The Flexispot EN1 is a budget two-stage motorized standing desk frame sturdy enough for almost all everyday uses. It's stylish enough to fit in most homes but rugged enough for light workshop use. If you thought you had to spend up to $1000 to get a decent standing desk, think again.

Specifications
  • Brand: Flexispot
  • Lifting Mechanism: Motorized with adjustable presets
  • Maximum Load: 154 lbs 70 kgs)
  • Colors: Black, Grey, or White
  • Desktop Size: 48 / 55 inches (or frame only)
Pros
  • Simple assembly with clear instructions
  • Sturdy, high-quality parts
  • Good range of desk sizes supported
Cons
  • Might not take enough weight for some users
Buy This Product
Flexispot EN1

If you're working long hours from home now, it's critical that you pay attention to a comfortable desk set up. Flexispot has years of experience making ergonomic products for the home and office, with surprisingly affordable prices. The EN1 is part of a range of height-adjustable desks they offer, which come either with or without a desktop. The frame reviewed here was white, but they also sell variations in black and grey.

What's in the Box

Before going into what you get with the Flexispot EN1, it's worth talking about the box itself. While it may seem insignificant, the desk comes packed in an 81 x 24 x 16cm (around 32 x 10 x 6 inches) box, making it less of a nightmare for those having to carry it up the stairs to a flat or apartment. That said, the package weighs close to 20KG, so getting it up the stairs may be a two-person job for some users.

Flexispot Desk Frame's Small Box

The desk frame comes packed with nine separate high-grade steel parts, along with the motor spindle, a power supply, and the control panel. The desk's single Loctek Linear Motion actuator motor comes already attached to the right leg.

Each part of the Flexispot EN1

You'll also find all of the tools you need for building the frame packed in numbered plastic-wrapped sections.

Flexispot EN1 Specifications

The EN1 frame can safely support desktops between 40 to 63 inches wide, and 20 to 32.5 inches deep. It can travel between 29 inches at it's lowest and 121cm at it's highest, though these numbers will be affected by the thickness of the desktop material you choose to use.

That material matters too, as the maximum weight the desk can safely move is 154 lbs, and the desktop is attached to the frame using ten screws. This is worth considering if you have a heavy worktop or something you don't want to drill holes into.

  • Height Range: 29 to 48.6 inches (71 to 121 cm)
  • Speed: 1 inch/s
  • Memory Presets: 3
  • Sit-Stand Reminder: Yes
  • Weight Capacity: 154 lb (70kg)
  • Noise Level: < 50 dBs
  • Warranty: 3-year warranty for motors & 5-year warranty for frame

Mostly Simple to Build

This desk is advertised as being easy to build, and that is mostly true. Alongside a detailed multi-language step by step guide for building it, Flexispot also has a video showing each step.

While my experience matched the one in the video to an extent, there were a few differences. If you put the desk together on a carpet or rug (which would make sense to avoid damaging your floor), you might not find that the legs stand as freely as the above video shows.

Given that the motor is mounted near the top of the right side leg, it might be worth getting someone to help you build this, as you wouldn't want it falling on your foot. Similarly, the latter stages of the build process involve you flipping the desk frame over to attach the desktop, power supply, and controls, before flipping it again for use.

While all of these steps can (and were) done alone, it's worth considering that a steel desk frame with a chunky motor in it might be a little heavier than the aluminum legs of other budget desks.

The Not So Fiddly Bits

The provided written manual simplifies the build process, and each step gives a numbered reference to the parts used and a visual guide.

Flexispot's in depth manual

The only place that caused me a little grief was the driveshaft, which requires careful placement to line up. If you twist one side too much, the desk will end up lopsided. Also worth noting is that you'll want to line up your desktop to the frame at this point, as once the drive shaft is locked in place, you cannot widen or shorten the frame without loosening it all again.

The drive shaft attachment for the EN1 desk

Once attached, the driveshaft needs tightening via a large nut in its center. Tightening this also provided somewhat of a challenge as it's hard to grip the smooth metal tubing. Both of these are things you'll want to pay attention to, as this driveshaft is responsible for the entire left side of the desk.

Attaching a Desktop

Once the frame is complete, all that's left to do is attach a worktop and the lifting system's electronics. The desktop attaches to the frame using ten screws, two of which are down the desk's central spine to keep the wood perfectly flat on top.

The powersupply screws into your desktop

At this point, you will also attach the power supply and desk controls (making sure all the connecting cables can reach first) and the baffles to protect the driveshaft from dangling cables.

The cable management and baffles to keep trailing cables safe

The included adhesive cable tidies are a nice touch and keep everything out of the way underneath the work surface.

Pro tip: This is a good time to adjust the plastic leveling feet if needs be, as it's not easy once the desk is flipped. I found a good workaround was to use a spare piece of wood along with the spirit level app on my phone.

Using a piece of wood to pre-level the desk

Once flipped, the desk is ready to use.

It Goes Up and It Goes Down

Using the Flexispot EN1 frame is a simple process. There's no interactive touchscreen controls, no Bluetooth, or accompanying phone app. You press a button, and it goes up. Or down.

There are three options for storing height presets each with its own button rather than hidden within menus. The screen is a simple three-part 7-segment display, showing the current height. I consider this simplicity a good thing, but if you were hoping to attach the desk to your smart coffee machine, you'd be disappointed.

The panel itself is black plastic. The plastic button covers hide tactile switches, a welcome change to the no-feedback capacitive touch buttons that seem to have taken over consumer electronics.

Flexispot EN1 control panel

There is also an alarm feature to remind you to sit/stand after a user-determined amount of time. While it works well, it's not something I would likely use in a shared space as the piezo buzzer is quite shrill, but it's a nice feature to have.

Quieter Than Expected

Using the Flexispot Desk

In contrast to the timed alarm, the noise when raising and lowering the desk is remarkably quiet. Even in a silent room, it's barely above a light hum. Regardless of whether it was unburdened or had a hefty 3D printer and tools on it, changing height seemed to be equally quiet.

As someone with experience of premium standing desks in an office environment, I was impressed by how similar the EN1 felt to use when compared with the $1000+ desks I'd previously tried. It may be slightly louder, or slightly slower, but not enough to matter.

This desk would be perfect for day to day use with a laptop or a desktop and even stands up well to light workshop use. Even at its maximum height, it never felt wobbly or unsafe. As someone just shy of six feet tall, I found that around six inches below the maximum possible height was a comfortable working position.

While it's difficult to say for sure, it seems that this desk should work for most people, but if you aren't sure, it might be wise to size yourself for a standing desk before buying to check first.

High Build Quality for a Low Price

The build quality of the Flexispot EN1 is excellent. The high-grade steel frame parts are well-formed and fit together solidly. The paint covering the metal is thick enough to survive most scrapes and bumps, and while somewhat reflective, it is a good enough finish to make it fit in nicely in almost any room.

Thick paint over high quality steel gives the EN1 a nice finish

Each part of the desk is held together using appropriately sized screws and bolts, with particular attention paid to the crossbar, which bears much of the motors' lateral force.

Chunky bolts hols the EN1 together

The build's quality is so good that it's likely this desk could support a lot more weight if fitted with an extra motor. The 70kg max load here is likely more to do with the max rating for the single actuator than anything else.

Well Thought Out Pricing

One element of Flexispot's business that will be appreciated by some is the up-front pricing. The idea is that by buying directly from them, you get the best possible deal.

Flexispot are transparent about their pricing

Flexispot is far from the only brand offering this kind of service, but the quality of this desk, when put against the sub-$300 price tag, makes it a compelling argument.

Would I Recommend the Flexispot EN1?

The Flexispot EN1 motorized desk frame gives a lot for the money. It's simple to build, quiet in operation, and has all the features you need in a standing desk. Even those with experience of much more expensive standing desks will likely find few differences in day to day use.

The design is both practical and aesthetically pleasing. I'd imagine that with the right top, it could fit into any home or office, though with the ruggedness of the frame, it'd stand up to some light workshop use too.

The only major downside is the 70kg weight limit, which might be a factor for those wanting to use thick wooden desktops or let their work surface get overwhelmed with tens of kilos of paperwork. It's a trade-off, but at this price, I can't find any faults with what Flexispot is offering.