EZ Desk Carbon Edition desk review: "Simply a very solid option"

The EZ Desk Carbon Edition fits into one of the most increasingly popular niches of office and gaming furniture nowadays: that of standing desks. 

The flexibility and benefits they bring are strong, but often so is the price tag - but that’s where the EZ Desk slots in. This £299 electric sit-stand desk could be the perfect solution as a gaming desk and for home office workers alike, without breaking the bank in the process.

Design & assembly

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.

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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. Once the desk is put together you don’t notice its 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 pad. 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 who have more than a standard gaming mouse and gaming keyboard setup.

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 does 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.

Performance

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 smoothly the desk rises and falls, even when loaded with two 24-inch monitors on a single clamped arm. There was 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 a simple case of holding down the button to the extremes rather than utilising the memory function. 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. The 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.

Going back to 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 nicer and more useful touch.

Unlike the headphone and cup holders, there are no included cable management accessories; EZ elected 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.

Overall - Should you buy the EZ Desk Carbon Edition?

The EZ Desk Carbon Edition may not be the most premium standing desk or gaming 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 very solid option for an upgrade to a standing setup.

Note: This seems to be available only in the UK at the time of publishing.

How we tested the EZ Carbon Edition Desk

I put together the EZ Desk Carbon Edition using a combination of EZ’s supplied printed and video tutorials and it became my primary home office and live stream desk. I used the desk daily in both sitting and standing modes for office admin work and gaming live streams, with some specific stress testing to put the motor through its paces. It was loaded up with a range of desktop accessories including a dual monitor arm, studio lights, a mic arm, and an array of input devices.

You can read more about our approach to how we test gaming chairs and desks in our dedicated article as well as in the full GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

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