Northread Glass Top Electric Standing Desk Review

New Entry into the Compact and Quick Assembly Categories

The online marketplace for standing desks is filled with products of all sorts. On the mass-produced end of the spectrum, Northread is a relatively new entry into the categories of compact standing desks and quick-install standing desks.

Because they are a compact size, they easily fit in with the standing desks that you find on Amazon, which is their primary selling platform in the US. Smaller desks are easier to ship in a single box (a requirement for Amazon warehouse fulfillment) and it is easier to meet the low, low pricing that Amazon shoppers are used to seeing. 

Many desks are complicated and a pain to put together, but since the frame is already attached to the bottom of the desktop on this Northread standing desk, it takes less than 15 minutes to assemble. Having the legs already attached together helps in this regard as well. The video below is assembling the standard Northread standing desk, but the process is virtually the same for the glass top, just be even more careful not to scratch the glass.

Northread Standing Desk Features

There are a few interesting features that come with the Northread electric standing desk. Most notably are the dual USB ports and single USB-C port, which are incorporated into the height control panel. Whereas the height control panel on most standing desks is screwed into the bottom of the desktop and may protrude a bit in the direction of the user, the control panel on the Northread desk is embedded into a steel “skirt” that runs underneath the perimeter of the entire desktop. It’s a clean look and perhaps less likely to be accidentally bumped into and broken off the desk.

The skirt frame also holds a convenient drawer in the front of the desk. It isn’t super deep, but it can hold a few papers and pens that you need close at hand. The problem that comes with a drawer like this, not to mention the controller’s sleek profile placement, is that it requires that the frame goes all the way around the desk. Such frames severely limit compatibility with certain ergonomic accessories, and almost everything that clamps to the edge of the desk is gonna be ruled out.

On the safety side, it is nice that the lifting columns have collision sensing, which is a feature we don’t always see on desks in this price range.

New Adjustable-Height Desk Quality

On the performance side of it all, this desk from Northread desk is pretty much a match for its low price point, which is quite low.

The primary purpose of a standing desk is to go low enough for comfortable sitting and high enough for comfortable standing. However, this adjustable-height desk features only a single stage design, which means that it goes neither as high or low as those with dual stage bases with three telescoping tubes instead of just two. Because of this, it won’t be the best purchase for very tall users at standing height, or for shorter users at the sitting position. Read our article on ANSI/BIFMA G1 Ergonomic Guidelines to see how standing desks can meet those standards.

To save costs it is also a single motor standing desk, which means that one small motor has to carry the load of moving both lifting columns through a transmission mechanism with beveled gears that have a tendency to break easily and add overall friction. This low power also translates into a slow transit speed between sitting and standing. On the upside, the slower speed and lack of a second motor means the desk is quieter than you might expect, at least until all the extra mechanical components start to wear down over time.

On the side of the desktop itself, glass tops like this pretty much always feature hard 90-degree angles that can be painful on your arms or wrists that rest against the corner all day as you type. However, the glass has a whole different aesthetic from the laminate version of this standing desk, which might be what some shoppers are looking for. Plus, it won’t be vulnerable to humidity changes and spilled liquids like particleboard tops. However, glass tops are notorious for getting finger and hand prints all over them, so you would need to either not care about it or wipe it clean constantly.

One of the biggest things we look at when we review a standing desk is how sturdy it is. The Northread desk is pretty shaky, especially at the standing height. You can tell that the manufacturer knew this was a problem because of the “shin crusher” cross bar between the legs, which is a cheap way to try and stabilize a desk that has these problems when the lifting columns are made in a low-tech factory. 

It all comes down to the lifting columns being made with low tolerance componentry, not built with precision robotics like those you’ll find on higher-quality linear actuators typically manufactured in the US or Europe. Chinese manufacturers produce bottom-dollar standing desks to complete on Amazon by using cheap materials, unsophisticated machining equipment, and low-cost labor, all resulting in more “slop” between the tubes (in engineering terms, “higher deflection”),, which you can actually see as the desk wobbles. See our full primer on why some standing desks shake more than others to learn more about this.

Another hallmark of low-quality manufacturing is the visible grease on the lifting columns and lots of metal shavings that were never cleaned off the parts during the manufacturing process. Dust and loose particles are likely to be attracted to this grease over time, gumming up the works inside the lifting columns (and annoyingly getting on your hands and clothes). 

With all of these problems, it isn’t surprising that the warranty on its different parts is much shorter than you’d want the desk to be in use. The frame has 5 years, the top and electronics have 2 years. This is typical of the low quality manufacturing that comes out of Chinese manufacturing. In contrast to higher quality desks with substantial warranties, this one is likely to become a “throwaway” desk after only a couple of years (check out our primer on what to look for in a standing desk warranty).

The best thing we can say about the Northread standing desk’s product quality is that the packaging is well designed; considering that this is one of the most common shortfalls we find with cheap standing desks made in China. They use a decent amount of cardboard and foam spacers inside the compact box, improving the odds of it making a safe trip to the customer’s door. 

Takeaway

On the whole, the Northread single-motor glass top electric standing desk is a “get what you pay for” kind of product, and you aren’t paying all that much so you shouldn’t expect all that much. It is very much on the cheap end of the spectrum for height-adjustable desks, but that is also typical of most of the cheapest standing desks that you will find on Amazon. You’ll be lucky if it makes it through its two-year electromechanical warranty without failing.

However, if you like the convenient power ports and pencil drawer features that much, the low cost might make it worth the risk of the manufacturing flaws for someone on a very constrained budget. Aesthetically it looks decent enough from a passing distance, just don’t look too closely at the fit and finish. 

But if you want something that’ll be more reliable in the long run be sure to check out our reviews round-ups of the best compact standing desks (under 28”-deep), the best quick-install standing desks (under 20 minutes to assemble), and the best standing desks under $400. If the storage possibilities in a desk are what you are looking for, see our other reviews of standing desks with built-in storage drawers as well as our round-up of matching storage accessories for standing desks (such as drawers, file cabinets, book cases, credenzas, monitor risers, etc.). If none of these constraints apply to you and you just want to find the very best standing desks out of hundreds in the market today, check out that round-up first.