The quest for the right desk is one of many twists and turns. Depending on what you need and how much you’re willing to spend, you could find yourself with anything from hollow legs and a wire frame to a desk that will stand the test of time and last many years into the future. Today, we’re looking at one of the latter with the brand new Lander Lite from iMovR. It takes the best features of the original Lander and slashes the price point to $799. Still, at $799 is it worth a buy?
Specifications
- Current Price: $799 (Available at the iMovR Web Store)
- Rated Lifting Capacity: 225 lbs.
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Height Range:
- Single Stage: 27.35”-47.5”
- Dual Stage XT: 24”-50”
- Optional 6” leg extenders
- (measurements including top, leveling feet fully closed, additional 0.5" height adjustment with leveling feet opened)
- Average Travel Speed: 1.6" per second
- Power Consumption: 168W nominal when in motion, <0.1W standby
- Controller Type:
- “DPG Style” height control paddle
- Bluetooth link to smartphone app
- Two programmable height settings
- LED diode for standing reminder
- Special Features: Anti-Collision Technology
- Tabletop Lamination: Ergo-contoured 3D Lamination
- Grommets: 3.15" diameter, offset 3" from back edge of tabletop (to center of grommet hole)
- Tabletop Thickness: 0.75”-thick, ¼” ergo-contoured radius
- Available Sizes: Depth: 30"
- Width: 41”, 47”, 53”, 59”, 65”, 71”
- Desk Feet Size: 27.95" L x 2.36" W
- Crossbar for Frame: No crossbar: 41" tabletop
- Fixed-width crossbar: 47" & 53" tabletops
- Adjustable crossbar: 59" - 71" tabletops
- Available Colors:
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Woodgrains:
- Light Maple
- Almond Cherry
- Hayward Cherry
- Clove Mahogany
- Urban Walnut
- Shaker Cherry
- Obsidian Oak
- Crossfire Java
- Specialty:
- Fibers Concrete
- Carbon Fibers
- Studio White Dust
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Solids:
- Designer White
- Northern Cloud
- Shark Gray
- Black
- American Red
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Certified for Quality - the Benefit of Buying Contract-Grade Furniture
My journey into the world of standing desks has been an enlightening one and, until this last year, the company iMovR and the Lander standing desk were completely unknown to me. I’ve come to find out that the Lander is the top-selling standing desk in the industry. It’s used in businesses across the world and the company isn’t afraid to showcase the major companies they have contracts with across their product lines: Google, Microsoft, HBO, the U.S. Army and DoJ… the list goes on.
When we first spoke to iMovR to arrange a look at their Freedom Energize desk (reviewed by Damien here), the let us in on the secret that the Lander Lite was being developed. The plan was to offer the biggest features of the Lander at a more accessible price point. They’ve achieved that. The original Lander started at $1049 in its base configuration. The Lander Lite comes to market at $799. For most of us, that’s a lot of money, but there’s quite a bit behind that price, so let’s dig a bit deeper.
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When it comes to standing desks, a huge part of what you’re paying for are the legs supporting it. Each leg has an actuator and, like any motor, is rated and tested for a certain amount of movement. It’s also incredibly important that the desk be stable so it won’t wobble or, worse, tip and wreck your gear and possibly injure someone in the process. Since iMovR is challenging dedicated contract furniture companies like Steelcase and Herman Miller, both the Lander and Lander Lite are both NEAT certified by the Mayo Clinic and ANSI-BIFMA certified for quality and reliability.
This is notable because iMovR isn't a contract furniture company. Rather, their roots are in e-commerce where these certifications aren't the expectation yet they achieve them anyway while also keeping their prices far less. Contract firms like the companies I mentioned before operate through dealers and require sales in the hundreds to their business clients. iMovR had another idea: high-quality, Made in USA furniture, that didn't require massive orders and the deepest pockets for a sale. They made huge investments in their ability to produce made-to-order desks with advanced 3D lamination (something that's exclusive to iMovR right now), easy assembly, and the kind of stability and reliability that only comes from a wealth of experience, care, and know-how to choose the best-of-the-best in materials and manufacturing.
But what do those certifications actually mean? NEAT has to do with the desk’s health benefits, which we’ve gone over extensively in the past. We’ll get to that soon. ANSI-BIFMA, on the other hand, is a pair of certifications that extensively torture test every element of the desk. ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and BIFMA (Business + Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association) run laboratories with machinery that cycles the motors thousand of times, wobble the desks, run the electronics under high temperatures, and more. In essence, they try to break the product and make it fail, tip, or dismantle.
These aren’t tests most other standing desks targeted to consumers are undergoing. It’s a virtue of iMovR’s quality that achieving these certifications and why they're now winning over business from organizations that would never have turned to an e-commerce company previous. Contract -grade furniture/standing desks that achieve certification, are simply made to a higher standard, so when you make the investment, you know you're buying something that's made to last.
At $799 to start, the Lander Lite is quite an expensive piece of furniture, but you won’t have to worry about it breaking down prematurely or getting easily damaged. And speaking in the relative, compared to other furniture that's quality certified like this, it's actually not that bad at all..
A Liter Lander - iMovR’s More Affordable Flagship
The question then becomes, what do you get up front for that extra investment? There’s no question that the market is fuller than ever before with standing desk options and all of us could go out and buy a basic height adjustable desk for much less.
First and foremost, the Lander Lite is made in the USA. If you care about outsourcing and the work conditions your products are made under, it’s work taking note here. iMovR is also one of the few standing desk companies that owns their own machinery, which allows them to offer a wider array of options (including thinner 24-inch desks).
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Like the Lander, the Lite is also made using a 3D lamination process that's exclusive to iMovR in the world of standing desks. This allows the whole MDF desk surface to be wrapped in laminate material at one time. In fact, it hermetically seals the wood underneath, which is why the other major industry for 3D lamination is healthcare where surfaces need to be guarded against bacteria. Most laminate desks follow a standard process where the top is covered and a trim piece is glued on the outer edge which breaks down over time. 3D lamination solves that problem by removing that trim piece. iMovR's 3D lamination process also makes it more resistant to cleaning solutions, scratches, and other common damage. Compared to the Flexispot standing desk I reviewed last year, which features a very traditional entry-level laminate design, the difference is immediately noticeable and frankly looks and feels much nicer.
The model I was sent featured the dual-stage legs which give it a height range of 24-50-inches. It’s very quiet and also quite fast with a travel speed of 1.6-inches per second. As a father of three kids under six, I also appreciate that it has Anti-Collision detection if anything is underneath it. The desk is incredibly stable. Even with an open drink on the desk, the liquid barely moves when moving it up or down. At max height, the wobble is minimal (something that eventually came to concern me with the Flexispot). I have my desk on wheels so I can easily move it across the room and it doesn’t feel at all like it will spill my expensive equipment to the ground.
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The desk also integrates with a smartphone app via Bluetooth. The app allows you to control the desk height remotely, set favorite heights, and enable a health coach that will send you reminders of when to stand (they say simply enabling this function more than doubles your active standing time). Looking at the physical controller for the first time, I initially thought it would rely solely on the the app, but it intuitively moves up or down based on how you tilt it.
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Comparing the Lander Lite to the full-fledged Lander, it’s an impressively full-featured package. You’re really losing little by going for the Lite version. The desk comes fewer widths, topping out at 71-inches versus the 95-inches of the Lander. The tabletop thickness is also 0.75-inches versus 1.125”. The Lander Lite also doesn’t come with a SteadyType option. All in all, for gamers and home users like us, these really aren’t major changes at all. You’re really getting all of the Lander that matters most with a few limitations that may not even apply to you.
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The Easiest Assembly… Really
Another of the big selling points of the Lander Lite is that it comes 95% assembled out of the box. I’m not one to shy away from DIY projects, but this was honestly the most easy assemblies I’ve ever had with a piece of furniture and I breathed a sigh of relief at how much was done for me out of the box.
In the picture above, you can see exactly how the Lander Lite ships. All of the framework is already screwed in to the bottom of the tabletop. There are also pre-drilled holes for any accessory pieces you may have chosen.
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In the cardboard box, you’ll find the rest legs, feet, a handful of screws and an Allen key to attach them, locks for the legs, and some cable management clips. That’s it. Assembly is almost completely toolless, as you only need the Allen wrench to attach the feet to the legs. The legs are notched into place with steel retains and final plastic locks you press into place with your foot. The entire process can be done in less than ten minutes without ever taking the desk out of the box. Here it is assembled, faster than any desk or gaming chair I’ve ever worked on.
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Let’s be real here: if you’re at all handy, putting a standing desk together isn’t that hard. But… it’s still a PITA that will take a good half hour of your life — and that’s if they’ve drilled the holes for you. There comes a point when you’re willing to pay a little extra to avoid the headache. This is one of those cases and it does a remarkably good job.
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Final Thoughts
The iMovR Lander Lite is simply a phenomenal desk. It’s well-made, feature rich, comes in 16 laminate finishes and three dozen solid wood varieties, and is rock solid. At $799, it’s not an entry-level desk and there needs to be a level of acceptance that, at least in part, you’re paying for peace of mind that this is a high-end, made-to-last product. This is a desk that’s been torture tested to make sure it will endure whatever you throw at it. Likewise, it’s made to outlast and outperform the competition. It is the nature of a review that we can’t take a long-term look, and that’s unfortunate, but that ANSI-BIFMA certification is a reassuring note on what we can expect for years to come.
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Pros
- 3D laminated tabletop looks great and feels solid
- Fast travel and very stable
- Extremely easy, and fast, assembly
- Bluetooth app control and integrated health coach
- ANSI-BIFMA and NEAT Certified for quality assurance
- Made in the USA
Cons
- Quite expensive
- Fewer size options compared to Lander
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for the purpose of review.
