If you've been on YouTube in the past few years, I'd be shocked if you hadn't heard of FlexiSpot. Going hard on influencer advertising, FlexiSpot have established themselves as the primo name in the raising desk space. With a huge range of desks catering for different budgets and styles, we're today taking a look at the E7 Pro, itself boasting a healthy combination of flexibility and stability. Coming from a more traditional desk, I was pretty excited to get stuck in and see whether the standing hype is really all it's cracked up to be.


The desk arrived in two shipments for me: the frame and the desktop. I'm quite glad these shipped separately given the weight of each individual part; these aren't light parts and the multiple shipments at least meant the delivery folks didn't have as much to carry. It's worth noting that both parts are needed before you can really make any headway in assembly though. Getting the desk together was a process I can describe as simple, but certainly not easy. The instructions recommend having two people on hand and I can definitely understand why, with the final act of setting the desk upright being quite strenuous in particular. I personally assembled it alone over the span of an hour, but it was something of a challenge for me physically.


If you've assembled furniture before you'll probably be at home here. You get a set of picture diagrams paired with letter-labelled screws in a clear way that's easy to follow for the most part. Where I do think there will be a point of conflict for some is in the desktops though, and I wish FlexiSpot would be a little clearer in this department. The desktops aren't actually specific to any desk frame in particular; what this means is that it may not have all the holes drilled into it that you'll be needing. Reviewing what is one of their most popular models in the E7 Pro I was assuming the holes would likely be pre-drilled for the frame, but it wasn't the case. There were holes for the sides of the frame, connecting the desktop to the legs, but nothing for the crossbar. The result of this was me having to rather forcefully make the holes myself using the screws and a screwdriver. Obviously if you have a drill on-hand this may be easier, but I'm of the mind that you shouldn't be expecting people to have external tools for an assembly like this one. Thankfully the wood is soft enough that I could force it through myself, but I can definitely see some people struggling.

I do understand to an extent why this is, but I feel FlexiSpot should be making it clear both on the website at the time you order, and in the manual, that this is something you might run into. I only knew that forcing the screws in would be fine by seeing somebody else say it on an Amazon review. I will mention that I spotted a note after the fact on one of the available desktops saying holes need to be drilled, but not for the one I actually received. If the cost of having all these parts be bespoke to each desk frame is too much, adding an additional option for £20 or so for them to be added in as an extra could be feasible. Outside of the crossbar, I also had to screw in the cable management rack, using a chalk marker I had on hand to get a general idea of where to be screwing in for it to be straight. I did get on fine all things considered, but I know that if I were ordering this myself, I would've been happy to pay a little extra to have avoided the hassle.


Once assembled and flipped upright, the desk has done me well. Height adjustments are handled using a digital display with seven buttons: up and down, four for presets you can configure yourself, and a button to set the presets. The way I ended up using these presets was having one for my comfortable sitting position, one for my comfortable standing position, one with the desk as low as it'll go, and a final one for its maximum height. Switching these up on the fly is really simple with just the press of a button to remember the height; from there the desk will raise or lower as appropriate. If it detects something is in the way during motion, it will also automatically revert to its previous position to avoid potential damage to both the desk's motors and whatever is caught by the desk. It's something that's been useful on more than one occasion for me as I've left adjustable arms on a chair higher than usual, which could have caused some damage. It's not something I'd like to abuse too much, but I've been happy to see it stand up to my stupidity.


In terms of load the E7 Pro is capable of holding 160kg according to the spec sheet. For my personal use case it's had no issues holding up two external GPUs, a large monitor, and a small assortment of laptops. I was surprised at how sturdy it was despite its two-legged design. It's something I noted in my Arozzi desk review back in 2019, but even fully expanded the E7 Pro manages stability almost on par with one of Nintendo's handheld systems. The Pro model does boast its stability over both the standard E7 and other brands, but with neither on hand to compare it's difficult to say where it really sits in the market. I can vouch for the E7 Pro, but I would advise further research and looking at reviews of alternative products to make sure you're getting the features you need and not just the most expensive model a company sells. I've typically left the left side of the desk much lighter than the right to use it as something of a touchdown area; I could see the extra strain on one of the motors potentially doing some damage over time, but with a ten year warranty, FlexiSpot clearly have confidence in their wares.

One thing I haven't really taken seriously up until using the E7 Pro was cable management. To be fair to myself it's never been something I've needed to take seriously. I've had desks before with holes cut out to thread cables through and I've used those where they're handy, but outside of that I've had no issues with a mess of cables. With a raising desk I quickly realized that kind of attitude can lead to things going wrong, thanks mostly to the the mobile nature of the desk. If things aren't ordered, they'll catch, drag, and cause no end of problems. It's all made really simple here, and I'm frankly a little disappointed in myself for not putting in the effort previously. With a cable tray hanging under the desk, two holes to thread cables through onto the desktop, and an included roll of self-gripping tape, I wasted no time in putting a four plug power strip under the desk and securing a few plugs into place. Though I can't deny it looks a mess, the way I have it organized ensures that only the cable for the power strip moves as the desk raises, and that will always have enough slack. Nothing here is revolutionary, but it is incredibly approachable. That can only be a good thing when you have more moving parts than usual. I will also give a brief shoutout here to the included USB port on the side of the digital display. I ended up plugging in a ring light that's attached to a shelf next to the desk (with plenty of slack on the cable) as something of a desk lamp, and it's just a really neat solution. One small point worth noting here is that power to this USB port is cut off while the desk is moving, meaning my light does turn off, but it's not really anything of a dealbreaker to me.


A little different to the desks I've used in the past, FlexiSpot give you the option to buy the desktop and frame separately. This does seem fairly standard in the raising desk space, but it's something that I do feel is worth noting all the same. From FlexiSpot themselves you have a decent selection of desktops to pick between, with the frame being adjustable to between 120cm and 200cm. The type of desktop you can buy depends on the material chosen, with the one featured here being the Curved Maple. For those in the US, there are a few more exotic options available, including a desktop with a wireless charger built-in, one with drawers, and even a gaming-oriented one. If you're more of a DIY person, you can also just grab your own block of wood within the supported dimensions and make your own.


I've had the E7 Pro for around a month at this point, and it is genuinely a game-changer. I do want to make a point here in saying that much of this stems from moving to a raising desk in general, but it should speak to the quality of the desk in the fact I can't pull a complaint past my initial workout getting it setup. I've sat at it, leaned on it, raised it, and put my feet up on it after lowering it. To me it is a perfect all-rounder desk that I've had no issues recommending to friends. If I spent the £600 or so that the frame and desktop come to I would have no regrets.