iMovR ThermoDesk Ellure Stand Up Desk Review

Review

In our review of iMovR’s ThermoDesk Elemental Stand Up Desk, we praised the quick response time of the crank-operated base and the sleek, super-durable 3D-laminated tops. The unique sculpting of the tabletop – with its rounded corners and sloped edges – hit home for value-minded deskers who wanted a good-looking standing or treadmill desk without breaking the bank. The Elemental used to be a staple product for those seeking a cost-effective sit-stand desk or a good desk for a treadmill workstation.

But the Elemental was far from perfect. Some people found the ¾” thick tabletop a poor match for their office decor, but upgrade to a thicker 1-1/8″ tabletop and you’re in the price tier of the ThermoDesk Elite – more than someone who doesn’t need the Elite’s electronic controls or programmable height presets is willing to pay.

So what’s a frugal desker with a penchant for classy decor to do? The answer, according to the folks at iMovR, is the Ellure Stand Up Desk. With both 3/4″ and 1-1/8″ tabletop thickness options, and a relatively inexpensive crank-operated base, the Ellure strikes an impressive balance between cost, functionality and good looks.

New Look, Same Great Taste

The Ellure’s tabletop (1-1/8″ version) composition is nearly identical to the Elite’s, and boasts the same features. Its unique 3D lamination is permanently thermofused to the entirety of the MDF board under very high temperature and pressure. This forms an impervious barrier against moisture and cleaning chemicals that can discolor surfaces and strip away the adhesive on standard, high-pressure laminate (HPL) tops you’ll find on most office furniture these days. By hermetically sealing the top in this way the product is sure to far outlast conventional HPL products, and stay “straight as a board” for generations. The only difference between the two tops is that instead of the Elite’s recessed nuts, the Ellure table tops (3/4″ and 1-1/8″) come with pre-drilled holes.

But the tabletop is just one half of the puzzle. To get a good sense of the desk, one must look at how the base performs. Ellure’s base arrives in some of the densest packaging we’ve seen. Components are covered in bubble wrap and separated by layers of foam. The box our test product arrived in looked like it had been through the FedEx ringer, but we were impressed to find the contents completely unscathed. If you’ve seen as many wounded desks pass through the gauntlet as we have you’ll appreciate the extra measure of protection iMovR has added in to avoid damage in transit.

Easier Assembly for the DIY Types

Like the ThermoDesk Elite and Electra models, iMovR will ship the entire desk factory pre-assembled for only $125, which is a great way to go for a lot of people. If you’re more mechanically inclined and want to tackle assembling the desk yourself, iMovR’s manual is clean and easy to follow. Assembly should take you anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes depending on the size of the table and whether you have someone available to assist you with the heavy lifting. Overall we found assembly of the Ellure Stand Up Desk to go significantly faster and easier than assembly of the ThermoDesk Elemental.

Installation is one aspect of the Elemental base (which is perfectly identical to the MultiTable ModTable base) that some users find frustrating. While the metal gear connectors attached to each leg are hexagonal, the center drive shaft connecting them is a smooth round rod. To keep the drive shaft in place during adjustment, the Elemental’s base relies on LocTite glue and a set screw to make the parts ‘stick’. The process of tightening those set screws can be taxing, as they needed an excessive amount of force to go all the way in. Otherwise, the Elemental base’s drive shaft risks slipping apart from the metal connectors, leading to only one side of the desk going up and down. A re-tightening of that set screw is recommended every six months. If you’re in the market for a manual sit-to-stand desk and you’re not into preventive maintenance, this alone may steer your decision away from the Elemental and towards the Ellure model.

To address this shortcoming of the Elemental’s ModTable base, the Ellure Stand Up Desk has a simpler, more effective solution – its center drive shaft is hexagonal, fitting like a glove over the Ellure’s metal gear connectors. This design enhancement means the drive connector will never slip. This feature makes installation less error-prone and less of a hassle, a definite improvement over the made-in-Malaysia Elemental base.

The Ellure’s affordable, crank-adjustable base is a bit different from the one that supports the ModTable and Elemental in other ways, too. For one, its crank handle is rubber-coated, making it more comfortable and aesthetically appealing than the Elemental’s plasticy-looking handle. The handle also folds into the crank, enabling it to snap shut when not in use. The Ellure shares a similar maximum height with the Elemental, at 49 inches. Its minimum height is slightly higher than the Elemental base at 30 inches, but still below the 30″ office standard for sitting desks.

The Ellure has a wider maximum width, providing more leg room and less table overhang to users. However, like the Elemental and ModTable, the Ellure’s legs are not wide enough to fit a treadmill and office chair side-by-side – even at the largest size. Deskers who want a true sit-stand-walk workstation are better off with one of iMovR’s electric desks, like the ThermoDesk Elite or UpTown. We have searched and searched but have yet to find a crank-adjustable base that can spread as wide as iMovR’s electric models to accommodate both treadmill and chair.

Like most crank desks, the Ellure makes an audible purring sound when you crank it. The purring registers at around 47 dB, compared to the Elemental’s 40 dB or the Elite’s 46 dB. When considering sound signature, it is important to remember that the lower frequency and non-continuous nature of noise from a crank simply doesn’t bother human ears as much as the high whine of electric motors. Add to that the fact that you’re really only adjusting the desk for a few seconds at a time a few times a day, and this dB rating (while it is the loudest in the ThermoDesk line) isn’t a black mark against the desk. To put it in context, the background noise of ventilation motors in most office spaces can range from 40 to 44 dB.

A Manual Stand Up Desk With More Muscle

The Ellure may not be the quickest adjusting crank stand up desk in the world (that distinction still belongs to the two-turns-per-inch Elemental/ModTable base), but it is easier to turn, with less tension on the crank. While the Elemental has a solid lift capacity at 130 lbs dynamic, the Ellure is a bit brawnier, with a 200 lbs dynamic weight capacity (390 lbs stationary); a definite advantage when mounting a heavier, thicker tabletop. We were impressed at how smooth and easy the lifting action was with a full-sized treadmill sitting atop the desk.

As with all their desk offerings, iMovR’s Ellure is designed for ‘3D Adjustability’. Your desk can be customized with iMovR’s monitor arms and keyboard trays – peripherals that help ensure that your workstation is ergonomically sound. Keyboard trays, often a pain to install, are easy to attach and align with the Ellure’s pre-drilled holes and lateral-sliding rail. Same goes for the Elemental, Electra and Elite – it’s one of the laudable features that makes ThermoDesk products unique in the industry, along with the 3D-lamination technology and 5 year tabletop warranties.

Before, anyone who wanted to get their hands on an executive-class tabletop had to splurge for something like the Elite or Everest, which meant shelling out $1,100 to $1,900. The Ellure base is sold standalone, as well – at the same $479 price point as the Elemental and ModTable bases. Systems including a tabletop start at just $629 – only $80 more than the smallest Elemental. Bottom line? you can get the same high-quality table top as on the ELITE desks for nearly half the price if you’re willing to settle for manual adjustment and a shorter warranty.

Options

Options for Trick-Out

Ellure bases are width-adjustable and can be purchased with one of four standard table top sizes: 42″, 48″, 60″, and 72″, all with 30″ depth. If you want to use your own tabletop with an Ellure base it will easily support depths of 24″ to 36″, and widths from 42″ to as wide as 79″. Standard color choices for Ellure tabletops include Clove Mahogany, Light Maple, Hayward Cherry, Shaker Cherry, Almond Cherry, Urban Walnut, Designer White, Warm White, Putty, Black, and a handsomely corporate Shark Gray (our favorite among ThermoDesk’s solid color choices since its recent introduction). We love the woodgrains the best, even though they cost a tad more, because of their solid-block-of-wood appearance. Recently, iMovR has expanded its tabletop offering for the Ellure model to include its modern 3/4″ Slim Tops as well as its thicker 1-1/8″ Select Tops – so you can choose between a sleek design or a more classic aesthetic.

Spacious, three-inch grommet holes come standard with all Ellure desk systems: one on the 42″ and 48″ sizes, and two on the 60″ and 72″ sizes. Particularly handy for multi-user workstation setups is the optional ThermoDesk dual-AC, flush-mounted power socket ($99) that sits nestled in one or both of the Ellure’s grommet holes. These power sockets save you the trouble of digging around on the floor for an outlet to charge your laptop or cell phone, and add a touch of elegance with their silver or black powder-coated finish.

iMovR also offers its own ergonomic, retractable keyboard tray with fully-articulating mouse platform ($275). The ThermoDesk Stowaway comes with a best-in-class range of vertical adjustment and tilt. Its 21.75″ rail installs along the leading edge of iMovR tabletops, allowing easy side-to-side adjustment to accommodate any keyboard/numpad configuration. A pivoting mechanism makes it easy to tuck a Stowaway out of sight when not in use. Be advised that installing a conventional keyboard tray with a longitudinal rail is not going to work on most stand up desks (including this one) because the crossbar interferes with the rail installation. Hence we recommend ThermoDesk stowaway trays for virtually all sit-to-stand desk models.

Of course, we always recommend monitor arms for proper ergonomics. On the 42″ and 48″ top the grommet hole is centered, so we recommend installing the monitor arm a couple of inches to the right or left. On the 60″ top the two grommet holes are located 19″ from the left and right edges and keyboard tray alignment is in the center at 30″, so we’d recommend placing the monitor arm at the 30″ mark as well. On the 72″ tops, grommet holes are also located 19″ from the left and right edges, while monitor arms are optimally positioned around 25″ from the edges.

Many standing desks come with grommets for some added convenience. 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.

Like other iMovR desks, the Ellure is available with an optional wheel kit. These casters make it easy to move your desk around whenever you want, and can lock in place to avoid unintended slips. If you install casters we highly recommend the iMovR Advanced Cable Management Kit for keeping all your dangling cords neat and tidy as your desk moves around the office.

Delivery & Installation

iMovR ships the ELLURE palletized and by freight carrier, for better protection, at a flat rate of $99 including the base, top, and any other options ordered at the same time, such as monitor arms or keyboard trays. The first in the industry, iMovR offers a pre-assembly option, where the ELLURE base will be attached to the table top. They also offer an optional Room of Choice service to deliver the ELLURE anywhere in your house or office, and White Glove Installation to set it up and clear away packaging materials. Refer to the table below for delivery pricing.

Warranty

The ThermoDesk Ellure’s warranty is identical to the Elemental’s, with a lifetime warranty on the steel frame, 5 years on the tabletop and 2 years on moving parts. As compared to the MultiTable ModTable desk the warranty is the same except for the tabletop, on which MultiTable only gives 2 years.

Dimensions

Compare

See our comprehensive Comparison Review of Manual Standing Desks.