UpLift Locking Under Desk Drawer Review

While we love standing desks, we don’t love one little part about them: Losing drawer space. We’ve taken a deep look at the issue, so check out our full roundup of standing desk storage options like add-on drawers, standing desks with built-in drawers and mobile file cabinets.

The UpLift Locking Drawer With Shelf costs $149 and comes in Black, Gray, White and Industrial Style. We’re not a huge fan of metal drawers, but the four colors UpLift offers for this drawer do help the cause. What doesn’t help the cause is competition, specifically the StandUpDeskStore Sliding Under-Desk Drawer, which costs $79.

The UpLift drawer’s interior dimensions are 11.75”x11.75”x2.5”, but they do play a game that’s become a bit of a pet peeve of ours by rounding the dimensions in some spots. If you look at the main product page, you’ll see UpLift lists the inner dimensions at 12”x12” in the first bullet point. It’s only when you take a closer look that you see it’s actually 11.75”x11.75”. This may or may not bother you, but it’s definitely worth noting if you order something like a 12” desk organizer that might not fit.

The UpLift Locking Under Desk Drawer is shown in black.

The enclosed drawer itself extends down about 4” from the desktop by a bracket on each side. The top surface of the drawer makes a shelf that’s 13.3”x13.3”x3.75” (although UpLift says it’s 13”x13” on the main product page). We don’t love this setup because it pushes the drawer so far down, 7.5” from the desktop in the case of this UpLift drawer, without adding much usefulness. It’s simply an open shelf with no edges other than the brackets themselves and a small lip at the back.

We mentioned a comparison with the StandUpDeskStore drawer above, and it’s because the two drawers have a similar design. From a pure dimensions perspective, we actually prefer the StandUpDeskStore drawer because its interior dimensions on that drawer are slightly more generous, at 16.75″x12.75″x2.4″, and because you can remove the extender brackets and mount the drawer up against the desktop

The UpLift’s steel construction is sturdier than the StandUpDeskStore drawer so we’re curious to see weight capacity because it could be one area where it pulls away. The StandUpDeskStore capacity is just 15 lbs, further diminishing the usefulness of the extra shelf. Unfortunately, UpLift doesn’t list the weight capacity of the drawer online and customer service representatives were unable to provide one. We’re still waiting to hear back.

Other than a likely weight capacity advantage, UpLift also betters the StandUpDeskStore in available colors (four to two) and warranty (seven years to five years). It’s up to the customer to decide if those factors justify the price difference.

Note that if you’re excited about the UpLift color options, all of them except gray are significantly backordered at this time (up to three months), as are many things that come from China during the pandemic era.

Assembly

Installing the UpLift Locking Under Desk Drawer is a fairly typical process for add-on drawers. There is no template for where to drill the holes, so you have to hold the drawer up next to your desktop and position it where you want it to mark and pre-dill holes. See the full assembly instructions for UpLift for more information.

If the drawer is being installed on a new desk, or you don’t mind flipping your desk over, that would make the process easier. Whether you flip the desk over or not, we always recommend using a drill bit with a depth-setting collar to make sure you don’t drill through your desktop and destroy it.

Measure, Measure, Measure

You should definitely get under your desk with a measuring tape to see how this drawer will work on your workstation before buying. There are just too many different configurations of crossbars, power units, etc. out there to be sure any add-on drawer will work, so you should always double-check.

Even if the drawer fits, it’s helpful to see how it will alter your workstation. Will it hang down too low and bump your knees? Will it affect your ability to rotate or retract your keyboard tray to stow away?

The Takeaway

⁣The UpLift Locking Under Desk Drawer shown in Industrial Style.

The UpLift Locking Under Desk Drawer is a good drawer that suffers mostly when compared to cheaper alternatives from other manufacturers. We don’t love the extra shelf because it bumps the drawer down so far it’s likely to get in the way of your legs. We appreciate the sturdy construction, color options and warranty. If you think those are enough to justify a $70 premium on the similar StandUpDeskStore drawer, then the UpLift drawer is a great option.

Don’t Stop Here

Standing desk storage is an excellent place to start but it’s best to think of your ergonomic setup as a work in progress. There are always ways to improve. Check our in-depth reviews on standing desks, keyboard trays, monitor arms, ergonomic seating, cable management and standing mats.

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