A good gaming desk can go a long way to making any play session better. There are a ton of options out there, but Flexispot’s 63” Ergonomic Gaming Desk makes a good case for being an option you should consider. It’s spacious, sturdy, and provides a few options that could make it stand out in a crowded field at $229.99.
I’ve been using the Ergonomic Gaming Desk for a few weeks now, and it’s certainly an upgrade over my previous Ikea desk — which, to be fair, wasn’t a desk made with gaming in mind. Regardless, I’ve enjoyed my time with this particular Flexispot model.
Flexispot 63” Ergonomic Gaming Desk Review: Game Ready
The desk measures 63” wide by 28.7” deep. As one of the company’s height-adjustable variations, it can be set to three different heights: 27.6”, 29.5”, and 31.5”. Unlike the Electric Height Adjustable 55” desk, this one doesn’t use motors to change the settings you’ve chosen. Instead, you select a height when putting it together and use bolts to keep it there.
I used a tape measure on my previous desk and then used that measurement to test the height while sitting in my office chair before selecting an option. Admittedly, such a method is a tad cumbersome and not the most efficient way of doing things, but it’s also very nice to have the three different options in the first place.
Resetting the height is relatively easy — just move the bolts — though you’ll need to turn the desk over on its top to readjust, moving all of your gear off of it if you change your mind later.
And while most of the desk assembly can be easily done with one person, you’ll certainly need another person to help attach the crossbeam to the legs.
The black metal legs, feet, transverse beam, and center beam are sturdy and well-made, and the desk comes with four plastic feet pads to keep the desk from sliding on wood or laminate. All of that assembles into a single unit before getting attached to the desktop itself with screws.
The desktop has a nice, smooth black finish that doesn’t seem to be easily scraped, though I’ve not tried purposefully for obvious reasons. The back of the desktop does have a thins, if long, white scratch in it, though, so it’s something to be aware of since both sides carry the same finish.
The desk comes with some nice quality-of-life features, as well: a plastic cup holder, a plastic headphone hook, and a fiber cable management net. All of these attach to the underside of the desk and can be placed on either side. Just as with adjusting the height, make sure that you’re sure which side you want to attach these. They can be removed after assembly, but it can be a bit of a (small) pain.
Since cable management is one of the desk’s bigger selling points, the net requires special attention. It’s made of a black mesh held together with a type of bungee cord that allows it to stretch across one side of the desk (note: the manual I received showed the net on just one side of the desk or the other, though another manual online shows the net going across the length of the desk, which I’ve not tried).
Getting the net to the intended attachment points on one side is a bit of a hassle since the net quickly builds tension when stretched out, but once it is attached, it does a good job of corralling your cables if your computer is on the same side of the net. Otherwise, you will get a bit of dangling underneath the desk and need to add additional support for your cables, which isn’t included.
The desk also has two holes and grommets on either side to help with cable management. The grommets themselves have moveable shutters that can be closed when they’re not in use. These also help to hold down the fully-covered mousepad that comes with the desk.
Made of “3mm thick silicone material in [a] microfiber cloth surface with solid stitch edges,” the mousepad functions well. Its black with red lines design and Flexispot branding (which I could do without) screams “video games;” I think HyperX’s Fury S Pro is a tad more elegant, but this one will likely look just fine with your other gaming peripherals, especially if you have an RGB setup.
It’s also a bit faster (slicker) than my Logitech G Powerplay mat, but its smoothness can be easily overcome with a few DPI tweaks to most any mouse your might be using. Everything being equal, it’s quite nice to have a full-surface pad that covers the entire desk so that even if you are using another pad, you’ll have a smooth surface to land on.
It also helps that the pad is waterproof and wicks any spills into a puddle immediately. I dropped a bit of water on the pad to test it, and it stayed puddled in a single spot for more than an hour before I wiped it up. The one slight negative I have with the pad is that it only attaches to the desktop at the cable management holes in the back and can ripple up along the edges, making for a less than ideal look unless it’s flattened by something heavy.
Two weeks of use, and the pad still hasn’t flattened out along the back or on the left and right front corners. Good things (if that bothers you) the pad can be removed and the desk surface is a good alternative.
Pet hair shows up on the mousepad easily as well, as you can see.
The primary point of frustration with this Flexispot model (and, to be clear, I’ve not tested or used any of their other desks) is that the manual is confusing and parts bags aren’t labeled correctly. Instead of simply going to the right set of bolts based on the nomenclature on the bags, I had to identify them based on their design and size. Sure, not a huge deal, but plenty of other manufacturers get this right, so it’s an easy quality-of-life fix I’d hope to see made in the future.
To make matters a bit more vexing, some of the instructions call for specific bolts to be used, but they don’t fit in the places they’re meant to go. There were two times I had to deduce that another set of bolts went in a specific location based simply on trial and error. Again, not a monumental con. Just something that would make assembly that much easier.
That said, disassembly is easy. I had put the entire desk together before realizing one of the legs wasn’t secured properly. Taking nearly everything apart, tightening down the leg bolts, and reassembling the entire desk — cup holder, headset hook, and cable management net included — only took about 15 minutes.
Flexispot 63” Ergonomic Gaming Desk Review — The Bottom Line
Pros
- Very sturdy and can hold 176lbs
- Large surface area perfect for multi-monitor setup
- Waterproof, full-surface mousepad
- Headphone hook and cup holder
- Comfortable desktop
Cons
- Assembly instructions can be unclear
- Mousepad can wrinkle, bend at the edges
- Cable management net could be bigger
All in all, this Flexispot model is sturdy and accommodating. The desk doesn’t wobble, and I’m able to easily fit one 24-inch monitor and one 27-inch monitor, a full-sized keyboard, a mouse, an Xbox Elite controller, and my computer tower on the desk comfortably — and with some room to spare.
The full-desk mousepad is a nice touch and since it’s removable, gives you the option between hard and soft surfaces, should you choose to remove it. Its waterproof design also makes sure spills are contained. It’s comfortable for hours of playing games or doing office work, and though the screws on the underside can scratch your legs or clothes, you could swap them out for news ones if so.
Even though I’d prefer the mousepad had a few more connection points to iron out some of the literal wrinkles it has from shipment, and I wish the manual was a bit clearer, it’s hard not to recommend this desk as a good mid-tier option at $229.99. If you’d like to build your own desk, which comes with a number of adds-ons at extra cost — such as mounter mounts cable spines, and even a smart bike trainer stand — head over here.
[Note: Flexispot provided the desk used for this review.]
Published: Sep 17, 2021 06:39 pm