Guest Post: Why I Chose UPLIFT

In today’s guest post, Jen C. reviews the entire process that led to her purchase of an UPLIFT desk, as well as her impression of the desk once it was assembled and in use.

I researched standing desks for at least 2 months, leading up to my carpal tunnel surgery. I knew I needed to change the way I work ergonomically, and thus the search for a new desk began. After reading the health benefits of standing desks, the decision was made; but there are so many choices! I considered all the major players, read all the online reviews I could find, and ultimately narrowed it down to three: NextDesk Terra, Jarvis, and UPLIFT.

The first thing I did was make direct contact with customer service at each company to ask several simple questions. I called each one, and emailed each one. I am still awaiting a call back from NextDesk as I write this. Both UPLIFT and ErgoDepot (Jarvis) answered right away and responded to email proficiently. It became easy to eliminate the Terra from the final list.

The NextDesk Terra is beautiful (as is the UPLIFT- I ordered with the bamboo top) but at the end of the day, I simply could not bring myself to pay over $1000 more for a similar configuration. It just wasn't prudent. I was able to get a larger top and more options for right at $1000 less! I will also mention my bamboo top from UPLIFT is an inch thick, while NextDesk's is 3/4 of an inch thick. Also, it offers a 3 year warranty. (Editor note: UPLIFT desks come with a standard 7-year warranty, with the option to upgrade to a 12-year extended warranty for just $150 more.)

The Jarvis appears to be a very nice, if not very similar desk to the UPLIFT in many ways. The things that are different that helped sway my decision?
* I knew for sure I wanted a bamboo top, and I knew for sure I wanted grommets. You can get a bamboo top with Jarvis, but they will not (currently as of October 2015) drill grommet holes. They were helpful in sending a video showing how I could drill the holes into the top myself. But why, when the UPLIFT includes them? Score one for UPLIFT.
* UPLIFT uses standard circular grommet holes. Jarvis uses small rectangular grommets, 2 x 4 inches. That's not a big difference, but I have an ErgoTech Freedom Arm for my Thunderbolt Display, and when I contacted ErgoTech's customer service to ask if the rectangular grommet would work with the mount, I was told "it might be a little too big." To be fair, I can't say one way or the other if it would have worked, but I personally prefer the look of the standard circular grommet. And I wanted bamboo. See above. Score another for UPLIFT.
* The Jarvis bamboo top is 3/4 of an inch thick. My UPLIFT bamboo top is a full inch. Does this matter? I am using both grommets (left and right) with grommet-based monitor mounts and I just feel better with that extra 1/4 of an inch.

I ordered my desk on a Thursday before Labor Day weekend. It shipped the next day, and I had it by Tuesday afternoon. I may have had it Monday, had it not been a holiday. FAST! I recruited my neighbor to help set it up, and an hour later we were both admiring my beautiful new desk. It's "scratch and dent" and I did notice just a couple of minor nicks in the surface. But seriously, it's beautiful. There were only two, and they are tiny. I can live with that for the deal I got!

I can highly recommend this desk. I purchased the 72 x 30 top and it is truly amazing! I have on the left side a 24" Dell U2412M on a Cotytech mount. I have on the right side a 27" Apple Thunderbolt Display on an ErgoTech Freedom Arm. The wire management is fine; UPLIFT includes plenty of adhesive mounts with cable ties to collect all those cords and cables.

One last thing I feel is important to mention: I was more than a little worried about the 'wobble' I kept reading about when the desk is at standing height, particularly if you use a monitor arm. I do have the desk on hardwood flooring. I am 5'7" and I do not notice ANY wobble, sitting or standing, in the course of a day's work. The only time I have noticed it at all is when I punched harder than I usually do typing on the keyboard. Then I noticed it a little. I'm thankful that I'm not a punch-typist. :)

TL;DR: Buy this desk! It's cost-effective, beautiful, offers just enough customization, ships FAST, and is easy to put together. Did I mention it's BEAUTIFUL?!!!

If you're ready to join the quickly-growing group of happy UPLIFT desk users after reading Jen's review, come build your own perfect setup at Human Solution!