I finally found the solution to my muscle aches in this standing desk

So many of us spend extended periods working at a desk, sitting for hours on end every day. Even with the best office chairs for back pain, it's well documented that this isn't beneficial for your bodily health ranging from impacting your energy levels to severe muscle and joint problems. Experts have suggested that a height adjustable desk is a great way to combat this, including Harvard Health. There are options available for this, from simple desk toppers with adjustable sections, to be used on an existing desk, to full motorised desks, such as the Magvida talked about here.

While these desks offer comparable adjustability, they are not all equal and Boulies, the developer of the Magvida, is touting a number of features here that raise this above the competition and I’ve been living with for some time now, to see how it performs and whether it has a positive impact.

Boulies are well known for their office and gaming chairs and I’ve been a fan of them for a few years now but this is the first of their desks I’ve used. Here’s the low down.

• Shop Bouiles MagVida at Bouiles

Boulies Magvida: What's in the box?

The Magvida is large and heavy, so ships in two boxes. One contains the legs, feet and a few small components, while the other has the top and remaining electronics. One thing to note is that Boulies offer a few accessories, which may ship in further boxes. I was sent the cable management tray, some silicone cable straps, headphone hook and a drawer.

You get everything you need, from the electronics and the desk, to tools needed to put it together, as well as a short but clear manual, which covers both setup and operation.

Boulies Magvida: Setup and build quality

The build process is quick and easy but you’ll want a large space on the floor to do it, ideally using the cardboard packaging and foam to protect the desk’s top surface, as it needs to be top down to build.

It’s really just a case of slotting the legs into the mounting points, tightening the bolts, adding the feet, which also take four bolts each, then using the quick connectors to get all the cables in place. Finally you screw the controller to the underside, finishing off by adding the central panel, which covers the cables and keeps it all out of sight and prevents snagging.

At this point you’ll need to flip the whole thing onto its feet. Again, I’d suggest having some help here as the fully constructed desk is weighty (although I couldn’t find any figures for this).

The accessories are about as easy as it can be to fit but I’ll talk more about that later.

Build quality is excellent. Everything fits together just as it should, the construction is flawless and the finish of the desktop has a slight texture which looks and feels premium, as well as stops items from sliding too readily. The plastics the control panel are made from feel a bit cheap but it works well and is lightweight but a good trade off when you consider there is a payload to account for.

So a trip to the tip to dump the packaging and it was ready to go. The build only takes five minutes but do remember you will need a spare power outlet near to where you set up.

Boulies Magvida: Performance

My first impressions were of neatness. The whole system is tidy and really aids in decluttering, especially underneath, which had previously been a bit of a mess. Despite all my good intentions the mass of cables was never as tidy as it should have been.

Which is where the accessories come in. The cable tray is actually more like a strong fabric hammock. This is so much better than a fixed, solid shelf, as it can be made to fit your needs better, thanks to its use of magnets.

All the accessories attach to the underside by strong magnets (watch your fingers). Other than the brackets for the legs and so on, most of the underside is covered by metal plates for this purpose, meaning it’s really easy to set things up just how you like. Hanging your headphones on the side, or moving things around to suit different tasks is fast and easy. If you want more cable management then you can use the silicone straps. These have a magnet at each end and are really versatile. I use my home studio for everything from animation to music production, so having the ability to tailor my setup is a real bonus.

Although I can’t currently see it on the Boulies store, I was also sent a drawer, also magnetic. It’s not huge at around 20cm square and 4cm deep but it’s strong and perfect for keeping things like glasses, plectrums and thumb drives off the desktop, reducing clutter and I love that I can move it around. The magnets that hold it in place are very strong, meaning there are no fears of overloading it, or knocking it off. It takes a purposeful action to move it.

Now on to the desk itself. The top is deeper than a lot of desks, at 70cm (and 140cm wide) and has a nice rounded edge. This extra depth has actually meant I’ve been able to work in a way I prefer. I use a Wacom Cintiq and a large display. Previously I’ve had to have the Wacom off to one side to enable me to keep my keyboard in front of me. Now I can have everything lined up centrally, which is so much nicer. I can still use the Cintiq’s stand to drop it off the edge of the desk if I want but I much prefer having my keyboard front and centre. Oh and for any musicians out there, the space between the desk legs is large enough to fit a stand and a five octave keyboard/controller under.

Being a height adjustable desk means you can set your perfect position, unlike most standard desks, meaning you can get the perfect seated position for your specific body proportions combined with your chosen chair (in my case a Boulies FIT) and that’s all before you consider the standing options. The main benefit of the magvida is that you can get up onto your feet, while remaining productive (some studies show increased productivity for standing desks). I’ve found I alternate between sitting and standing fairly frequently (say each hour or so) but I’ve come to really like standing while I work and although it’s hard to measure I do feel like it’s benefitting me physically. At the very least my watch isn’t hassling me to stand anymore!

Boulies Magvida in action - YouTube

Watch On

To make the sit/stand element of the Magvida work well, you will want to ensure that your cabling is neat, with nothing dragging or catching. This’t hard to do but may take a couple of attempts if you have lots plugged in. I ended up strapping my multi socket extension into the hammock, plugging everything into that, leaving almost nothing left on the floor. Be careful to make sure there’s enough slack cable for anything that needs it, across the desk’s full range of motion, which goes from 61.5 to 127cm. Controls are very simple. The panel has a display, showing the current height, with a row of buttons below. There are simple up and down arrows as well as buttons for three recall positions. I set these for my preferred sitting position, ideal standing height, with the third being for when I’m recording guitar standing, as I prefer a somewhat midway height for this.

The motors are quiet too. You can hear them but they are unobtrusive at just 45db. They are also strong. Of course I had to try lifting myself which it did without issue and my fully loaded setup is child’s play for it and its max capacity of 120kg will cater to pretty much any use case.

Safety measures are in place too, including a child lock and a sensor that prevents it lowering if there are any obstacles.

I can’t imagine going back to a static desk after using the Magvida. Even if it wasn’t height adjustable I’d still prefer it. The magnetic accessories, cable management and textured worktop are all fantastic on their own but being able to get on my feet, with all the benefits that it provides , is worth every penny.

Boulies Magvida: Who is it for?

Anybody who works at a desk for more than short periods, or who would like some versatility

Boulies Magvida: Buy it if

• You work at a desk for extended periods
• You want to declutter your workspace
• You suffer from muscle and joint problems
• You want a less sedentary work day

Boulies Magvida: Don't buy it if

• You don’t have power nearby