Flexispot E2Q gaming desk review

The Flexispot E2Q is a lovely desk, which is why I'm quite sad I can't keep it entirely for myself. It's sturdy, easily adaptable, and I'm quite partial to its broad bamboo top. Unfortunately, I'm in the process of swapping offices with my partner, and I didn't properly account for the massive size that the E2Q lets you pick, which means that the desk—and its broad bamboo top—will have to remain in my old office when I move.

I was impressed by the Flexispot E2Q from the start thanks to a far easier-than-expected build process. Billed as a job for two people, in the end it took me less than two hours to do the entire thing myself, and that was a timeframe that included snacking and a search for a tool that I ended up not even needing (a drill, if you're wondering, though you will want a pretty hefty electric screwdriver). 

Only one hole felt very slightly misaligned, but otherwise the whole thing came together extremely smoothly, and I was willing to ignore a single error in a 90-minute build. The instruction booklet was comprehensive, though I did refer to some video instructions to get a slightly better sense of how a couple of components should be added, and the only time I felt I might have benefited from a second pair of hands was in flipping the final product over once I'd finished assembling it.

That's because the E2Q is pretty hefty. I'd opted for a 180 x 80 cm desktop, which despite its impressive size isn't even the largest top available—that privilege goes to a monstrous 200 x 90 desktop that's only available for a limited array of options. Thankfully, my choice of bamboo over real wood meant the finished product wasn't as heavy as it could have been, and also means that I'm not really missing out on aesthetic. Even up close, the surface looks like true wood, which means that the E2Q fits in nicely with both office furniture and more traditional home furnishings.

The level of customization that speaks to is an impressive boon, but it's one that comes with a price. My 180 x 80cm bamboo top almost doubled the price of the E2Q, and that's before any of Flexispot's other optional extras, which could send prices spiralling. The desk itself feels like decent value, but you could add almost anything you might imagine a desk would need to your order, from extra cable management and built-in power outlets to peg boards and filing cabinets. But with prices for these extras starting at $60/£40 for a standing mat or $46/£60 for an extension lead, I feel like you're better off not paying over the odds.

The E2Q's size is matched by its strength, though. This desk can hold up to 150 kg, moving that weight through its 73-123 cm range at a max speed of 2.5 cm per second. It's a smooth journey both up and down, even when lifting decent weight, and it's helped along by a clear display and four programmable presets. It's strong enough that at one point during testing, I didn't realise I'd trapped the desk under the open door of a nearby cupboard until the entire thing started tipping back, having been hoisted by the E2Q.

That's some impressive heft, but it's also indicative of arguably my biggest concern. The E2Q offers anti-collision tech, which is supposed to make the desk reverse course if it encounters an obstacle while moving. For anything really solid, like the arms of a desk chair, the desktop would lift back up immediately once it encountered a surface it couldn't move through. 

If it could continue moving, however, it would do so. It took some serious force to get it to reverse course, particularly while moving downwards, and at one point it crushed the top of a nearby spray bottle before belatedly rising back up. I eventually learned that it's possible to further adjust the mechanism's sensitivity, but for a tool that's specifically billed to help protect children or pets, it's worrying that that's not built in from scratch, particularly for such a heavy piece of furniture that could already be holding some serious weight given its impressive carrying capacity.

Thankfully, there's a chance—at least for very small children—that might not be a concern. That's because the E2Q is very tall. At its maximum height of 123 cm, it'll just about cater to a comfortable standing height of a 205 cm man. For reference, that's somewhere around the 99.5th percentile. 

At the other end of the spectrum, however, 73 cm is slightly too tall for my partner to sit comfortably, despite the fact that she's 164 cm tall, and that's pretty much bang average for a woman in the UK. Anywhere in between those heights, and you should be very comfortable using the E2Q whether sitting or standing, but its extremely high minimum feels like a strange oversight given its impressive adaptability elsewhere.

Because when it comes to nearly every other factor, the Flexispot E2Q is almost too adaptable. Four presets feels like two more than I need, and its millimetre-level height control feels super specific. Even its cable management solutions seemed surplus to its relatively meagre wiring requirements. And with so many optional extras to choose from, you could use the E2Q as a simple slab of wood from which to work, or as the basis for an entire electrified battlestation that takes up half a room. 

With so much opportunity to make this desk your own, there are a couple of QoL omissions that feel like unfortunate own goals for a design that would otherwise have felt like a surefire winner. The E2Q is a very good desk, and I'm still a bit sad that I have to relinquish it to my partner, but those caveats are substantial enough that I'd still urge a touch of caution before jumping in here.