iMovR Lander L-Shaped Standing Desk Review

The Sit-Stand L-Desk, Reimagined

In 2018, iMovR redefined the sit-stand desk when it introduced the Lander desk, boasting a number of industry firsts — a factory pre-assembled desk, entirely made in the USA, with an advanced, Bluetooth-enabled handset and free smartphone app, and with thousands of color and size combinations. Manufactured “on-demand,” customers can order with state-of-the-art, ergo-contoured desktops in any of over 24 Surf(x) 3D-lamination colors or in any of 38 species/stain options in real wood.

The 2-legged Lander desk became the most highly-rated standing desk in the industry. In 2019, iMovR followed up with the second act, introducing a new L-desk system based on the same platform as the breakthrough Lander desk.

While competitors typically offer only three to five size variations of their L-desks, in limited colors, the Lander L-desk can be customized to any of 6,000 size, shape and color combinations. Including the choice of over 24 colors of Surf(x) 3D-laminate desktops or 38 species/stain combinations of sustainable, hand-crafted hardwood desktops, and three base colors. If that were not enough, iMovR also offers hundreds of custom laminate and hardwood options as well as an infinite number of custom base colors (any PMS color) to match any conceivable decor.

These 3D laminate and other high-quality desktops can also be purchased separately if you want to get your ideal parts for a DIY desk project or just want to upgrade your current desk’s surface. Take a look at all the best standalone desktops we have reviewed for all you need to know about different kinds of desk surfaces and materials.

Innovative Pre-Assembled Design Cuts Installation Time by 90%

While most other standing desks can best be described as an “IKEA kit,” iMovR’s regular, 2-legged Lander desk can quite literally be assembled by a child in a matter of minutes, no tools required. That’s a pretty nifty trick, for sure, but a 3-legged L-Desk is an entirely different beast. They are notoriously difficult to assemble if you don’t have an experienced installer to do it for you.

The new Lander L-desk is almost as easy to assemble as the standard 2-legged desk, requiring a tenth of the effort of a conventional L-shaped standing desk from the likes of Fully, UpLiftDesk, or even Steelcase or Herman Miller. Assembling these desks usually involves spending a lot of time on your back driving bolts and screws into the desk.

While the Lander L-Desk does require tools, we’re only talking about inserting four machine bolts and five wood screws in order to secure the side table to the main desk—that’s it. Where a typical L-desk can easily suck up a couple of hours of assembly time (with help), we had an inexperienced member of our staff put an entire iMovR Lander L-desk together in 15 minutes. Of course, there’s an installation video showing you exactly how to do it.

The process of assembling the main desk is precisely the same as the 2-legged Lander desk, and involves no tools. Adding the factory pre-assembled side table (aka “extension” or, as they called it in the old days, the “typewriter return”) involves only one step where you have to get down on your back, to connect the two desk sections together. While you can do this on your own, it goes a little bit easier if you can get someone to help you by holding up the side table while you drive in the first couple of bolts.

Quality Size and Shape

Most L-shaped standing-desk makers offer only a single depth on both the right and left sides of the desk, usually 30” on both desk sections. This can become a problem when swapping a sit-stand L-desk into an existing cubicle, where fixed-height countertops with 30” of depth on one side and 24” on the other is more or less the norm.

Because iMovR manufactures their desks on-demand in a highly-automated production process they are able to offer size options for both the main and side tables in width increments of six inches, not just on-the-foot like other manufacturers, thus ensuring fits into most office spaces.

iMovR makes the L’s main desk 30” deep too, but uniquely offer the option of either 24” or 30” depth on the side table. The flexible side table can be set either to the left or right side of the main desk at any point during ownership, another unique characteristic.

The side table can be rectangular, as with all the other standing L-desks on the market, or “peninsula” shaped with a half-circle at the end. This exclusive feature of the Lander L-desk is not just a design element taken from the fixed-height world, it makes the desk much more practical for users who may seat co-workers or clients on the other side of their desk.

USA-made Quality Desktops

An L-desk is a major investment, so you want to make sure that the desktops you install are going to last a very long time. The Surf(x) 3D lamination process iMovR uses in making their tops hermetically seals them against moisture damage. There are no exposed glue seams to dry out or to collect bacteria, and they are impervious to even the harshest of cleaning chemicals. [For more information on warranties, be sure to read our primer on How to Compare Warranties on Standing Desks.]

As mentioned above, the wood grain on the Lander L-desk is runs in a consistent direction through both desktops. This isn’t common on L-desks sit or stand. While not something the online shopper might even notice in small product photos, we found this distinction very obvious when comparing the Lander to other brands of L-desks side-by-side.

Solid Wood Desktop Options

Recently, iMovR added the option of solid-wood tops with 36 species and stain combinations. Eight domestic, sustainable wood species are offered including maple, cherry (in rustic or select), walnut (in rustic or select), hickory (aka pecan), red oak, and a distinctive quarter-sawn white oak. Multiple stains are offered on each species as mentioned above.

Unlike the plain-Jane rectangles offered by Fully and UpLift these iMovR tops are ergo-contoured on all four edges, making them more comfortable to lean against and less susceptible to dinging from chair arms. There’s even the option of staining the underside of the desktops for the most discriminating customers.

For a deeper dive on real-wood desktops be sure to check out  our real-wood standing desk options article.

Inventive “Groove”

If you’ve worked at a few L-desks in the past, you’ve probably noticed that there’s often times a groove in the work surface where the two desktops meet. This can be pronounced or it can be subtle, but there’s always going to be some sort of bump or groove where the two desktop surfaces meet. It’s often where loose pencils roll into, some might even call it a feature.

This presented a confounding challenge to iMovR engineers, given that their 3D-laminated tops all have an “ergo-contoured edge” on all four edges. You would think that mating two radiused tops together would result in a giant gully between them. But using a special custom-designed CNC router bit and some fancy production trickery iMovR managed to create a negative contour on the mating edge of the side table so that it meets up perfectly with the positive contour of the main desk. The result of this innovation is a barely noticeable groove that is certainly no worse than you’ll find on most fixed-height or standing L-shaped desks. And, yes, you can still use it as an ersatz pencil holder.

This design with the 3D-laminated desktops also lends itself to the interchangeability of the desk extension to be attached to either the left side or right side of the desk, unlike any other sit-stand L-desk on the market. Note that solid wood version of the Lander L-desk is also like all others, you have to choose left or right side extension when ordering.

Note that on solid-wood Lander L-desks the two desktops come together a little differently, and it is definitely handy to have a second person assist with the assembly for a couple of minutes. See the video below for the assembly process.

Bluetooth-Enabled Handset and Smartphone App

As in the 2-legged Lander desk, the advanced height control “paddle” that iMovR installs on its L-desk is packed with high-tech features. Height changes are a matter of a simple upward or downward tap on the touch paddle.

The built-in “health coach” reminds you to change posture as often as you set your notification frequency and duration, through either the handset’s display or push notification to your phone. Studies have shown a 117-percent increase in standing time through this reminder.

Flexibility and Upgrade Path

As we’ve already mentioned, the Lander’s side table can be swapped from left to right should your office configuration change anytime in the future — and that’s another feature totally unique to iMovR’s design. You can actually buy the main desk now and add the side-table later; something which isn’t possible with any other standing L-desk. If you buy only the main desk it’ll already have the appropriate controller, power supply and pre-drilled holes for accepting the side table and third leg in the future, which is what distinguishes it from the standard 2-legged Lander desk.

If you’ve already purchased a regular 2-legged Lander desk from iMovR and are irked to have missed out on the L-Desk, don’t worry because iMovR has your back. There’s an upgrade option to make your desk a full L-Desk, if you are willing to drill a few of your own holes and switch out the 2 leg to 3 leg motor controller box. The side table is still 90-percent preassembled.

Exceptional Warranty

The Lander L-desk comes with an industry-leading lifetime warranty on the frame and 15-year warranty on the motors and electronics, as well as a 100-day satisfaction guarantee. To enable such a bullet-proof warranty a manufacturer has to have tremendous faith in the componentry, precision machining and testing of the product that are reflected in the higher price you pay for a product like this.

While some of the Chinese-made competitors like UpLift and Fully (both using a lifting base manufactured by Jiecang) have upped their warranty terms to seemingly match iMovR’s, consumers should be aware that not all warranties are created equal. Some insert a bevy of carve-outs in the fine print that might leave you out in the cold if ever you run into a component failure in the future. In fact, there’s so much spin going on in warranty terms marketing claims these days that we had to write a separate primer just on How To Compare Warranty Policies Between Standing Desk Manufacturers, which we encourage the consumer to read ahead of making their final purchase decision.

Our staff experts’ advice is to always go with the higher-quality componentry of a top-shelf American or European-made base and significantly reduce the odds of ever having to deal with the immense hassle of an out-of-commission desk. Keep in mind that desks generally start to underperform before they fail, and loose manufacturing tolerances will lead to performance issues such as grease streaking, squeaking when in transit, and increasing shakiness over time.

Now Available with SteadyType Keyboard Tray

Now customers can have their L-Desk with iMovR’s patented ergonomic keyboard tray, SteadyType. The SteadyType is a highly-adjustable, ergonomic keyboard tray built-in to the desktop surface.

This design ensures maximum typing stability whether sitting or standing, and comes as a welcome relief compared to floppy attachable keyboard trays. Its wide-ranging tilt adjustability means you can position the keyboard tray at the ideal angle for comfortable, strain-free typing.

You can read more about the optimal ergonomic angles for typing on iMovR’s website here.

The Takeaway

With its host of technological innovations, vast customizability, ease of installation, advanced handset, anti-collision technology that detects tilt and smartphone app, and its industry-leading warranty, the Lander L-Desk wins hands down in product quality and value. All the features and USA-manufacturing will cost around $500 more than its Asian competitors.

The L-shaped standing desk category hasn’t seen many players enter the playing field of e-commerce given their high cost and complexity. To date, most sit-stand L-desks have been sold by the office furniture giants in bulk sales to enterprise customers. The Lander L-desk will definitely give both the online sellers and the traditional “Grand Rapids mafia” (Herman Miller, Hayworth, et al) a serious run for the money. Starting at $2,148, the Lander is cheaper than their offerings and doesn’t require professional installation.

We give the Lander L-desk the highest rating in this product category, but definitely check out our round-up of Standing L-Desk Reviews to learn more about how the competition compares. If you’re looking to save money consider a less-expensive Corner Standing Desk.

iMovR Lander rated Best Standing Desk by USA Today! Reviewed.com, a subsidiary of USA TODAY, named the iMovR Lander Standing Desk as its Editor’s Choice and Best Overall Standing Desk on the market in the article The Top-Rated Electric Standing Desks. The roundup highlighted the Lander’s industry leading design, intuitive technology features, craftsmanship and ease-of-use, concluding that “The Lander is still our top choice for its American-made quality, durability and intuitiveness.”

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