Flexispot M17 standing desk converter review: "all the functionality of the real deal"

For me, standing desk converters like the Flexispot M17 are the ultimate celebration of indecision. To sit or to stand? That is the question. But I straight up refuse to give a resolute answer. Can you really blame me? Throughout any given day, whether I’m working or playing, my energy spikes and dips so wildly that I need to swap between being stood upright to being plonked in my comfy office chair at a moment’s notice. 

Thankfully, the Flexispot M17 standing desk converter perfectly accommodates this need without asking me to fork out for one of the best gaming desks. So, as far as that’s concerned, it’s onto a winner.

With its $149.99 / £199.99 price tag, the Flexispot M17 will set you back a fraction of what you’d expect to pay for some of the best standing desks. Of course, it does necessitate you having an existing desk to pop your convertor on but no matter what surface you choose, the Flexispot M17 transforms it into a workspace that has all the functionality of the real deal without the additional fuss and cost.  

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Assembly 

As you’d expect from its dinkier form factor, the Flexispot M17 is far lighter than most standing desk solutions. I’m a 5’5” gym-dodger but even I was able to shift the box independently (if a little sweatily). So, the good news is you should be spared the delivery-day dread of having to rope in a friend to help you lug the package around.

Getting into the actual assembly process offered another pleasant surprise. I’ve done my time in the flat pack furniture mines so I was ready and willing to go to town with an Allen key. Mercifully, there was no need for that here. Putting together the Flexispot M17 standing desk converter is a ridiculously simple, sub-5-minute affair that only requires you to sit the converter on your desk and slot in its keyboard tray. Screws and bolts are entirely absent from this process too. Like a particularly large chunk of Lego, you just need to apply a little bit of pressure until the part is locked in place. Easy peasy.

Beyond the basic setup steps there are a few optional in-box accessories that can help improve your overall experience of using the converter. For one, adhesive strips are provided to affix the legs of the M17 to the surface of your desk. While these are handy to have, I opted not to apply them and still didn’t experience any instances of the convertor shifting out of place during use. I did, however, decide to make use of the included cable tidies. Despite being glorified zip ties, these are universally useful for managing the jungle of wires that comes with having an office setup so I was happy to see them thrown in for good measure.

Given how simple it is to set up and take down, the Flexispot M17 is especially well-suited for renters or office workers. If you’re uncertain about how long you’ll maintain your current desk set-up, it’s helpful to have something you can quickly move in a pinch. Thankfully, this standing desk converter is just as easy to move out of your office space as it is to move in. 

Design  

If you're partial to standing while working, you'll likely have experience of putting together makeshift accommodations crafted from stacked cardboard boxes and monitor risers. Sure, these DIY solutions might get the job done but they feel meh and look even worse. They're the kind of thing you only really put up with because they're temporary. Despite how portable the Flexispot M17 is, it really is built like something meant to stick around.

Rather than cheaping out on materials, it feels as though the reduced price point for the M17 when compared to other Flexispot desks is really down to its size and simplified design. I've been rocking the Flexispot Q8 in my home setup for a few years now so I feel pretty confident in pointing out the familial resemblance. Both this $800 beast and its more affordable baby brother boast the exact same hardy, scratch-resistant wood top and glossy steel frame. You are, of course, missing out on having fancy extras like a motorized adjustment mechanism and a wireless charging point but the proverbial bones of both products are identical. 

With the M17, you have your choice of three colorways: Black, White, and my personal favorite, Bamboo. This natural wood grain look is just dark enough to hide my sins (i.e. not putting a coaster under my coffee mug) without being too drab, and it's a look that can be easily integrated into a whole host of office color schemes. It also claims to have the added benefit of being antibacterial and resistant to mold, though my workspace wasn't quite grotty enough to actually put that claim to the test. 

From a structural design standpoint, the M17 scores yet another win. Its top section sports a wide, U-shaped silhouette which not only gives enough room for up to two monitors in the center but provides extra space on the sides for whatever trinkets or pen pots you fancy popping on there. The lower tier is fairly roomy too, so you won't feel limited to using 60% or TKL models of your favorite keyboards. 

Features 

I work in an open-plan office space in pretty close proximity to others. As a result, I'm fairly conscious of my sound output. From my experience using Flexispot’s motorized desks, I know they're impressively quiet but not silent. Given I flip flop from sitting to standing so frequently, I'm happy to use a manual height adjustment system and save my coworkers from being subjected to random whirring noises throughout the day. 

This isn't too much of a sacrifice to make though – changing the height of the M17 is a quick and simple process every single time. All it takes is applying just a bit of squeezing pressure on the handle underneath and pulling up or down. Time after time, the movement on the M17 proved to be smooth yet controlled, allowing me to finetune where I wanted my work surface to go. Never did I worry about 

While we're talking height, here's some good news for tall people: the Flexispot M17 standing desk converter should be able to accommodate you thanks to its substantial range of movement and capability of rising up to 19.7 inches. Still, you’ll have to ensure your existing desk is elevated enough to adequately support your new standing setup. For example, a 28-inch-high desk with the M17 on it gives adequate lift for people up to 5’9” but anyone taller will find themselves hunching over in a way that’s far from ergonomic. If you’re especially leggy you’ll likely have been using a taller desk in the first place, but it’s still worth checking its exact dimensions for the sake of your future self’s posture. 

Regardless of the height of your desk, you're liable to experience proportion problems with the M17, owing to the fact that the keyboard tray can't be adjusted. Everybody's body is a little bit different and you're unlucky, you might find that where the keyboard is positioned relative to the height of your monitor just doesn't work for you. Sure, there's the option of widening the gap between your eye line and where your wrists lay by using an additional monitor riser but ideally this would've been something that had been taken into account during the product's design. 

The M17's keyboard tray really is its Achilles' heel; the only other misstep in the entire product's design is that it doesn't feel rigid enough. After quickly Googling the average weight of a human hand, I can confidently say I’m far from straining the keyboard tray’s 4.4lb limit. Yet whenever I lift my hands from my keys after a writing session, I can feel the whole lower section bounce upwards in a way that‘s just a bit distracting. 

Don’t get me wrong, the Flexispot M17 is totally structurally sound. I’ve actively tried to tip it and failed. Still, that doesn’t stop me from feeling disconcerted when particularly vicarious typing sends a teeny tiny shockwave through the lower segment of the desk. It’s not a deal breaker but it is a small, persistent blemish on an otherwise excellent product. 

Should you buy the Flexispot M17? 

If you're not looking to make the plunge and buy a full-blown standing desk or want to upgrade a temporary work setup, the Flexispot M17 standing desk convertor is a well worthwhile purchase. With a premium look and a super functional design, it's bound to be an addition to your space that helps you work and play better. That is, unless the height and movement of the keyboard tray drive a thorn in your side.  

How I tested the Flexispot M17 

For four months, I used the Flexispot M17 standing desk converter on top of my WFO desk. During this period, I had plenty of exposure to how the M17 is suited to day-to-day use and was afforded the opportunity to test for any wear and tear to the product over that time. 

For more information on our testing procedures, you can read our full rundown of how we test gaming desks. As well as this, you can find more insight into our review process and how we make recommendations in our GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy. 

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