ModTable ‘Mod-E’ Powered Stand Up Desk Review

[Editors Note March 1, 2021: MultiTable may be the latest casualty of Covid-19, or at least that’s the messaging on their website as of today. Before we add a vendor to the Office Fitness Dead Pool we check a bunch of vital signs. Almost all items on the site are marked as “out of inventory” and unorderable, excepting some replacement parts. Website traffic is zero. As far as we can tell Multitable is no longer running ads. Truth is the company has been in a slide for several years, Covid-19 may just have been the final nail in its coffin as the pandemic’s impact on the ergonomic office furniture industry continues to take its toll. We leave this original review in place for posterity but by all outward appearances this early player in the height adjustable desk industry is no longer in business, unless through its ecommerce site.]

MultiTable is the long-time producer of the ModTable, a popular crank-adjustable (manual) stand up desk. See our earlier review of the ModTable crank adjustable height desk, which received good reviews from Amazon buyers and WorkWhileWalking users alike for a long time. Newer models like the top-rated standing desks you’ll find in our comprehensive round-up of standing desk reviews have since entered the fray creating strong competition for the ModTable. Sadly, it’s market share has dropped to a fraction of 1% in recent years, giving way to much more popular, updated models from companies like iMovR, Fully and UpLiftDesk.

In 2013 the company also joined the rapidly expanding gang of electric desk manufacturers, with the introduction of the Mod-E. In doing so, MultiTable can be credited with bringing telescoping (width-adjustable) bases down to a price range where most people, not just large corporations, could afford them. Numerous others have since come along in this increasingly competitive space, offering quieter and stronger bases, more versatility, less power consumption, and lower noise signatures. In the span of just a year or two the Mod-E has fallen from a top contender to a weak also-ran, overtaken by faster moving competitors. MultiTable has run heavy discounts on the Mod-E recently, in what appears to be a coming sunset for this model.

Not Just Height Adjustable…

The Mod-E’s telescoping base can accommodate anything from a 24”x40” up to a 29”x72” table top. The one thing they can’t do is stretch the legs far enough apart to accommodate a chair and treadmill side-by-side. Turn to extra-wide models like the iMovR Energize or Lander if you’re trying to set up a fully outfitted sit-stand-walk workstation.

You can buy your own table top at someplace like IKEA (you’ll need to make sure you buy the Mod-E base only model) or buy one of four standard sizes directly from MultiTable in black, espresso, honey maple, or white. Mod-E base frames come in either silver or black. With 32 possible combinations of base color, table top color, and table top size you’re probably better off buying one of MultiTable’s standard matching table tops than taking the trouble of sourcing the top elsewhere, unless you have some very special décor to match.

The Mod-E features the same European design and modern styling of MultiTable’s original crank-type desks, but now with built-in commercial grade, high-output dual motors that will take a desk from minimum to maximum height in only 9 seconds (2 inches per second) with no cranking. That’s just a teeny bit faster than the iMovR electric desks, but enough to win the Mod-E the honor of the fastest desk in the west. But that speed also comes at a cost. The Mod-E’s noise output registers at 75 dB versus modern desks, especially American-made units, that register in the low-40’s. Noisy, but that’s the trade-off you need to make if you’re after the shaved second or two on a position change. MultiTable has built in both “soft-start” and “soft-stop” features to protect your morning cuppa and your precious desktop belongings.

The height adjustment range of the Mod-E is 27.5” to 47.5” (add another ¾” if you include tabletop thickness). The base can be spread from a minimum of 39.5” wide to a max of 55.5” wide. The foot depth is 29.5”. The Mod-E’s weight capacity is 300 lbs. stationary, and 175 lbs. dynamic. (You can read more about the importance of lift capacity here.)

Warranty

MultiTable covers moving parts for 2 years and steel parts for 5 years, which is as good as you can expect in a powered desk at this price range, and the same as GeekDesk offers. According to the manufacturer they’ve had virtually no returns on the Mod-E table since its introduction. For more information on warranties, be sure to read our primer on How to Compare Warranties on Standing Desks.

See our comparison review of all the latest Electric Height-Adjustable Desks in the market.

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