Why you can trust TechRadar
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
If you’re reading this, odds are you’ve read a thing or two about standing desks and perhaps even thought about building out your setup already. If you’ve done that, I’d be willing to guess you’ve seen or considered a desk shelf. That was me years ago when I started my journey in the desk setup world.
Even way back then, I was familiar with the company Grovemade. It was the pinnacle of the desk shelf back then, and even to this day, with more competitors than I could count, they remain the original gorgeous desk shelf, continuing to create beauty to this day.
When I saw they were teasing a standing desk, my excitement was near uncontainable. I knew that if a company cared this much about the quality of a desk shelf, imagine how much care would go into an entire standing desk. Now, I’ve tested many of the best standing desks around, but I could never have predicted just how good this desk is.
Grovemade Standing Desk: Pricing and Availability
The Grovemade Standing Desk can be purchased directly from Grovemade for $2,900. They have a 4-6 week turnaround time and can ship to the USA, Canada, and Japan only.
They have six wood options and one size option, which is a bummer if you come from a world of heavy customization in sizing, but for everyone else, this desk size feels perfect.
Grovemade Standing Desk: Unboxing & first impressions
Opening up the boxes for this desk grew my excitement by the minute. The spectacular aroma of the real walnut, the curves of genuine craftsmanship, and the intricate parts all fit together beautifully. This desk was built, and I was setting up the workspace and organizing it mere 45 minutes after it was delivered to my door — that’s how excited I was.
I chose to get the complementary desk shelf, along with a desk mat, some other walnut accessories, dual monitor arms, a lamp, and a few other accessories to build out this dream setup.
The standout feature, of course, is the built-in drawer. My first impression of this drawer was one of shock and amazement, as it was exactly what I had hoped Grovemade would do; in fact, it’s nearly exactly what I would do in an ideal world. It’s organized, designed for quick access to things, and it has a spot for my laptop, allowing me to dock it and keep it out of the way.
Alternatively, can use it to store whatever else I want and have it as an active charging bay or for other purposes. Another standout feature is the slit in the desktop, which allows cables to pass through the middle of the desk instead of coming up and around the outside.
All around, this desk has some of the most wow-factor of any product I have had the pleasure of working with. And the shock and awe doesn’t just end at a first glance.
Grovemade Standing Desk: Design & Build Quality
Specs
Dimensions: 58 x 28 inches
Lifting Capacity: 270lbs
Drawer Capacity: 30lbs
Weight: 134lbs
The craftsmanship of this desk is out of this world. The solid walnut with a soft matte finish is peak craftsmanship in my mind. The CNC’s drawer is a modern marvel and a work of art, combining two productivity-enhancing features that are precisely what I could have ever wished for with standing desks. The passthrough slit in the middle of the desk is another one of those spectacular features that I fell in love with.
It shows intentional craftsmanship, and it shows that Grovemade thought ahead to how some people want to be able to do a passthrough, but not all. Unlike others that have huge passthroughs or other systems built in, which can make it hard not to use the system as the company intended, Grovemade added a slit just big enough to be used or ignored, and there isn’t a problem either way.
Another notable feature with a spectacular design is the drop-down tray that spans the width of the desk, used for both power and cable management. This option helps make the power accessible, gives ample space, and also helps keep everything clean on the desk itself. Additionally, if the desk were not positioned against the wall, it would also serve as a modesty shield, providing a bit of privacy from that angle.
Grovemade Standing Desk: In use
I’ve had the Grovemade Desk assembled and a part of my fleet for 87 days. For those 87 days, this desk itself has grown on me and has become nearly the perfect desk for most people. I’ve built it out to be one of my favorite setups, featuring dual monitors on a simple monitor arm, an iPad Pro dock from Kensington, a desk mat, some nice accessories from Grovemade such as the pen holder, and a Magsafe stand, a Thunderbolt Docking Station, another one to run DisplayLink to the dual monitors from Dell. I also added a simple light bar (though I wish I had chosen to spend the extra money on one from BenQ rather than this random Amazon find), an Apple Magic Trackpad, and a gorgeous Keychron K2 HE keyboard.
The drawer organization is, in fact, the dream. It’s precisely how I would have set it up if I were designing it. There is a clean spot to place my laptop with plenty of ventilation, keeping it safe and out of the way without needing extra accessories. There is a separate compartment large enough for books, notebooks, papers, pens, tools, accessories, and more.
Over the last 87 days, I have adjusted and tweaked just about everything to make it work exactly as I want. Having a built-in drawer that raises and lowers with the desk and is made of premium material to keep my gear organized is a massive step up in the desk world.
The cable management in the legs is also spectacular. I was able to tuck all my cabling from the desk through the slit and down into this management area, plugging into the power I needed, and hiding my secondary dock in here so that, regardless of the laptop I’m using, I can run both displays.
The controller is another very unique piece of this desk. The controls are very different than a standard controller, but once I got used to it, it feels like second nature now. I can easily and precisely adjust between standing and sitting heights, and I can adapt anywhere in between that I want to. Plus, it hides away under the drawer, sliding out with it when the drawer is extended and tucked away nicely when it’s not.
Pairing this desk with a Grovemade shelf is an obvious choice if you have the cash for it, but if you don’t, there are still great setup options that you can build without a desk shelf. What makes this desk so beautiful is that it’s versatile. This desk can be easily used by a creative designer, a business professional, a teacher, a student, an engineer, a developer, a project manager, and so on. The desk is so versatile that it can accommodate almost any workflow.
Having seen many desks, I’ve identified some potential pain points for this desk that could make it less ideal for specific users. If you are the kind of person who has to mount things under the desk, like my home office beast of a desk that has servers, switches, a Mac mini, a NAS, and more all mounted under it, then this desk would make it very difficult to do that. There is minimal space where there is no drawer or cable management. But, for just about everyone else, this desk is not only perfect, but a dream come true.
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Design |
Gorgeous, intuitive design |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
|
Ease of use |
Easy to use for anyone |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
|
Practicality |
Practical for most |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
|
Price |
Expensive, but fair |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
Grovemade Standing Desk: Final verdict
Grovemade didn’t just build a desk – it changed what I think of when I think of a standing desk. The company designed an entire workspace, not just a phenomenal base on which to build a workspace. And somehow managed to do this in a way that did not limit users to a single niche.
The company chose to invest in R&D, utilize high-quality products, and create something that nobody has before. Everything feels intentional, planned, thought through, and designed, rather than being hastily put together to make a profit.
If you’re looking for a workspace, not just a plank of wood or wood-like material on some legs, then the Grovemade Desk needs to be at the top of your considerations, seriously.
Creating the perfect, productive workspace? We’ve tested and reviewed the best office chairs around.
Read the full article here
