iMovR Lander Standing Desk Review

State-of-the-Art Redefined: Revolutionary or Evolutionary?

As in many commercial fields, we see a continuous stream of new standing desk products in our test lab every month, including many “me too” products from countless copycat producers. Yes, there are the occasional few with one or two nice evolutionary enhancements like a new tabletop finish option or nicer hand controller plastics than last year’s model, but it has been several years since we’ve seen a truly revolutionary new entrant.

The new Lander Desk from iMovR bristles with evolutionary enhancements, and it brings not one, but two new revolutionary developments to the fore, putting a significant distance between iMovR and its nearest competitors. We expect nothing less from iMovR, which introduced their stunning, ultra-durable, healthcare-grade 3D laminated surface finishes in 2014 and revolutionary SteadyType® ergonomic keyboard tray for standing desks in 2015. In 2019 they added 38 species/stain options in luxurious real wood, just for the Lander line, raising the bar substantially in the contest for “the best standing desk money can buy.”

Also in 2019 iMovR added the Lander L-Desk line, revolutionizing the assembly effort required to build a sit-stand L-desk from a typical 90-minute, 2-person operation to an 8-minute, single-person assembly with just eight screws to turn (see video). Like the two-leg Lander, the 3-leg l-shaped desk comes in dozens of 3D laminate and hardwood options.

In keeping with their reputation as the most innovative standing desk manufacturer, Seattle-based iMovR spent more than two years developing the Lander Desk. Their simple aim: to eliminate the No. 1 hesitation people have about switching to a standing desk, the hassle of assembling a 200-pound desk by themselves, and the fear of an inconvenient disruption to their work should anything go wrong during assembly.

The Lander, and its new sister products, the Lander Lite, are two of only three standing desks you can buy online that have earned ANSI/BIFMA X5.5-2014 certification, the gold standard for “contract furniture” quality, durability, reliability and performance.

In other words, their aim was to make the most reliable electric standing desk ever, as well as the easiest ever to assemble. In this review, we’ll see just how well they did at hitting that mark.

Assembles in Minutes, No Tools Required

This goal iMovR indeed achieved with flying colors, legitimizing the claim behind the name “Lander” – that is, this desk can  be plugged in and used within minutes of landing at your doorstep. Whereas all other standing desks are essentially “IKEA kits,” the Lander is so easy to put together even a kid could do it — or a business exec wearing an expensive suit, or heels and skirt — without the use of any tools. There is no need to get down on the floor to futz with Allen keys and screwdrivers, and no chance of accidentally installing the wrong bolt or destroying a desktop by putting the wrong length screw through it.

The trick? The Lander’s frame, leg sockets, and controller are already attached to the bottom of the desktop. All the cables are neatly tacked down, and everything has been factory-tested before shipping to ensure a successful installation each and every time.

The steps to assembling a Lander desk are simple (as you can see in the video). The connection is remarkably solid and perfectly aligned, as stable as any desk we’ve ever assembled with four to six bolts holding each leg in place.

Is the “98 percent factory pre-assembled” claim legit? Once you remove the desktop and legs from their ample protective packaging, and assuming you’ve already watched the very short assembly video, then, yes, it should indeed take you only a couple of minutes to have your desk ready to flip over and start using.

The instruction manual will do if you haven’t watched the video. There is a QR code and link on the instruction manual that takes you to a page describing how to use the smartphone app (iOS and Android are supported)— since it is something that will be updated often — but, it’s a refreshingly simple app and frankly we never needed to reference any documentation to figure out how to use it.

For buyers of a 59” or wider desk the crossbar makes for a very convenient channel for running some of your computer cables through to keep your desk looking tidy. This feature isn’t touted by iMovR because their smaller-sized desks don’t have this style of crossbar, but there’s no reason not to take advantage of it. Of course, iMovR also sells more robust cable management kits for those who have more gear to deal with.

Disassembly is almost as easy, requiring only a screwdriver (used as a lever) to pop the clamps off. After that, it’s the same process in reverse, taking only minutes to fully disassemble the iMovR Lander Desk. That can come in very handy if you ever need to move your desk to another home or office in the future, which can be a bear of a task with most any other desk, requiring tools, time, and the instruction manual, wherever you left it.

iMovR’s Lander, Lander Lite and Lander L-Desk lead the pack of Quick-Install Standing Desks in the industry, all able to be installed in eight minutes or less after removing from packaging.

When we first reviewed the Lander, iMovR had no plans to offer the base standalone, as it was designed specifically for factory pre-assembly. However, the Lander’s other features had the DIY community banging on their door for a standalone base kit, and so we’ve given it the full work-up. Check out our Lander Standalone Desk Base Kit review.

Look Ma, No Hands!

With the Lander’s ultra-sleek “height paddle” you don’t need to grope around searching for the right button to press or avert your eyes from your work just to change your desk’s height. Two taps upwards or downwards on the paddle will command the Lander to move up or down to the next “favorite” position (out of four programmable heights). The hi-res display in the paddle shows your height changing with the precision of 1/10th of an inch (or centimeter) in a crisp, easy to read font.

But hold on a minute. If you’ve read our standing desk reviews before then you know that electric standing desks sold in the US require you to keep your finger on the up or down button the entire duration of the height change. There’s only two ways around this requirement for UL Safety Certification. One, is to buy a cheap foreign-made unit from a manufacturer that doesn’t care if they get sued for product liability in the US. The other, is to put a Bluetooth transceiver into the desk controller and tie it to an app on your smartphone, where you can click off a liability waiver which gives you the option to switch from sitting to standing with a single tap. And that’s exactly how iMovR pulled it off with the Lander.

We recommend clicking off on the waiver the moment you sync up Bluetooth with your desk and enjoying this unique feature with complete confidence as the US-made base comes with built-in collision detection.

A Helpful Health Coach, Built-in

Several desks have appeared on the market in recent years with built-in reminders to coax you out of your sitting lulls and make sure you’re reaching your own standing-time goals every day. Some of them can be hard to figure out how to program without an instruction manual, and some can buzz loudly and annoyingly when they trigger.

With the Lander, these notifications can be easily programmed from the smartphone app (or using one of the three hidden buttons on the hand paddle). You are alerted when the perimeter of the hand paddle pulses slowly in color or via phone vibration once you connect to the app when it is time to stand.

While simple and easy to set up, we do expect to see more features added to the free smartphone app over time, based on what we hear from iMovR’s engineers. For now, the main functions include setting your height favorites and notification periods — both of which you can also do using the hidden buttons on the hand paddle. We hear iMovR is working on adding upcoming features like use pattern charting and sharing calorie burn data with your wearable device.

Lander is Proudly Made in the USA

In the past, iMovR was known for making their advanced 3D-laminated table tops in Michigan but offering both top-quality American-made and lower-cost bases as options on their desks.

With the launch of the Lander, iMovR has decided to go exclusively made-in-USA on their electric desk lines from now on. They have sunsetted their UpTown, Olympus, Ellure and Denali desk lines, which employed relatively high-quality, albeit Chinese-made bases, to focus on the more robust, longer-lasting, and better-performing American-made components.

Indeed, in reviewing countless standing desk models, we have not found any bases from China with the combination of lift capacity (360 pounds), transit speed (1.6 ips), anti-collision technology that detects tilt, and hushed noise signature offered by the iMovR Lander, much less with Bluetooth and a smartphone app.

Electric bases in this performance range are the province of a few American and Scandinavian manufacturers that make bases for the likes of Steelcase and Hermann Miller, usually found in shockingly expensive desk lines only sold to large corporate or government buyers. As a brand, iMovR’s American-made standing desks may be pricier than the commodity Chinese-based desks you’ll find online, but they’re still a fraction of the cost of the less technologically advanced but ubiquitous desks from companies like Steelcase.

Why Quality Matters

With something like a standing desk, a product that will endure many “cycles” over its lifetime, as with an automobile or aircraft, precision manufacturing is the key to trouble-free operation and longevity. The precision-machined parts and advanced alloy materials that keep the telescoping legs moving smoothly and efficiently will eventually wear out one molecule at a time, leading to a wobbly, squeaky desk, higher strain on the motors and higher current draw, and potentially, motor failure. This technology isn’t easily replicated by factories focused on commodity production.

The question is whether an electric base is going to potentially fail within the first year of ownership (as hinted by the one-year warranties on some insanely cheap bases made in China) or is designed to last 10 years plus without issues. In other words, making an investment in a premium quality desk like the Lander can cost you less in the long run, because it’ll continue to perform well for many more years, saving you unwanted hassles.

ANSI/BIFMA Certified

Government and large enterprise customers often require ANSI/BIFMA X5.5-2014 Certification on any ergonomic desks that they buy, which is what keeps the “Grand Rapids Mafia” (Steelcase, Herman Miller, et al) in a lock on 40 percent of office furniture sold. iMovR is one of only two standing desk manufacturers that sell online, as opposed to going through contract-furniture dealers, that offer BIFMA-certified products, now that the Lander has earned its certification. Learn more about this subject in our primer on What is ANSI/BIFMA and How Does it Relate to Standing Desks?

At WorkWhileWalking, we pride ourselves in our own lab testing abilities, which, while not as automated as BIFMA testing (which can take 2-3 weeks to conduct, with many thousands of repetitions), has more practical real-world aspects to it. For example, we test the “duty cycle” on each standing desk to see if it matches the spec.

Most desks have a duty cycle of 10 percent, meaning that when fully loaded to the desk’s maximum specified weight-lifting capacity the motors can be run continuously for two minutes before they overheat and get shut down by either a heat sensor or current sensor. They can then take up to 18 minutes to cool down before the desk motors can be activated again. The Lander is the first desk we’ve ever tested that exceeded two minutes, going five minutes without shutting off the motors — under a full load of 360 pounds. At that point, it only required a few seconds of cool-down before the motors started running again. That’s impressive.

(To see what goes into a typical ANSI/BIFMA X5.5 certification test take a look at the independent laboratory’s report on the Lander Desk.)

Truth in Advertising When it Comes to “Made in USA”

One final note on this subject of American versus Chinese-made standing desks. For some time now we’ve been observing an unsettling trend among the most popular online sellers of standing desks, claiming that their products are made in America when they don’t factually meet the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) definition. We realize that it’s virtually impossible to buy a finished good today, especially with any electronics in it, that is entirely made in one county — be it a refrigerator or a standing desk — but, at least half of the components, by “cost and processes,” must be made in America to meet the FTC’s legal definition of Made in America. Some online sellers either never mention the country of origin of the product or talk only about their tabletops being made in America, luring the consumer away from realizing the fact that the base is entirely made in China. This includes popular brands like Fully and UpLift, which don’t like to disclose that they exclusively use Jiecang bases.

As part of our ever-evolving review process we now ask manufacturers to fully disclose the country of origin of their products, because many of our readers really want to know. In the case of the iMovR Lander, the tabletops, feet and leg extensions are made in Michigan, the lifting columns are robotically manufactured in Kentucky, the receiving sockets and crossbar are presently made in Denmark, and only the smallest component—the hand controller—is marked “Designed in Denmark, Made in China.” That certainly exceeds the 50 percent threshold, setting the Lander apart from 95 percent of standing desks being sold online today.

Personalized for You and Built On-Demand

Like all iMovR Desks, the Lander is completely customizable with a vast array of size and color choices, then produced on-demand (“Dell style”) and shipped out within one week of order. The ergo-contoured, 3D laminated surfaces give the desk the look of natural hardwood and are hermetically-sealed — down to the grommet holes — ensuring it will look great and perform great for years. (We’ve left one of iMovR’s 3D laminated tops outside our lab in the Seattle rain for two years, and it still hasn’t shown any signs of water damage!)

Since this desk does come with a grommet option. Check out our article on grommet holes, with everything you need to know about the different ways to use them to enhance your workstation, what to look for in your grommet holes, and where to find the desks with the best ones.

The Lander comes in more than 20 standard 3D-laminate colors as iMovR’s other desk and table products. Recently, iMovR added the option of solid wood tops with 36 species and stain combinations. It doesn’t get any finer in the standing desk arena than these new natural wood tops. (For a deeper dive on desktops be sure to check out our primers on The Ultimate Guide to Desk Top Materials for Standing Desks and Comparing All Real Wood Standing Desk Options.)

Table widths include 41”, 47”, 53”, 59”, 65”, 71”, 77”, 83”, 89”, and 95” for the popular 30”-deep version — more size options than any other desk sold online. iMovR is also the king of color selections, with over 50 colors (over 20 in 3D laminate, 36 more in real wood species) being available in all of these sizes.

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.

The bases are painted with a high-quality powder coat finish, with standard color options being black, white or silver. As with the desktops, iMovR does offer even more custom colors for large bulk orders.

Also available are 6” leg extenders. The Lander already has an excellent top-end height of 50”, but with these extenders, the Lander can tower up to 56”— ideal for tall users and for average-to-tall users who intend to use an office treadmill underfoot. The Lander is one of the most rigid, stable desks we’ve ever tested, but if you’re taller and you use a lot of equipment on your desk, you might consider adding the leg extenders just to enhance stability even more (by increasing the overlap area at the ends of the telescoping tubes). So far iMovR is still the only standing desk manufacturer to accommodate the extra-tall market and treadmill deskers with these clever extenders.

Other customization options include caster wheels, a wide array of standing mats, and every combination of monitor arms you can imagine. To round out your ergonomics, we always recommend a keyboard tray, of course, and with the Lander, you have two excellent options. Add the built-in SteadyType® for the ultimate neutral typing postures. Or, easily install iMovR’s new Trackless Ergonomic Keyboard Tray using the pre-drilled holes on the underside of the desk. Where older iMovR desk models were pre-drilled for the Stowaway Keyboard Tray, the new trackless model is even better and much easier to install.

Warranty and Shipping

The Lander comes with an industry-leading lifetime warranty on the frame and a 15-year warranty on the motors and electronics, as well as a 100-day satisfaction guarantee.

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 hassle of an out-of-commission desk.

Shipping to the lower 48 states is included in the price. Inquire through iMovR.com to get freight quotes for AK, HI, Canada and International. The Lander comes in two boxes with the legs arriving in a separate box from the desktop, making it easier to move. iMovR also has a QuickShip program in which it pre-manufactures desks in four popular sizes and four colors (both 3D laminate and solid wood) so they can ship immediately after an order.

The Takeaway

We’ve been looking forward to “meeting the Landers” for a long time, and we’ve had the pleasure of using some early prototypes for the past few months. In a phrase, “this is going to change everything,” for a lot of users, especially those not fond of “IKEA projects.”

The Lander is clearly more future-proof than any other standing desk we’ve had the pleasure of testing. There have been some gimmicky predecessors that had an iPod built into the desktop (e.g. the Stir Desk) or a smartphone app (e.g. the Autonomous SmartDesk 3). The Lander is the first desk we’ve seen to put together the blue-tooth connectivity, smart-phone app and working notifications with true ease of use on a top-tier mechanical platform.

All this comes at somewhat of a premium price, naturally. While the Lander isn’t the cheapest desk on the market, given its premium components, the value is clearly there. Desks built this well tend to last longer and justify their higher price through lower cost of ownership. When you consider the fact that VariDesk’s one-size-fits-all, 100 percent Chinese-made, Prodesk 60 Electric Desk has nearly the same starting price as this American beauty ($999), the Lander definitely wins for best value on the dollar.

If you’re on a budget, yet still want to buy American and not chintz on the cool technology advancements of the Lander, there’s good news. We have just completed our review of the new Lander Lite. Fifteen months after the introduction of the Lander Desk iMovR has released a new “light” version of the desk with a performance range and price point that’s more suited to the mainstream user. Starting prices on the Lander Lite are about $250 less than the original Lander, so it’s definitely worth checking out. See our complete lab-test Lander Lite Standing Desk Review.

See how all the Lander variations stack up against other Quick-Install Standing Desks.

If the storage possibilities in a desk are what you are looking for, see our other reviews on desks with built-in storage options.

Once you choose your new standing desk, you might also need to get rid of your old office furniture. So, make sure to read our primer on the best ways to get your old desk or treadmill hauled away.

Updates Since Our Original Review:

We’re not the only ones to rank the Lander Desk as the #1 best standing desk in the market today. In fact, so far every review site that has tested it side-by-side against the competition has come to the same conclusion. Most recently USA Today’s Reviewed.com named the iMovR Lander Standing Desk as its Editor’s Choice and Best Overall Standing Desk on the market in the article The Best 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.”

New: Lander Premium Drawer now available – iMovR now lets you add storage into your standing desk setup with the Lander Premium Drawer. The Lander Premium drawer is the best standing desk storage drawer we’ve tested by far. It comes in 24 3D-laminate colors (with 38 wood finishes available soon) and holds up to 50 lbs.

Specifications

If you like the idea of designer ergonomic furniture like this in your office, check out our collection of reviews for specially made standing desks from professional furniture designers.

Completing Your Ergonomic Workstation

Acquiring the best standing desk for your decor, budget and performance requirements is Step One. But making it a true ergonomic workstation involves adding the appropriate accessories you’ll need to keep your body in a correct posture, and have a neat and tidy setup. Check out our comprehensive guides to monitor arms, keyboard trays, anti-fatigue mats, ergonomic seats, cable management kits, power management modules, foot rests and under-desk treadmills for both expert advice and lab-tested product reviews of options in each of these categories.

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