iMovR Freedom DIY Standing Desk Base Review

July 7, 2022
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iMovR Freedom DIY Standing Desk Base

Overview

Review Summary

iMovR’s new Freedom Standing Desk Line takes cheaply-made imports to task, combining American-made quality with an impressively low price point.

MSRP / List Price $524
Street Price

Standard base: $524
XT base: $599
iMovR currently has an exclusive offer for WorkWhileWalking readers going on! Get 15% off everything in your cart with the coupon code WWW15.

[Editorial Update August, 2022 – iMovR’s “Freedom Line,” which includes the Energize and Cascade standing desks, as well as Corner Energize and Corner Cascade, Ernergize Treadmill Desk, Cascade Treadmill Desk, and the Freedom DIY Base Frame Kit, has been the company’s longest-enduring standing desk line, and one of the most successful in the market. But all good things must come to an end and this product line has recently been replaced by iMovR’s highly-competitive new Jaxson standing desk and Jaxson DIY Base Frame Kit, featuring Bluetooth technology, brushless motors, and even faster and easier assembly. A new corner version of the Jaxson is due out soon, as well. Currently iMovR is offering close-out deals on the remaining stock of Freedom products, while supplies last. We leave the old Freedom Line reviews live for posterity and for existing users’ reference, but direct the reader to explore the all-new Jaxson line instead.]

Shipping

Free shipping

Warranty

15-year warranty

Lift Type

Electric

Transit Speed

1.5″ per second

Controller

Digital LCD Readout with two memory presets

Colors Available

Black, White, Silver

Construction

Made in USA

Adjustment Range

Standard base height range: 25.7″-43.8″
XT base height range: 21.3″-47.4″

Weight Capacity

265 lbs

Product Weight

Standard: 60 lbs
XT: 66 lbs

NEAT™ Certified by Mayo Clinic

Yes

Competition

Compare to Other DIY Standing Desk Frames
Compare to Other iMovR Products

Where to buy Buy on iMovR

Rating

Stability
4.0
Reliability
4.0
Customer Experience
4.0
Quality and Aesthetics
4.0
Innovation
4.0
Value
4.0
Positives 100% American-made quality, PerfectPaint lifting columns, quick assembly, extra base color options (black, silver, and white), industry-leading warranty, incredibly quiet operation, value priced
Negatives For those over 5’11”, upgrading to the XT base (+$75) will deliver extra height range.

Bottom Line

4.0
The iMovR Freedom standing desk line shines by offering what, up to this point, has been missing on the market – a quality American-made option priced competitively with popular standing desks built on commodity imported bases.

[Editorial Update August, 2022 – iMovR’s “Freedom Line,” which includes the Energize and Cascade standing desks, as well as Corner Energize and Corner Cascade, Ernergize Treadmill Desk, Cascade Treadmill Desk, and the Freedom DIY Base Frame Kit, has been the company’s longest-enduring standing desk line, and one of the most successful in the market. But all good things must come to an end and this product line has recently been replaced by iMovR’s highly-competitive new Jaxson standing desk and Jaxson DIY Base Frame Kit, featuring Bluetooth technology, brushless motors, and even faster and easier assembly. A new corner version of the Jaxson is due out soon, as well. Currently iMovR is offering close-out deals on the remaining stock of Freedom products, while supplies last. We leave the old Freedom Line reviews live for posterity and for existing users’ reference, but direct the reader to explore the all-new Jaxson line instead.]

If you’re trying to find a standalone base frame for building your DIY standing desks, there are certainly a lot of choices in the market, as we compiled in our roundup of Standing Desk Base Reviews.

The iMovR Freedom DIY standing desk base is an answer to low-cost imports, leveraging design ingenuity and a great deal of investment in robotic manufacturing to combat the labor cost advantages China has. Now for less than many Chinese-made frames, you can get an American-made product with similar performance but built to last much longer, and backed by a 15-year warranty and domestic customer support.

Impressive Height Range

For the very short as well as the very tall, and for treadmill desk users who are 5”+ taller when walking at their desk, the Freedom covers all bases.

There are actually two versions of the Freedom base. The standard model is a single-stage (two-leg segment) base with a height range of 27″ to 45″ (460 mm). The “XT” model is a dual-stage (three-leg segment) base that has a 22.5″ to 48″ (660 mm) height range. The latter is ANSI/BIFMA certified so it can go into any government or large enterprise office.

Like most single-stage bases, if you’re under 5’11” the standard model will technically work for you. You’ll want to go with the dual-stage XT model if you’re taller but still under 6’2”.

As we explain in our primer on Why Some Desks are Shakier than Others, it’s always a good idea to pretend you’re a few inches taller than you actually are when shopping for an electric standing desk base, to ensure stability at the top end of the height range. Regardless of brand, any standing desk will start getting shakier as the overlapping areas at the end of the telescoping tubes get smaller. It’s simple physics.

That said, the wider and heavier the desktop, the more you will want to hedge your bet by upgrading to the XT or adding the 6” extension.

Quality Genetics

The Freedom’s dual motors are precision Bosch motors from Germany—as good as it gets—and some of its components are made in a robotic plant in Lithuania, but this Michigan-built product qualifies as American made. (Learn more about the advantages of domestic in our primer on How American-Made Standing Desks Compare to the Imports.)

The Freedom Standing Desk Base parts (unboxed and ready for assembly)

Rather than cut corners on metal gauge, motor quality or electronic features, the Freedom’s ingenious design removes the plastic end caps that keep the tube segments from coming apart – parts that can wear down over time and leave you with a wobblier desk (and keep in mind these parts are not serviceable). Instead, the legs on the Freedom base have distinctive crimped corners on their down tubes.

Like cars and all other things mechanical, no base will last forever. But the Freedom’s PerfectPaint™ coating on its legs are not only more resistant to scratches than other powder coat paint jobs, but reduce friction as well, again lengthening the useful life of key components.

Solid, Mid-Range Performance

If you’re looking for a great compromise in performance versus cost, the iMovR Freedom DIY base probably represents the best consumer value of any DIY standing desk base we’ve reviewed.

Sure, you could go more upscale with iMovR’s state-of-the-art Lander or Lander Lite base, but unless you need that kind of lifting power, transit speed, fancy Bluetooth hand controller or 7’ width capability, the Freedom has everything you need to build a refined DIY standing desk.

The digital controller is simplified. It has only two buttons—Up and Down—but these also store your preferred sitting and standing height. Another clever cost reduction (and size reduction of the svelte hand controller) by eliminating the extra buttons necessary for programming height presets on other models.

The Freedom’s LCD controller stores two height presets—so you can easily transition to standing or sitting.

The Freedom comes in black, white, and silver paint schemes. Transit speed is 1.5 ips, and the weight lift capacity is 265 lbs. The Freedom bases can support either 24″ or 30″ deep desktops, and can accommodate desktop widths of 48″ to 72″. Its 35v power supply has an impressively low standby power consumption rate of less than one-tenth of a watt.

iMovR uses the versatile Freedom base in their Energize and Cascade standing desks as well as their corner standing desks, offering over 5,400 permutations of base size and color, and desktop shape, size and color, all off a single versatile base platform.

For more information on DIY standing desk bases, check out this comprehensive guide.

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Specs

Rated Lifting Capacity 265 lbs.
Height Range Standard: 25.7″ – 43.8″ (top not included)
XT: 21.3″ – 47.4″ (top not included)
Average Travel Speed 1.5″ per second
Controller Type Digital LCD Readout with two memory presets
Special Features Acceleration and Deceleration Dampening
Available Models Standard, XT
Available Colors White
Silver
Black

Gallery

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