Maidesite Electric Standing Desk S2 Pro Plus Review

Standing desks continue to rise in popularity, showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. This latest motorized offering from Maidesite is at the vanguard of its product line, tapping into the premium end of the market. The S2 Pro Plus is a sturdy standing desk that is easy to use - for the most part - and operates smoothly. Aside from a USB charging port, there are no bells and whistles to be found here, whilst other premium desks with lower price tags sport additional features. 

Unboxing

Both the desktop and the frame were securely packaged in separate boxes, with enough styrofoam for protection without being wasteful. The same can’t be said for the packaging for the fastenings. However, since there were separate plastic bags for each component, not the home recycling kind, they could have gone for greener options here.

The frame was neatly segmented into its constituent parts, and there aren't that many pieces, so straight away, you can tell that assembly won't be a headache.

As with most motorized standing desks, this one is heavy, with a total weight of 47.3kg / 104lb - 29.5kg / 65lb for the frame, and the desktop is 17.8kg / 39lb. 

First impressions

The first thing that strikes you about the S2 Pro Plus is the desktop and frame's sturdiness. Everything feels solid and reassuringly heavy. 

Assembling is fairly straightforward, and the instructions are clearly laid out. There is a label on the leg directing you to an installation video, but unfortunately, there is no QR code or even a link, so you’ll have to manually search for it on the Maidesite Official YouTube channel yourself, and it isn’t easy to find (to save you the trouble, here it is). 

However, you should be able to manage fine without it, as the written manual is clear enough. It states that two people are needed for assembly, which is a fair requirement given the weight of it, but we did find it possible to assemble solo with a few tricks. For instance, the instructions show to hold the legs in place when affixing the various screws and pieces to it, but you can rest both ends of the L-shaped leg on the ground to form a triangle to stabilize them when assembling. 

And another quick tip: you may want to place the legs on a table towards the edge so you can affix the screws on the ends, as keeping them on the floor makes it difficult to do this.

You should be careful with the loose connectors hanging out of the legs - you can easily crush and break the terminals if they get trapped underneath, so it may be prudent to tie them to the sides to prevent this from happening.

Also, when sliding the frame around, the rubber washers in the screw holes can dislodge quite easily, so watch out for that. Aside from this, the S2 Pro Plus is fairly easy to put together, requiring no extra tools other than a common Philips head screwdriver.

Design and build quality

The S2 Pro Plus desktop is a sturdy and well-built slab of MDF, one of the more eco-friendly woods. We opted for the white variant well-finished and remained chip, crack, and dent-free after extended use. 

Measuring 140cm x 70cm / 55 x 27.5in, it is wide enough to accommodate most working conditions, and mercifully it comes with rounded corners, so if you are tight for space, you needn't worry about any painful scrapes. It has a load limit of 105kg / 231.5lb, which should be more than enough for most practical scenarios. It has a completely flat surface except for the slightly raised grommet. 

This is a barebones desk, though: aside from the USB type-A charging port on the control handset, there are no other features on the S2 Pro Plus. Competitors at similar or even better price points come better equipped, with features such as wireless charging.

It has no wheels as standard - they are an optional extra as part of an accessories kit that includes a drawer, headphone hook, and an extra cable management tray, costing £49.99 at the time of writing. With the lack of wheels, given the weight, you should think carefully before deciding where to place it, as shifting it around isn't easy. 

The only real drawback in the design of the S2 Pro Plus is the cable management. You get a plate you can attach over the cables underneath the desk and some adhesive cable ties. It’s not the most elegant of solutions, and they cannot take up much slack in a single tie. An integrated solution, especially on the legs, would be preferable to accommodate the power cable as it trails to your outlet.

In use

The S2 Pro Plus has a smooth and fast operation, with only a slight lag after releasing the movement buttons. It ranges from 62cm / 24.4in up to 127cm / 50in, so it should prove suitable for most users. 

The manual states to reset before use but does not explain why. Maidesite explained that its purpose is to align the legs properly to ensure they are the same height. Admittedly, we didn’t do this before using and the desk seemed to work fine with no detectable lopsidedness. 

There are four memory slots to save height presets. Other features include an alarm with four half-hour intervals from 30 minutes to two hours, and the ability to choose between imperial and metric units - however the manual fails to indicate which models the features apply to. The touchscreen is nice and responsive, clearly laid out, and easy to comprehend. That is until you adjust the deeper settings, which can be quite cumbersome. For instance, there is a section in the manual vaguely titled ‘programming’, which toggles the one-touch operation of the four height presets. But the procedure to change this setting is quite convoluted: there are no sub-menus to navigate since you only have a very basic seven-segment LED display to work with. Still, once you get the hang of it, it does work fine.

The handset is angled, which makes it easy to see and use, but at the cost of a slight protuberance from the desk, which means you may knock into it when moving past it. The USB type-A charging slot is also located on the side of the device. You can position the handset on either side of the desk, so if you place it on the same side as the grommet, we found that most standard charging cables will be just long enough to thread underneath to keep your workspace clear. 

The S2 Pro Plus also features an anti-collision system to prevent the desk from squashing objects above or below. There are different levels of sensitivity to choose from, determining what amount of upward or downward pressure will halt its operation and then move away from the object. 

One very minor criticism we have concerns the grommet: the cap to open and close the cable passthrough is a bit awkward to use, as there is nothing to grab or grip onto to swivel it open and shut.

Final Verdict

The Maidesite S2 Pro Plus is a well-made standing desk whose performance is hard to fault. If you’ve got the room, it is a worthy addition to your workspace, and whether you're a standing desk acolyte or a new convert, you’ll be pleased with the ease and speed of its operation. However, other great standing desks at or below this price point offer more features. 

• Looking for a quality desk chair to pair with your desk? Check out our best office chairs