Uplift Desk E7 Motion Board Review

Functional, yet homely, the UpLift E7 Motion Board is about as basic as it gets when it comes to balance boards. We take a deeper look to see if there are any redeeming qualities that make this board stand out in a crowded field of options.

Functionality When Working

This is the biggest question for standing desk balance boards in general. Does a balance board affect your ability to get work done at your desk? Many balance boards that provide more of a challenge or a workout aren’t suitable for a work environment because they can significantly degrade your typing and mousing ability, along with your ability to concentrate on your workflow. The brain can only take on so many foreground tasks, and if it’s constantly expending effort to keep your body balanced, it will take a toll on other cognitive functions.

This is where balance trainers, rocker boards, twist boards, exercise boards and many other devices generally falling under the category of “balance boards” that we’ve tested fall short for work use. Our expert review staff always looks at these products through the lens of how usable they are without having to step away from your actual work.

The UpLift E7 Motion Board is sort of in the middle of the road in terms of the amount of concentration it requires to actually use while typing. While it’s not as bad as some truly aggressive balance boards, in that you can make limited movements while continuing to think and type, you may find that you just wind up standing still for the majority of the time that you are focused on your thoughts and hand movements. 

Like many balance boards, its best use is thus relegated to times when you’re perhaps consuming content rather than creating it, like watching a boring webinar or standing in on your fifth Zoom call of the day. Building a spreadsheet or drafting a memo is going to be much harder to do while you’re trying to keep your body moving fluidly on the device.

Not As Hard On The Feet As Some

One place the E7 board is clearly better than some that we’ve tested is when it comes to foot surface. While most balance boards have a hard, flat wood or plastic top surface that will quickly cause foot pain and be slippery if you’re not wearing shoes, the E7 surface has a slight amount of give to it thanks to the faux-leather under surface. The top surface itself is plastic with some texture that will prevent slipping. It’s not ideal in this regard but in a category comprised mostly of surfaces that are too slippery to stand on barefoot or in socks, “OK” is a selling point.

This board will also be easier on your floor than most but, like almost all balance boards, will cause some floor marks eventually. Uplift still recommends putting a mat underneath to prevent floor damage, however. And if you do that, be sure it’s a hard rubber mat, not one that is so soft that the board will sink into it and make it hard to get that twisting motion going for spinal rotation.

The Details

The E7 board has an advertised weight capacity of 250 lbs. This is fine for most users, but well behind our favorites in the category like iMovR’s Gymba and the Wurf Maui (350 lbs, each) and Fluidstance’s The Level (300 lbs).

There’s only one color option, black.

The Takeaway

At the end of the day, the UpLift E7 Motion Board is yet another commodity quality, made-in-China entrant that doesn’t have anything particularly special to offer the standing desk user. The surfaces are more conducive to using without shoes and its motion is not so aggressive that it hampers your ability to work, so we don’t have any reason to recommend against it.

However, it could be more pleasing to the eye and doesn’t really have any significantly distinguishing features. At $129, there’s really no reason to select it over much better balance boards out there, especially more ergonomic ones that were truly designed to be used while working at a standing desk. Even within Uplift’s own growing line of balance boards, it is perhaps the most mundane. 

Check out our comprehensive round-up of Balance Boards For Standing Desks reviews to find out which motion boards actually work best.

If you’re interested in exercising with your balance board, we’ve put together a list of our favorite balance board exercises.