FlexiSpot Motorized Aesthetic Sit-Stand Workstation EM6M
- First Look
Overview
| Review Summary |
An interesting and sleek design paired with neat features like customizable setup with extra surface or storage, wireless charging, and holes for monitor mounts might make you wonder why it is only a middle-priced standing desk converter. While claiming to be “crafted by top U.S. designers,” this unit is manufactured in China, and likely to the same quality standards as the many Flexispot standing desks that we’ve lab reviewed in the past (not the brand’s strong suit). What concerns us the most at first look – as we haven’t yet received the unit for lab testing – is potential durability issue. Particularly with what appears might be an underpowered motor for the type of lifting mechanism employed. |
|---|---|
| MSRP / List Price | $399.99 |
| Street Price | Scan for available discount deals |
| Shipping |
FREE shipping to the contiguous 48 states in the US for most products |
| Warranty |
3-year warranty for the mechanism |
| Lift Type |
Electric |
| Transit Speed |
Max speed: 1.6 inches per second |
| Controller |
Simple up/down buttons |
| Colors Available |
White and Grey |
| Monitor Arm Mounting Options |
There is a grommet hole at the back-center of the unit to accommodate Flexispot’s own monitor arms (single or dual) optionally. |
| Adjustment Range |
The top worksurface is at 5.9″ in height in the sitting position, and raises to 20″ maximum in the standing position. |
| Weight Capacity |
The work surface has a max weight capacity of 33 lbs, and the keyboard tray surface has a max of 22 lbs, but the combined max lift capacity is only 44 lbs for all items set on top of the unit; e.g. laptop, monitor(s) and monitor arm(s), any added accessories. |
| Number of Monitors Supported |
Optional single or dual monitor arms are available. Max display weight 15.4 lbs per arm. |
| Dimensions |
Base: 24.4″ wide x 17.6″ deep |
| Connectivity Features |
No Bluetooth |
| Product Weight |
52 lbs. |
| Power Consumption |
USB output voltage 1: 5V/1A |
| NEAT™ Certified by Mayo Clinic |
No |
| Competition |
All Standing Desk Converters
|
| Where to buy |
Buy on FlexiSpot |
Rating
| Stability | |
|---|---|
| Safety | |
| Reliability | |
| Customer Experience | |
| Quality and Aesthetics | |
| Ergonomics | |
| Innovation | |
| Value | |
| Positives | This FlexiSpot EM6M offers a design aesthetic not often seen in a standing desk converter, especially electrically-powered ones, with a variety of convenient features like multiple charging ports and a wireless phone charger. It also offers some optional accessories to attach to the left and right ends of the unit, for small item storage or for work surface extension panels, as well as a special mounting hole for installing a single or dual monitor arm that match the aesthetic of the unit. |
| Negatives | The price, when looking at all those interesting features, along with its manufacturing source in Asia raises some caution flags as to quality and whether it will live up to its 3 year warranty on the mechanism. Very basic controls don't allow for stored height memory presets. For being electric, the total lift capacity of the unit is surprisingly low compared to the competition. |
Bottom Line
This is a brief “first look” on the FlexiSpot Motorized Aesthetic Sit-Stand Workstation EM6M. Once we receive the unit in our evaluation lab we will put it through the full testing routine and update this review with our in-depth findings. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up on our latest reviews and information on ergonomic office equipment like this sit-stand workstation converter.
A Different Aesthetic
The FlexiSpot EM6M Motorized Aesthetic Sit-Stand Workstation aims to put a prettier façade on what a typical standing desk converter looks like. The EM6M’s design makes it look sleek and clean by making a dual-level top out of a single solid surface.
However, it is not entirely unique, as a similar style is also used in the Fellowes Lotus workstation. We can’t call the FlexiSpot unit a “copycat” design, however, because it is electrically driven versus the Lotus’ conventional mechanical design.
The controller on this unit is a very simple up/down button affair, with no programmable height presets or anti-collision detection like you’ll find on a full-fledged electric standing desk.
Some Cool Options Not Found on Mechanical-Lift Desk Converters
Because electricity is already feeding into the unit, FlexiSpot’s designers did some more useful things with it than merely driving the unit up and down. With the built-in wireless phone charger and dual USB ports, you should be able to keep all your mobile devices charged and in reach whether you are sitting or standing.
This is the only desktop converter we’ve seen with optional clip-on “saddle bag” storage trays and desktop extension panels. The EM6M (not the most mellifluous name) also features a grommet hole to accept their own single or dual monitor mount, similar to how Ergotron does it on their Workfit-T and Versadesk does it on their Power Pro electric standing desk converter. Each arm can hold up to 15.4 lbs. We’ll look more closely at the arm’s capabilities when we run our full lab test.
The Classic Problem With This Kind of Electric X-Lift Design
We’ve evaluated dozens and dozens of standing desk converters over the years. Including just about every electric model on the market (including the Eureka Electric Converter, Winston-E Standing Desk Converter, Versadesk Power Pro Electric Converter, Uplift E7 Electric Converter and many others you’ll find in our comprehensive round-up of Electric Standing Desk Converters). So we’ve seen a lot of mechanisms, and there’s a wide range in both performance and quality.
Specifically, when we’ve looked at those that employ an “X-lift” scissor-motion lift mechanism. What we’ve observed from a purely mechanical engineering standpoint is that resistive forces on the motor become extreme when the scissor is near-flat, i.e. when the converter is return to sitting position. This causes the unit to collapse suddenly at the end of its transition from standing to sitting, and in some cases we’ve even seen the motor mounts become detached in testing. There are other approaches and alternative linkage points even in an X-lift design that can easily overcome this design limitation, but we’ve noticed a lot of Chinese-made units ignoring some basic laws of physics.
Coupled with the fact that the unit is only rated to 44 lbs of total lift capacity makes us wonder about how smooth, durable and reliable the mechanism will be. The short 3-year warranty on the mechanism gives us even more reason to suspect an issue here, and so we will definitely be focusing our testing on this crucial design aspect.
Preliminary Take
At its price point, the FlexiSpot Motorized Aesthetic Sit-Stand Workstation EM6M stands in that mid range among other standing desk converters. But taking that into account, along with its features, conveniences, and its manufacturing in Asia, the actual quality of its components is what we find questionable.
The FlexiSpot Electric Aesthetic Sit-Stand Workstation EM6M is new enough that it only has a single review on FlexiSpot’s website and nothing on Amazon, so there isn’t much we can say about it until we get one in the lab for a full run-through.
But if you are set on getting a converter right now, be sure take a look at our roundup of the all the standing desk converters we have reviewed.
0 Comments
Leave a response >