INTRODUCTION

   It's a hard fact that office workers and people in general who spend more than 6 hours per day sitting face from simple health issues/concerns such shoulder, back and neck pain and all the way up to serious health risks connected to high blood sugar and blood pressure. Working while standing up may be a relatively new thing in the workplace (some people even call it a whole new culture) but many companies and individuals all over the world have already invested heavily on it (Apple being one of those companies) and with the health benefits several recent studies have shown it's just a matter of time before many more join. Now as many of you certainly know currently there are two available choices if you want to work while standing up, standing desks and standing desk converters with the latter being more affordable (in most cases that is) and of course requiring less space (since you can place them on desks, tables and even benches). Ergotron is among the most popular manufacturers of standing desk converters in the world and today we'll be testing their latest WorkFit-TX model.

   Ergotron, Inc. is a global movement company focused on designing and manufacturing kinetic work environments so people can thrive as they work, learn, game and care for others. The way we interact with technology, collaborate with others and pursue our individual potential is changing. Ergotron supports this evolution with innovative solutions that eliminate constraint through movement in healthcare, education, contract furniture and general office environments. Through the custom solutions group, Ergotron provides unique product offerings to companies like Amazon, Herman Miller, GE Healthcare and Cisco Systems. The company has a 35-year history of innovation with more than 200 patents and a growing portfolio of award-winning brands including WorkFit™, CareFit™, LearnFit®, JUV™ and OmniMount®. Ergotron is headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota, with a global sales and marketing presence in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. All products are designed in the United States and produced in Ergotron's facilities in Saint Paul and China. Learn more at www.ergotron.com.

   Unlike some other standing desk converters, the WorkFit-TX by Ergotron is not motorized so you are required to pull it up and push it back down again in order to change its height. Now at first glance this may not seem ideal since it's not as convenient as pressing a button but standing desk converters are also meant to help you burn calories and using force (especially when pushing the desk back down) is certain to help with that. You can raise the top end of the WorkFit-TX all the way up to 430.4mm (via infinite click-free points) but what's even more impressive is that it can get all the way down to just 51.6mm which according to Ergotron is roughly 75mm lower compared to many competing products (for example the lowest setting of the ApexDesk Elite ZT is even higher than that at 145mm). The WorkFit-TX also has a separate ergonomic drop-down keyboard tray which has a 62mm vertical adjustment range and a backwards tilt range of up to 10 degrees. Both trays are made of 17mm thick MDF (medium-density fibreboard) scratch resistant surfaces placed on a steel frame made out of 12mm thick parts. Worth pointing out is that Ergotron covers the WorkFit-TX with a very generous 5-year limited warranty.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

We received the WorkFit-TX inside a very large cardboard box that has the product and company names on all sides and a product drawing at the top.

The desk is wrapped inside a plastic bag, place between and inside two foam spacers and also has a thick cardboard piece in the middle.

Along with the WorkFit-TX standing desk converter inside the box you will also find 4 cable ties, 8 rubber pads, two cable holders, cable routing sleeve, quick start guide, support information and the user manual.

THE WORKFIT-TX

The top MDF piece/tray of the WorkFit-TX is 81mm long (93cm for the front end) and 68.5cm wide while the keyboard MDF piece/tray is 71cm long and 20cm wide.

You can raise/lower the desk by simultaneously pulling two levers found on both sides (Ergotron has placed their logo on them).

Both scratch-resistant MDF trays are up to 17mm thick.

As you can see the keyboard tray is large enough to hold a full sized keyboard (and a large one at that) and a mouse.

The keyboard tray also has two levers (one on each side) which you need to pull in order to move it up and down (you can also tilt the tray by raising it from the front and adjusting two feet it has beneath it).

From its lowest point of just 51.6mm the WorkFit-TX can go all the way up to 430.4mm via an infinite number of click-free points.

Ergotron has used a durable steel frame with 12mm thick parts.

Underneath the top MDF piece there's a cable routing channel that leads all the way to the rear.

Speaking about the rear there are two holes here which can be used with monitor arms.

I was slightly surprised to see that these areas have been reinforced with metal plates so there's pretty much zero chance of something bad happening.

As already mentioned, the cable management channel extends all the way to the rear of the top MDF piece (here you may want to use the bundled cable holders).

With a weight capacity of up to 18.2kg for the top (and 2.27kg for the keyboard tray) you are able to place even a 40 inch screen on the WorkFit-TX (even though Ergotron states that the maximum supported size is 30 inches - unless that is in regard to the monitor stand you can mount here).

CONCLUSION

   When we first set eyes on the WorkFit-TX by Ergotron two things were very easy to notice, it's excellent build quality (probably the reason behind the 5-year warranty Ergotron offers) followed by its somewhat large size (also quite heavy). Yes, this isn't as large as some of the other desks we have here but it's the largest standing desk converter we've ever used/tested (to date that is). As mentioned earlier the fact that you need to use force to lower the WorkFit-TX may not seem ideal at first (always compared to motorized models) but you get used to it and on top of that burning some extra calories in the process is not bad. Honestly during the entire 3 weeks we used the WorkFit-TX we couldn’t find anything bad to say about it, build quality is great, the height adjustment mechanisms for both trays work as they should and in terms of vertical adjustment range, well we couldn’t be more pleased with what Ergotron offers with this standing desk converter.

   At the time of this review the Ergotron WorkFit-TX Standing Desk Converter retails for USD465.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 559Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) a price tag which is set quite higher than what we were expecting (and very close to the price of regular standing desks). Of course, you are getting a high-quality product packed with many useful features, accompanied by top notch support and a 5-year warranty so this price tag is partially at least justified. That being said the WorkFit-TX does deliver on everything Ergotron advertises it for and even though it’s not as affordable as we’d like it to be it still has everything needed to secure our Golden Award.

PROS

- Excellent Build Quality
- Total Surface
- Total Weight Capacity (20.47Kg)
- Two MDF Areas (Top / Drop Down Keyboard Tray)
- Main Height Adjustment (51.6mm - 430.4mm)
- Keyboard Height Adjustment (62mm)
- Tilt Adjustable Keyboard Tray (10 Degrees)
- Cable Routing Channel
- Monitor Arm Mounting Holes
- 5 Year Limited Warranty

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Total Height (Always Compared to Standing Desks)