FlexiSpot E8 review – a gaming and standing desk for smaller spaces

When you think of gaming desks, you usually think of tabletops chock full of RGB lighting. By comparison, the FlexiSpot E8 standing desk might seem a little plain, but it’s one that gamers who also work from home should consider when making their next purchase – especially if you’re limited for space and need a jack of all trades worktop.

Firstly, the E8 comes in three sizable boxes (if you buy the legs and desktop together). Each of these is very heavy, and the box containing the legs is almost certainly a two-person job to transport. This is a throughline that you’ll find throughout the unpacking and assembly of the E8.

Flexispot packages the E8 well with foam and cardboard braces to prevent any dents or dings. Although the whole thing is a bit of a workout, assembling the desk is pretty straightforward, as the instructions are simple, easy to follow, and aided with diagrams to show what goes where.

Each part of the E8 desk is reassuringly sturdy. The legs, feet, and frame are all made of high-quality metal, and there’s no way that you’ll mistake it for a cheap desk. The downside to this is, of course, weight. If you’re installing this desk upstairs, you’ll find yourself making numerous trips, taking only one part of the desk at a time due to the sheer weight of the metal – the E8 is the heaviest desk I’ve ever used, so I can only imagine what the Secretlab Magnus is like.

FlexiSpot kits you out with everything you need to put the desk together, and installation is easy. Simply bolt the bracket and feet onto the legs with the provided allen key (all high quality; none of those cheap bolts that get stripped and allen keys that get bent), and then you’re ready to screw on the desktop of your choice. The flexibility the E8 brings in desktop choice is perhaps one of its greatest strengths. See, when you order the E8, you can choose from a multitude of sizes and colours to customise the desk to the size of your workspace, which is refreshing.

The desktops themselves are far nicer than I was expecting. The wood is solid and makes a satisfying thud when doing the tap test with your finger, so you can expect a quality workspace that doesn’t have the hollowness of brands that use cheaper components. Attaching the desktop is where things slow down, however.

Whereas the frame itself is easily put together by simply fixing metal components with hex bolts, fitting the desktop requires you to lift the heavy metal frame and slide it onto the underside of the desktop. You must then align all the holes and use a screwdriver to attach the desktop to the frame. This is fiddly and, while it could probably be done with one person, it almost necessitates the help of an accomplice to hold one side of the frame in place as you get to work.

This is symbolic of the wider issue when installing the E8; its high quality means heavy weight, which in turn means that even dragging the cardboard boxes into your home is a two-person job. So, if you’re considering this desk, you should rope a friend into helping you beforehand.

Once the desktop’s in place, all that’s left to do is affix the electronic control panel to either the left or right side of the desk, plug the cables from the motors in each leg to the central control box (already affixed to the frame), and finally flip the desk over and stand it up. Once the desk is all put together and in place, the FlexiSpot E8 standing desk is faultless.

The desk height adjustment controls are easy to use and can be adjusted manually by pressing the up and down arrows on the controller, which displays the current height of the desk in centimetres as it moves up and down. Handily, you can save four separate desk heights too; there’s one for sitting, one for standing, and two others labelled ‘1’ and ‘2’ to customise to your exact liking.

You can assign your personalised height to these presets by pressing the ‘M’ button at any height, then pressing the button you want to save it as. For example, if you want to save 65cm as your sitting height, then all you need to do is adjust the desk to 65cm, press ‘M’, then press the sitting icon button. The control panel also has a powered USB built in so that you can charge devices at your workstation, which is a nice additional feature that shows thought went into the desk’s design. I should also note that the motors make a quiet whirring when adjusting the height of the desk, but it doesn’t sound like someone just drove a tractor into your office like some standing desks out there.

The E8 also carries a hidden trick that can help you manage cables: a USB-A port baked into the right-side of the control panel. This might influence whether you position the controller to the left or right, but it allows you to quick charge your phone while at your desk without creating a spaghetti monster down the back.

Overall, the FlexiSpot E8’s greatest strengths lie in its modular design and high quality components. Not only can you swap out desktop sizes to your needs – meaning that you don’t need to fully swap desks if you move somewhere with a larger or smaller workspace – but the E8 platform is a great choice for those who need both a productive space for work and a great place to game. The E8 is absent of the annoying monitor wobble that some desks cause as you’re flicking your mouse in Counter-Strike, but it also looks classy and absent of garish RGB gaming paraphernalia.

Whether you’re in the market for the best gaming desk or the best standing desk, the Flexispot E8 should be on your radar. Our review sample came with a 120×60 cm desktop size, making it one of the only standing desks that comes in a smaller size while also maintaining the electric standing desk functionality. Add to this its rock solid and quality components and modular design and the FlexiSpot E8 standing desk should easily be on your radar. Gamers looking for blinding RGB lights should look elsewhere, but those wanting something functional, good-looking, and that can straddle gaming and productivity well will find a lot to love with the FlexiSpot E8.