[GameSpot] - FlexiSpot Comhar EG8 Standing Desk Review: A Pricey But Stylish Option For Work And Gaming

[343iBot]

A standing desk is one of those neat pieces of equipment that I've enviously watched others use in corporate settings for years, but I've never had the fortune to use one myself until recently. And while I've always thought of a standing desk as something you use in an office environment, I've come to appreciate the major perks of having one at home. The particular desk I've been testing comes from one of the top makers of standing desks, FlexiSpot, which just released a new model: the Comhar EG8 All-in-One Desk. Sleek and stylish with a shiny glass top, the Comhar EG8 is by far the most expensive desk I've ever used at $500, but having used it for both working from home and PC gaming for a couple of weeks now, I can say that it's a major upgrade that could be worth the high price tag if you're someone who works from home full-time.

Design

At first glance, the FlexiSpot Comhar EG8 standing desk looks like one you'd find in an office setting, and I was worried it wouldn't fit in with my cozy, cluttered living space (I received the all-white version, and I tend to prefer darker furniture). Its frame is made entirely of industry-grade steel, with the capability of supporting over 100 pounds of weight, and it has a shiny glass top that gives it a stylish, elegant look. On the front-facing side of the table, you'll see "FlexiSpot" in small silver letters on the left, and on the right, there's a control panel with several buttons and three USB ports. All in all, it looks expensive--it's immediately clear the Comhar EG8 desk is a premium product.

The FlexiSpot Comhar EG8 desk (featuring Goku) | Photo via FlexiSpot

After loading all of my equipment onto the desk, I was much happier with the overall look of the desk and felt that it gave my space a more polished, professional vibe without feeling out of place. At 48 inches wide and 24 inches deep, the surface offers ample space for my 32-inch monitor, keyboard, microphone, and MacBook Pro without feeling cluttered. Though you might be able to fit two small monitors, the Comhar EG8 is ideally a single-monitor desk with ample space for smaller peripherals as well.

The three USB charging ports (one USB Type-C, two USB Type-A) on the front of the desk are a particularly nice feature, allowing you to charge your phone or power other USB devices. This can help free up some of your USB inputs for other peripherals, like your keyboard or mouse, while letting you more easily charge items that get unplugged and moved around more frequently, like a phone or tablet.

My personal setup with the Comhar EG8 (in standing position)

A small drawer is built into the front of the desk, which is convenient for storing small items like chargers, a phone, glasses, or a notebook. Let me emphasize small here: At only 1 foot deep and 2 inches high (though over 2 feet wide), the drawer won't fit larger accessories or even particularly thick books, but it certainly doesn't hurt to have.

FlexiSpot Comhar EG8 key specs

Lifting mechanism: Motor

Weight capacity: 110 pounds

Height range: 28.3" to 47.6"

Desktop size: 48" (W) x 24" (D)

Lifting speed: 1" per second

Available colors: White and black

How the lifting mechanism works

Of course, what you're really paying for here is the standing component, which works beautifully. The desk plugs into the wall in order to power the lifting mechanism, which is operated using the aforementioned control panel on the front-facing right side of the desk.

The control panel is straightforward and easy to use.

The first two buttons are arrows pointing up and pointing down--to raise the desk, you simply have to hold down the upward-facing arrow until it reached a suitable height for you. To bring it back down, you can press the downward-facing arrow. Conveniently, the desk allows you to save four different height presets so that you're not constantly having to adjust and find your preferred desk height each time. This is a great option if multiple people in your household will be using the desk as well.

There's a layer of safety built-in with the desk's anti-collision function, which is designed to have the desk reverse directions when it detects an obstacle in its way. There are three sensitivity levels to this function, which can be turned off entirely as well, but how well it actually works is a bit unclear. I've been able to trigger the anti-collision function a few times, but other times, like when my chair's armrests are underneath the desk while it's moving downward, it simply won't activate at all, even on the highest sensitivity setting. You should make sure the area is clear of obstacles in the first place when you set up this desk, but if you have kids or pets around, I wouldn't completely rely on the desk to stop on its own.

That said, there's another safety measure that I've found more reliable: the child lock button on the far right side of the control panel. If you have little ones or are prone to bumping into things like myself (I've accidentally hit the lift button a few times), you can lock the desk at its current height by holding down the circular button at the end of the control panel. This ensures the desk won't be activated to lift up or down at an unsuspecting moment, which just adds another layer of stability to the overall setup. Overall, the Comhar EG8 standing desk is easy to use and highly effective, and I've experienced very few hiccups in the actual operation of the desk aside from the somewhat opaque anti-collision feature.

Assembly

Putting together an electric standing desk may sound intimidating, but I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly the Comhar EG8 comes together. You'll want a decent amount of space and a soft surface (like carpet) to assemble it on so you don't scratch the glass top, but once you have the table face down, all you have to do is screw on the frame and legs and connect some wires for the motor. You'll likely want someone's help to move the table exactly where you want it to go, but the entire process of putting together the desk is quick and painless, with very few loose parts included in the box beyond some screws.

Another pro: The Comhar EG8 includes two cable clamps that can be attached to the underside of the table to help pull the cables out of view and avoid them looking messy. It would be even better if more cable clamps were included--I ended up using a Command hook in place of having more clamps--but the fact that the table is set up well to hide cables is definitely a plus.

Value

Full-sized standing desks tend to cost a few hundred dollars, so the FlexiSpot Comhar EG8 is on the pricier end of the spectrum; however, its added features and premium design arguably justify the cost. Its tempered glass top gives it a more elegant design, and other added touches, like the USB charging ports, pull-out drawer, pre-set height buttons, and child lock button, come together to make the Comhar EG8 a more fully featured option than some standing desks on the market.

An ultrawide monitor could fit on the Comhar EG8. | Photo via FlexiSpot

The bottom line

The FlexiSpot Comhar EG8 is not marketed as a gaming desk, so if you're looking for a desk that can fit multiple monitors and comes with other gaming-centric quality-of-life features, like a headphones stand or cup holder, you should look elsewhere (like our best gaming desks guide). FlexiSpot also offers gaming-focused standing desks that are cheaper and offer those types of features, though we haven't tested those specifically.

However, if you're someone who mainly uses a desk for work purposes and also happen to play games at it from time to time, the Comhar EG8 is a great option to consider. You don't need us to tell you that sitting all day is terrible for your health, and taking standing breaks (which the Mayo Clinic recommends doing every 30 minutes) is a great place to start. The Comhar EG8 makes taking standing breaks easier than ever, and its other features--from the ability to save height presets to its USB charging stations--only make it an even better purchase. Particularly if you're someone who will be working from home for the foreseeable future, investing in a premium standing desk like the Comhar EG8 is definitely worth it.

The Good:

• Assembly is a breeze with very few steps or loose parts
• Lifting mechanism is quiet, easy to use, and moves at just the right speed
• Tempered glass top gives the desk a stylish look and premium feel
• Other quality-of-life features help justify the price, from the three USB charging ports to the four height preset options

The Bad:

• Anti-collision function doesn't always activate, so it's unclear what counts as an obstacle

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About the author: Jenae Sitzes has been using the FlexiSpot Comhar EG8 standing desk for both work and PC gaming over the past two weeks. FlexiSpot provided the Comhar EG8 for review.

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