simply put
This accessibly priced electric sit-stand desk does away with the premium touches, but the result is still likely an upgrade for most home offices. The EZ Desk Carbon doesn’t do a huge amount wrong, but it also doesn’t offer a huge amount of wow moments.
the good bits
Competitively priced
Good worktop size
Electric motor is smooth and quiet
the not so good bits
Two-piece worktop
Can get a little wobbly at full height
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EZ Desk Carbon EditionSit-Stand Gaming Desk
The most talked about development in office furniture in the last few years (though admittedly not a hotly contested category) sit-stand desks have become increasingly common.
The flexibility and benefits they bring are strong, but often so is the price tag and that’s where the EZ Desk slots in. This £299 electric sit-stand desk could be the perfect solution for PC gamers and home office workers alike, without breaking the bank in the process.
design
Pitched as a ‘Gaming Desk’, the EZ Desk Carbon Edition is an all black version of the EZ Desk Air which features more traditional office styling. The 140 x 60cm MDF worktop features a carbon fibre effect with a clever inlet for a monitor arm bracket and two cable tidy holes.
One rather unique element of the EZ Desk Carbon Edition design is its two-piece desktop. I imagine this is a logistical decision rather than a stylistic one, likely designed to make shipping and packaging easier and I must say the delivery box was far smaller than I expected. Once the desk is put together you don’t notice it’s two parts and there’s no flex between them, it works but it’s a somewhat inelegant solution and does strip away any premium vibe you might be expecting.
That join between the two desktop pieces is also the reason for the EZ Desk’s other unique component, the included oversize size mouse mat. While pitched as a feature, it covers around half the worktop as a literal sweep it under the rug solution to hide the seam. I can’t argue that it works for that purpose and it’s discrete enough, all black and blending in with the carbon fibre effect worktop. But it does instantly define your desk layout which might be an issue for some who don’t want to sit dead centre or have more than a standard mouse and keyboard setup.
performance
Despite a rather daunting amount of parts, assembly was simple enough albeit with a decent amount of brainpower required. I consider myself a pretty seasoned flatpack builder so didn’t expect too many hassles but the included installation instructions are somewhat lacking. EZ Shopper do offer a video tutorial which I found easier to follow, but this is simply an animated version of the included paper instructions so still involved some head scratching. Tackling the build solo and despite having to repeat a couple of steps after taking a wrong turn, I was able to go from boxed up to finished desk in around 90 minutes.
For the most part the EZ Desk Carbon Edition performed exactly how you’d expect a desk to. Though at maximum standing height I did find there was quite a bit of wobble, enough at times to be noticeable to viewers through my livestream facecam. My desk is loaded up with a mixture of lights and streaming gear so is certainly more top heavy than a normal office setup but I was surprised how much it moved under this load given the 80kg weight rating. It’s not precarious and it feels solid enough that I’m not worried about it toppling, but it’s a consideration for those with hefty media setups.
I was pleasantly surprised by how smooth the desk rises and falls, even when loaded with 2 24 inch monitors on a single clamped arm. There’s no sudden jolting when starting or stopping a move and the whole process was gentle enough to never even ripple the surface of my drink. The ability to record your preferred sit and stand heights will be helpful for some, though I have mine set to the minimum and maximum heights anyway so for me it was more a case of not having to hold the button than anything more tailored. I’m pretty much bang on six foot tall and the max height setting is about right though I’d have gone a little higher if I could. Total travel time from lowest to highest was 15 seconds and the electric motor was quiet enough to not be picked up by my stream microphone, no complaints there.
Speaking of drinks, the EZ Desk Carbon Edition comes with a built-in cupholder. It’s a little odd, prompting a giggle from friends who saw it and because it’s mounted off the end of the worktop I didn’t find it overly useful. It’s too far out of the way to be comfortable to use and awkward to get drinks in and out of but it’s included for free anyway, along with a headset hook which is a nice touch.
Unlike the headphone and cup holders there’s no included cable management accessories, EZ electing to offer these as paid extras instead. It’s a weak point for the experience overall and something that even after a couple of weekends worth of tinkering I’m still not entirely happy with. Part of the issue is universal to sit-stand desks, trying to run neat cabling that also has the freedom to move half a metre isn’t easy but the lack of consideration here doesn’t help. I had the EZ cable net for my testing and while this helped keep most cables from drooping into the way of my knees, it quickly became a tangled mess in there and some of my cables weren’t long enough and needed to be run directly down to my PC anyway.
summed up
The EZ Desk Carbon Edition may not be the most premium sit-stand desk, but it’s not at a premium price either. The worktop is a nice size, the electric motor is quiet and smooth and the height options should cover most bases.
The two-piece worktop and reliance on an oversize mouse mat won’t work for some, but that aside it’s a more than solid option for anyone looking to upgrade to a standing setup.
