The past few years have seen large swaths of the workforce transition to a work-from-home setup, transforming the very notion of a “job” for many people. But working from home can be a difficult adjustment, especially if you don’t have the proper equipment to turn your home into a workspace. Maidesite is a company dedicated to helping people with just that problem by offering a range of standing desks and accessories to turn any surface into a standing desk. Maidesite was gracious enough to send me their S2 Pro Dual Motor Electric Standing Desk, and while overall, I do love this desk, the sub-par build experience has me wondering if it was really worth the effort.

What’s In the Box

The Maidesite S2 Pro comes in one large box that includes all the pieces you’ll need to assemble your new standing desk: two lifting columns, the frameset, cable tray, side brackets, both pieces of the desktop, the control box, handset, power cord, adapter cable, and all the screws, clips, pins, and parts need to put the desk together. It’s a hefty package that should be carried by two people, whenever possible.

That’s a recurring theme I encountered during the actual process of building the S2 Pro, as it really can’t be built by a single person. Right from the start I encountered mismatched holes in the frameset and lifting columns that forced me to hold the columns at an awkward angle in order to get the screws in properly. To make matters worse, it’s all too easy to lose screws inside the frameset itself, and the only easy way to get them out again is to tip the whole thing sideways.

After mildly injuring myself trying to tackle this thing solo, I recruited a friend and we were able to make progress a little more quickly. We still ran into problems like mislabeled instructions, confusing diagrams, and missing pre-drilled holes, but we were able to successfully complete the desk after roughly two hours of work. That’s significantly longer than the advertised “15-20 minutes” Maidesite’s website claims it takes to assemble this desk.

Aesthetics and Build Quality

While the actual building of the desk wasn’t the most enjoyable experience, the desk itself is quite nice, with a sleek, modern look that goes with just about any home décor. The all-black model I received is especially trim, and when it’s lowered to a sitting height it becomes incredibly easy to forget it’s even there. The 55” by 28” desktop also provides ample desk space without taking up too much room, so it can easily fit in a home office or living room.

The desktop itself is solid and withstood a rigorous assembly without suffering any noticeable dings or scratches. The wood itself feels sturdy and has held up well under the relatively light strain I’ve put it under. The one truly exceptional feature, though, is the desk’s stability. The S2 Pro doesn’t wobble in the slightest, even when I lean into it while writing or typing. It even stays still at the highest height setting, which is great because that is almost exclusively where I’ve been using it.

Specs and Features

As far as cosmetic options go, the S2 Pro only has three different color combinations available: a walnut desktop on black legs, an oak desktop on white legs, and a black desktop on black legs. The specs for the S2 Pro are:

· 55” x 28” desktop

· Height adjustable range from 27.6 – 47.2 inches

· Built-in anti-collision system

· Rounded corners to reduce risk of injury

· 3 programmable height settings

· Cable management system

· Dual Motors system for faster height adjustment

Functionality

I’d never used an electric standing desk before I got to use the S2 Pro, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to go back to a standard desk again. The ability to easily adjust the height of my desk is a feature I never want to live without, and the S2 Pro transitions quickly and quietly between different height settings.

It’s also a surprisingly spacious desktop with plenty of room for a computer, a lamp, notebooks, books, fun tchotchkes, and random junk you swear you’ll only leave there for a minute. The solid feel of the desk and stability of the frame also makes it a breeze to use for long stretches of time, which is important when you find yourself on a hot streak in a video game or are furiously working at 2 AM in the hopes of meeting an imminent deadline. Don’t procrastinate, folks.

What Could Be Better

The actual assemble experience needs a huge overhaul, as it is just not the simple build Maidesite makes it out to be. Even with a second person assisting with an extra Allen wrench, it still took over two hours to finish putting the entire thing together, and that was after an additional hour of work I’d spent working on it by myself. I encountered just about every nightmare scenario I can think of when trying to build furniture, from holes not lining up between two different pieces to the instructions offering misleading and often incorrect information.

Other than that, I would have liked to see in-desktop outlets/USB ports. It might be a pipe dream to hope for something like that in an electric standing desk, but the need for these plugs is so ubiquitous that it’s basically a necessity to have them handy. I also do wish it could go a little higher than the 47.2-inch maximum height, as I still find myself stooping slightly to reach my keyboard.

Verdict

Overall, Maidesite’s S2 Pro Dual Motor Electric Standing Desk would make a fine addition to any home office. If you can make it past the frustrating assembly process, you’ll find yourself with a great standing desk that is perfect for work or leisure. Just make sure you have a partner on hand to help with building it, otherwise, all you might have is a frustrating pile of metal and wood.