UpLift L-Shaped Standing Desk Review

One of the few standing desk manufacturers to offer an L-desk version is TheHumanSolution, which makes three versions under their UpLift Desk brand. To learn all about the UpLift “V2” standing desk see our detailed lab test review here.

We’ve reviewed these three versions below and also as part of our comprehensive round-up of L-Shaped Standing Desk Reviews. Some or all of these desks, depending on when you read this, may have already been updated to the new V2 version of the standard UpLift desk frame.

All three of these L-shaped desks are built on the same electric base, made in China by Jiecang. You can read our separate Jiecang base lab review to learn more about the performance of this all-important component of any sit-stand desk. We encourage the reader to choose the base first when shopping for any standing desk since their reliability, performance and value are all key buying considerations.

The naming convention on UpLift’s three L-desks can be a bit confusing but we’re going to go with the labels that UpLift uses on their own website to keep things as simple as possible. The difference between these three versions all comes down to the sources and materials used for their desktops.

To learn about the key differences between HPL, 3D Laminate, Real Wood and other desktop materials that are commonly offered by standing desk manufacturers be sure to check out our Ultimate Guide to Standing Desk Tops

Version 1: UpLift Height Adjustable Standing Desk with L-Shaped Top

This least expensive version comes in a limited number of sizes: 60×78, 72×78 and 80×78. The main desk can only be 30” deep and the extension can only be 27.5” deep, and must be ordered either for the right side or the left side, i.e. cannot be interchanged if you want to change your layout someday.

The 1”-thick, old-school, high-pressure laminate (HPL) tops are offered only in black or white. Bamboo and rubberwood. These tops are all imported from Asia. Note our environmental cautions on bamboo desk tops, which are made from grass, not real wood. Similar cautions apply to rubberwood desk tops.

Based on the Jiecang base this desk comes with a 15-year warranty. It ships same business day.

Version 2: Height Adjustable Standing Desk with L-Shaped Custom Laminate Desktop

This upgrade over version 1 features a rounded inside corner where the two desktops meet, instead of the usual 90-degree corner, for people who prefer this aesthetic. While cleaner in one sense, it does leave a pretty large vertical gap where the two desktops meet. This version of the UpLift L-desk also comes in a couple of smaller sizes: 60×60 and 60×66 in addition to 60×78, 72×78 and 80×78.

While it’s good to have more sizes, note that sliding your office chair in and out between the feet of an L-desk this small can be a little tricky, particularly as this desk can only be ordered with 30” depth on both sides. The extension desktop must be ordered for either the right side or the left side, i.e. cannot be interchanged if you move offices someday and need a different layout.

Like Version 1, the 1” thick tops are all made of old-school, high-pressure laminate (HPL) but are offered in six additional colors, including four wood grains and two nebulae. As the name implies, UpLift will also quote custom sizes and custom Wilsonart laminates if you don’t like the shape or colors offered off-the-shelf.

These HPL tops are all imported from Asia. Based on the Jiecang base this desk also comes with a 15-year warranty. Ships in 2-4 weeks.

Version 3: Adjustable L-Shape Custom Solid Wood Standing Desk

This top-of-the-line version ditches the cheaper HPL, bamboo and rubberwood tops for premium solid tops made of real wood. Like Version 1 the inside corner is at a 90-degree angle, but like Version 2, both the main desk and the extension can only be 30” deep, and the size combos are limited to the same minimalist five: 60×60, 60×66, 60×78, 72×78 and 80×78

The 1.75″ thick real wood tops come in twelve different species, if you count the premium bamboo, which is a grass transformed into a wood product, but not technically real wood. See our comprehensive review of Real Wood Desktops for Standing Desks for more detailed information on the wood species offered by UpLift and to see how they compare to real wood options from Fully and iMovR. We do have some concerns about the Jiecang base’s ability to lift such thick slabs of some hardwoods in the list, like pecan, without causing problems with the lifting columns.

These HPL tops are all sourced from sustainable, US-grown species. Based on the Jiecang base this desk comes with a 15-year warranty. Ships in 6-8 weeks, except for cedar and mesquite which ship in 10-12 weeks.

There are also the UpLift Monitor Riser shelves to add some extra storage on your desktop.

About The Warranty

While UpLift does provide a 15-year warranty on both frame and desktop, it’s not without several asterisks. The warranty exclusions include normal wear and tear over time, hairline cracking due to changes in temperature and humidity, and changes in surface finish due to aging or exposure to sunlight. The warranty is reduced for anything beyond 8 hours of use per day and 40 hours of use per week. It’s also excluded if the assembly is improper, which is especially problematic on a difficult assembly like this desk. For more information on warranties, be sure to read our primer on How to Compare Warranties on Standing Desks.

Essentially this 15-year warranty on the desktop can be explained away for many different reasons.

How They Compare to the Competition

See our Jarvis L-Desk Review and iMovR Lander L-Desk Review to learn more about the competition. Also check out our comprehensive round-up of all the L-Shaped Standing Desks on the market.

In a nutshell, Fully’s Jarvis offering is very similarly outfitted and priced as Version 1 of the UpLift L-desk. These are head-to-head competitors that both use the same Chinese-made Jiecang base. Fully offers real wood options (in one species, maple) for its rectangular Jarvis standing desks, but not for this L-configuration.

iMovR only uses top-tier American-made bases in their standing desks, and the Lander L-desk is no exception. Like the two-legged Lander Desk, the L-desk comes mostly pre-assembled, requiring less than ten minutes to assemble as compared to the 1+ hours of assembly time for a professional installer to build a typical L-desk. It comes in a version with iMovR’s patented ergonomic keyboard tray, SteadyType™.

The Lander is also more technologically advanced with a Bluetooth-enabled hand controller and smartphone app to go with it. UpLift did have a Bluetooth-enabled hand controller and smartphone app, but it appears to have been pulled. UpLift says on their website that they are working on an updated version of the app because the previous version “is not working properly with regards to desk connection and notifications, as well as a few other issues.”

In our testing of standing desk smartphone apps, the most common failures we have seen are the result of insufficient testing of multiple users and/or multiple desks in the same BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) signal range. This is very tricky engineering for furniture companies to conquer and has led to several early apps being pulled from the market for revision.

The app also requires you to purchase the UpLift Connect Dongle to work with your desk, but the link for the dongle goes to UpLift’s generic accessories page. The dongles can be found on third-party sites, though we’re unsure if it’s worth the price since the app was clearly not up to par.

In terms of size and color options the Lander comes in 22 colors of advanced Surf(x) 3D laminate and the most wide-ranging set of size combinations, for a total of 640 optional combos. Uniquely, the extension can be shifted easily between the left and right sides, and can be ordered in 24” or 30” depth to mate with the 30”-deep main desk. Also unique to iMovR, in the wood grain colors the grain runs in the same direction on both the main desk and the extension. See our Lander L-Desk review for all the details.

Be sure to check out our review of UpLift’s cable management kit options to complete your workstation setup.

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Standing Desks