Fully Floatdeck Balance Board Review

[Editors’ Note – April 21, 2023 – MillerKnoll, the $3B parent company of Fully.com, officially shut the company down on April 20th, 2023, after an 18-year run. Indeed, Fully’s phone lines and chat function have already been disabled, and the only way to reach customer service for product support is via email. We first reported this on March 8th after being notified by a number of Fully’s suppliers that the company was discontinuing operations.

Founded by ergonomics industry pioneer David Kahl in 2006, the company – which was originally known as ErgoDepot before a rebranding a few years ago – was acquired by Knoll. Knoll itself was shortly thereafter acquired by Herman Miller. This cataclysmic event is the latest in an ongoing set of challenges the industry has endured since the pandemic.

As a consequence of the company being wound down, we have taken down the scores for all of the Fully products we’ve reviewed to 0.5-star (including the Jarvis Standing Desk, Jarvis Standing L-Desk, Fully Jarvis Reclaimed Wood Standing Desk, Fully Jarvis Albright Standing Desk, Fully Jarvis Evolve Standing Desk, Fully Remi Standing Desk, Fully Jarvis Whiteboard Adjustable-Height Conference Table, Fully Jarvis Bamboo Adjustable-Height Conference Table, Fully Jarvis Tabletops For Standing Desks, Jarvis Monitor Riser, Jarvis Bamboo Desk Drawer, Fully Jarvis Single Monitor Arm, Fully Jarvis Dual Monitor Arm, Fully Jax Single-Display Monitor Arm, Fully Floatdeck Balance Board, Fully Sidekick Mobile File Cabinet, Fully Cable Management Kit and Fully Cable Management Tray). Fully has sadly been added to the Office Fitness Industry Dead Pool.

Ostensibly, Fully’s, “most popular products,” i.e. those that they still have a lot of inventory remaining, are being offered through the Herman Miller and Design Within Reach websites. We checked these listings and they are at full list price, unlikely to be purchased by any savvy shoppers. The nearest alternatives to Fully products are going to be found at iMovR (American-made) and UpLiftDesk (similar Chinese-made products). For more details on the company’s closure, see our article on Is Fully.com Out Of Business?]

The Floatdeck Adds Another Option for High-End Balance boards

On first glance, the Floatdeck from Fully is very much like some other premium-priced balance boards on the market, such as The Level from Fluidstance. They share the same basic size and shape, and a similar base design. To see what our expert reviewers thought of The Level balance board, see our full review.

The Floatdeck has many of the ideal features for a high-end balance board, such as fluid 360-degree motion, stylish, high-quality design, a natural range of motion for the ankles tipping forward and back. And like many of the best balance boards meant for standing desks, it may increase your metabolic activity by almost 20%. (Anything over 10% meet’s The Mayo Clinic’s guideline for “NEAT” benefits.)

On the other hand, it also shares some common disadvantages of its peer competitors. For what it does, many may find it too expensive when compared to other balance boards. The lacquered bamboo finish may be too slippery to use while wearing socks and painful to your feet if you don’t wear shoes. Also, the movement doesn’t have as much dynamic functionality as our favorites in the category. Be sure to read our roundup of the top-rated balance boards.

How is the Floatdeck different?

A major selling point for Fully’s Floatdeck is the material used in the standing surface. The platform deck uses “all natural bamboo—no pesticides or fertilizers are used”. While pesticides and fertilizers are a concern for products that claim to be environmentally friendly, there are some massive negative environmental issues that come with converting bamboo grass into a wood product in China. And it’s hard to imagine how one would dump pesticides and fertilizer on a forest of bamboo grass, anyway, so this is a really specious claim.

If Fully’s environmental spin on bamboo is one of the things that attracts you to this product then just be sure to read our highly-researched primer on the true environmental impact of turning bamboo into furniture. Fully and their arch-rival competitor Uplift, among others in our industry, have long practiced “greenwashing” when it comes to their bamboo desktops and accessories. The Floatdeck marketing copy is no exception. Caveat emptor.

Compared to the majority of balance boards you’ll find on sites like Amazon, the Floatdeck is more expensive, coming in at $249 on Fully’s website. While that may seem like a lot for many shoppers, it is indicative of higher quality products that will likely last longer, so you don’t have to buy another any time soon. So it looks like it shares that distinction with balance boards like The Level from Fluidstance or the top-rated Gymba from iMovR.

The likely reason for the high price on the Floatdeck is the cost of manufacturing the lightweight powder-coated aluminum base. We’d call it “innovative” except that it appears to be a knock-off of Fluidstance’s design, on which they hold quite a few patents. Nevertheless, aluminum cast molds and aluminum itself are extremely expensive, and the cost must be amortized across unit sales.

Can You Use it While You Work at a Standing Desk?

Unlike many balance trainers, rocker boards and wobble boards that are meant solely for exercise or physical therapy and require a great deal of focus to use without falling down, the Floatdeck is marketed by Fully—a standing desk manufacturer—as being meant for use while you are working at a standing desk. They’re not the only balance board producer making this claim, but with few exceptions it is a specious one.

While we suppose it may be possible for an extremely agile individual to stand on it and type proficiently at the same time, this shouldn’t be a realistic expectation for most users. It is concerning that the video which shows the Floatdeck in action depicts the user potting plants, which doesn’t require fine motor skills such as when typing or moving a mouse. True “ergonomic balance boards” that are actually designed for use while typing are few and far between, such as the iMovR Gymba.

Another concern comes from several reviews from customers who complain about the noise that it makes while rocking back and forth on it. One customer commented, “The creaking, however, is very loud — so loud, that my partner says it sounds like I’m on a wooden ship when I’m on it, lol. I can’t really use it when I’m on Zoom meetings, because then it looks like I’m always ‘speaking’ — the creaking is that clamorous. Were it not for this flaw, it would be perfect.” 

We haven’t seen this kind of noise complaint before on any other balance board we’ve ever lab tested, but it could be concerning to the longevity of the product’s use. Since Fully includes a PVC floor mat with the Floatdeck, in order to protect delicate floors, it is likely that the noise comes from the connection from the base and the deck after extended use.

We love the Fluidstance bases’ quality of construction, and can’t get away from the feeling that the Floatdeck is a “cheap knockoff” when we see repeated comments like this from their users. Unlike the Fluidstance, the Floatdeck also lacks the coveted “NEAT Certification” from The Mayo Clinic. 

Balance Board Specifications

These details of the Floatdeck don’t make it stand out in any particular way. Weighing 8.9 lbs, it is heavier than other top-rated balance boards, making it slightly clunkier to move. The maximum supported weight is 250 lbs, which is average for balance boards, but lower than the highest quality boards like the Gymba at 660 lbs or even The Level at 300. 

Measuring 29.5″ x 12.2″ x 3″, the Floatdeck does offer a comfortably larger surface for foot placement than many other boards, which can also increase the range of movement while balancing. This balance board also comes with a middling 3 year warranty, which can be a comfort for many shoppers. Although it’s a bit short compared to other boards in its price range (Fluidstance giving a lifetime warranty on their products). Given our experience with Fully’s other bamboo products, it’s probably a good indication of the potential longevity of the product.

Takeaway

The Floatdeck from Fully is a step up from the majority of the balance boards you can find online, and all indicators point to positive performance and satisfying customers who want to engage more of their body while they are standing and working. 

But it doesn’t quite reach the level of our favorites meant for working at a standing desk. So, the increased price might not be what shoppers are looking for. The bamboo surface is a little concerning from an environmental standpoint. The complaints about noise should also be considered before buying for your particular use. You may need to wear shoes or add some kind of friction to the surface if you plan to work in socks. And while the Floatdeck does have convenient 360-degree movement, it still lacks the variety of movement found in some of our other favorite balance boards.

If you’re interested in exercising with your balance board, we’ve put together a list of our favorite balance board exercises.

Frequently Bought With Balance Boards