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Fully Jarvis Laminate Standing Desk
What we like
What we don't like
Fully Jarvis Laminate Standing Desk
The working-from-home revolution likely did not come about how anyone expected. A global pandemic, forcing office buildings and their white collar workers the world over to empty out, was not on anyone’s list of good reasons to set up shop at their house or apartment. Nonetheless, here many of us are, working from home whether we like it or not. If home is where you find yourself setting up shop for the foreseeable future, a standing desk is an investment worth considering.
We’ve taken several standing desks for a test, including the Fully Jarvis standing desk. How does it fare? Find out in the Android Authority review.
Fully Jarvis review: Who is this desk for?
Standing desks are for people who know better than to sit on their bum all day. Sitting for hours on end has been proven again and again to be detrimental for our health. Anyone seeking to live a healthier lifestyle could benefit from a standing desk. This reasoning applies to all standing desks.
The adjustable Fully Jarvis and its electric-powered motors, in particular, can benefit certain types of people. For example, perhaps you have a multi-monitor setup that’s heavy and requires assistance when being raised or lowered. The desk could also help those who are infirm or otherwise unable to use a mechanical standing desk. The Fully Jarvis and its four-position memory could be the answer for families or businesses with several users.
Last, Jarvis desks are fully customizable. In other words, if you want to order something with or without extra features, the modularity of the Jarvis system could be appealing to those seeking that perfect standing desk experience.
Living here in Allen(wrench)town: Assembly needed
The Fully Jarvis arrived in two boxes: One large, flat box containing the desktop, and one long, rectangular box containing the legs, control unit, and everything else.
The box containing the desktop may be bulky, but it is light enough for a single person to move around. The second box, however, weighs close to 80lbs (36.4Kg). It’s likely too heavy for many people to carry intact. Your best bet is to open the box and carry the individual pieces to the spot you’ll be using the desk. Even then, you’ll have to be careful. I’d put the weight of the individual legs at 25-30lbs (11.4-13.6Kg) each.
Once you have all the pieces where you want them you can dive into the assembly instructions, which walk you through the entire process. I was able to follow the step-by-step instructions with ease, as they are well worded and accompanied by images that reflect what you’re actually doing.
Nearly everything is supplied: All the nuts, bolts, washers, and grommets needed come with the kit. Moreover, the bottom of the desktop itself is pre-drilled with all the holes required for assembly.
Nearly every bolt is tightened via Allen wrench. The main Allen wrench fits all the bolts perfectly, but it is a little oversized which made turning some of the bolts awkward. You’ll need to bring your own Philips screwdriver for the dozen or so screws that attach the legs to the desktop. I strongly recommend a power driver if you have one, as it speeds things up immensely.
From start to finish, assembly took about an hour thanks partly to fussy bolt alignment issues.
Build materials and strength
The entire support structure of the Fully Jarvis standing desk, including the legs, feet, and connecting rails, is made of steel. Steel is heavy and strong. I can’t imagine a stronger design, lest Fully had doubled up on the steel.
The desktop itself is a laminate, which means it is a combination of particle board and glue. The top is skinned in a tough plastic veneer. It can handle quite a bit of abuse.
How much can you put on the desk? Fully says the Jarvis desk supports up to 350lbs or 159kg. I can’t imagine anyone has a work computer setup that weighs anything close to that amount.
What’s important is that the desk can manage all that weight at the full height of 50 inches. The desk feels just as sturdy when all the way up as it does all the way down. I had total confidence while using the desk.
How do you adjust the desk?
Buttons! This fully electric desk does not require a hand crank or other clumsy mechanical tools to adjust the height. (Of course, an electrical outlet is required.) Simply press the up or down button on the included controller and the desk will do your bidding. The minimum height is 24 inches and the maximum is 50 inches. That’s a lot of travel.
The controller supports up to four memory positions. This is great for a working duo that shares the desk. Each person can set their preferred minimum and maximum heights. Simply program the height, press the button, and the desk automatically raises or lowers as required.
The rate of movement is 1.5 inches per second, even when fully loaded. It’s slow enough that you can get out of the way, but quick enough that you won’t be waiting forever for the desk to reach its desired height.
Are there any extra features?
First, I’m sorry to report the desk does not feature a Paul Bettany-voiced artificial intelligence to help with your work. Any talk of extra features should really entail a discussion of the options you can select when customizing the desk.
The bare minimum desk includes the desktop with cable holes, support structure, and simplified controller. The desktop comes in black, white, maple, walnut, and stone colors. Add-ons include larger desktops, memory controller, higher/lower vertical limits, wire management, chairs, floor mats, file cabinets, monitor arms, and desk drawers. You’ll need to configure which of these extra features you want at the time you order. Of course, every add-on also tacks on $20, $30, or $50 to the overall cost depending on what you select.
Beyond these optional accessories, the four-memory controller that accompanied our desk allowed us to lock the desk height, switch between inches and centimeters, set upper/lower limits, and even fine-tune the actual height based on our own measurements.
What bums me out is that the desk doesn’t offer a lowered keyboard tray. You’ll have to place your keyboard on the desktop itself and use a monitor arm to get the proper ergonomics.
Fully Jarvis standing desk review: Should you buy it?
The Fully Jarvis standing desk system is one of the most customizable and adaptable I’ve seen. With myriad features available at the time of ordering, you can build the optimal desk for you.
All this comes at a significant cost. The starting price for the system is $499. The model we tested, which had a larger top, extended range, and the memory controller, cost $575. Thank goodness shipping is free.
Most importantly, the desk has an infinitely adjustable control system, the ability to stably lift 350lbs, and quick and safe operation. As long as money is no object, the Fully Jarvis system is easy to recommend as a modern standing desk.