The Versa Power Pro is one of the most popular electric standing desk converters on the market. Being on the floor of most Office Depot/Office Max locations has given this product a ton of exposure. How does it stack up against the competition? Do I want an electric converter? These are questions we hope to help you answer in this review. Let’s find out if this is going to be a good fit for your need.
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Versadesk Power Review Snapshot
Pros
- 80 lbs. lifting capacity
- No Assembly
- Push button height adjustment
- Can hold three monitors with standand grommets
- Large adjustment range
Cons
- Safety concerns
- Low quality electronics
- Lack of stability
- Inconsistent speeds
- Not dual ergonomic
- Shallow keyboard tray
Versa Power Manufacturer
The Versa Power is a product by Versa Tables. Versa Tables has been in business for about 15 years. They have had a heavy focus on classroom furniture, ergonomic accessories and sit-to-stand furniture. They have many unique designs and a large 95,000 square foot facility that is used for product design and assembly.
VersaDesk Power Pro Links
– Country of Origin
– Specs / Features / Pricing
– Return Policy and Warranty
– Installation
– Build Quality
– Footprint
– Making Adjustments
– Stability
– Ergonomics
– Task and Keyboard Space
– Wire Management
– What I Like
– What I Don’t Like
– Additional Questions
– Bottom Line
Country of Origin
Made in China
Product Specifications
Unit Weight: 40 lbs.
Lifting Capacity: 80 lbs.
Overall Dimensions at Lowest Height: 36”W x 24”D x 4.5”H
Overall Dimensions at Highest Height: 36”W x 24”D x 20.5”H
Base Dimensions: 30”W x 16”D
Keyboard Shelf Dimensions: 36”W x 8”D
Monitor Shelf Dimensions: 36”W x 16.25”D
Maximum Keyboard Tray Height: 17”
Minimum Keyboard Tray Height: 1”
Maximum Monitor Platform Height: 20.5”
Minimum Monitor Platform Height: 4.5”
Distance between monitor platform and keyboard tray: 3.5”
Distance from Monitor to Front of Keyboard: 16”
Product Features
Push button, electric height adjustment control
3 grommet holes come standard
Sits on top of existing desk
Two-tier design: Upper display surface with lower keyboard/mouse platform
2024 Price – $389 (Buy on Amazon)
Finish Options
The Versa Power Pro is available in Black, White, Gray, Maple or Cherry Wood Finish
Return Policy
You can return your desk within the first 30 days for a full refund. You will be responsible for the return shipping charges. You can return the product after 30 days but you will be responsible for the return shipping and an 18% restocking fee.
Warranty
The Versa Power Pro comes with a Limited Lifetime Warranty. The electronics are covered for three years. All other parts are covered for the life of the product. If your product becomes defective, then Versa Tables with repair or replace the item free of charge.
Shipping
The Versa Power Pro arrived to our office within four business days of me placing the order. I was really impressed by the fast turnaround time. Initially, they had told me it may take up to five days before it shipped but it arrived in less than five business days total.
The unit arrived in decent condition. There are a few blemishes on the edge banding from it rubbing against the cardboard. There are also a couple scratches on the worksurface. The unit has no flaws structurally or functionally.
Assembly
There is no assembly with the Versa Power. Simply unpackage the unit, place it on top of your desk and plug it in. Make sure to hold on to the original packaging just in case you decide to return it.
Build Quality
The Versa Power Pro features a dual platform design with both platforms remaining at a fixed distance from each other. The platforms have an attractive and durable finish with nice edge banding. The metal components feel sturdy and the product does not have any loose or wiggling parts.
The Versa Power Pro has a simple base design that has been used in many other applications for decades. The design is the same concept as an ironing board. As the base of the unit widens, the overall height of the unit lowers. As the base narrows, the overall height of the unit raises. Instead of this motion being performed with manual force, it is done with a very basic motor and linear actuator. This is controlled by pushing an up or down button found on the top of the work surface.
The Versa Power Pro does not have a soft start or soft stopping feature which is often standard on electric desks. A soft start means that the table starts out moving more slowly and gradually increases to its full speed. A soft stop means that the table slows down greatly as it approaches the maximum or minimum height. A soft start helps to reduce the jerking motion caused by the sudden force put on the table by the motor. A soft stop helps to reduce the impact of the desk reaching its minimum or maximum height. These features combine to provide very smooth movement in both directions.
One thing you want to be aware of is that the whole unit will be tilted forward slightly if lowered to the absolute lowest position. This is a design flaw that occurs because there are two vertical metal bars in place to stop the work surface when it is lowered. But, the motor does not stop when the unit hits the metal bars. This forces the entire unit to tilt forward. This produces an awkward typing and monitor viewing angle.
Another thing to note is that the Versa Power does not have overload protection. Overload protection is a feature commonly found on electric desks that helps to protect the motor from working too hard and burning itself out. Overload protection will typically stop a motor from operating if it has been used to move the table up and down too many times in a short time span or if the weight limit is being exceeded.
Adjusting the Versa Power Pro
The height adjustment is controlled by pressing one of two buttons found on the top of the monitor platform. Holding the up arrow will move the unit up and holding the down arrow will move the unit down.
When the Versa Power Pro is in its lowest position, the monitor platform is about 5” from your desk and the x base is 22” wide. If you move the unit up to 9.5”, then the x base is 21”W. This means that the desk increased 4.5” in height from the x base contracting 1”. If you contract the x base another inch, to 20” wide, then the unit height will be 12.5”. This is only a 3” increase from the previous height as compared to 4.5” before. So, the higher you go, the more the base needs to contract in order to accomplish the same height adjustment. Since the motor is always running at the same power, the lifting speed slows down greatly as you get higher.
The Versa Power Pro is problematic because there is not a control box to tell the motor to speed up when at taller heights or slow down at lower heights in order to keep the lifting motion at a consistent speed. When adjusting the Versa Power Pro from the lowest position upwards, it will move at about 2.5” per second for the first 4”. From there, the speed will start to slow down dramatically and will drop to as low as .6” per second for the final few inches of height adjustment. This same process occurs when moving the unit down.
Stability
The Versa Power Pro is a very odd product when it comes to stability. I say this because it is both one of the most stable products and one of the least stable products I have tested thus far. When considering side to side movement, it is difficult to think of a product more stable than the Versa Power Pro. The Versa Power Pro is even more stable side to side than some of the units I’ve tested that mount to your desk.
When considering front to back movement, the Versa Power is the most unstable product I have tested. It has the most keyboard bounce that I have experienced thus far. The keyboard movement is so pronounced that it forces the entire unit to move front to back, which causes a great deal of monitor shake.
The unit is less stable the lower you adjust it. I know this sounds counter-intuitive but it is true. At desk height, the unit has the most front to back movement. This movement is lessened slightly the higher you raise the unit.
| Sitting Wobble (10%) | Standing Wobble (15%) | Sitting Bounce (10%) | Standing Bounce (15%) | Sitting Shake (10%) | Standing Shake (15%) | General (25%) | Total Score |
| 100/100 | 90/100 | 48/100 | 58/100 | 45/100 | 55/100 | 75/100 | 69/100 |
Ergonomics
The Versa Power Pro is not dual ergonomic out of the box. The whole unit has one height adjustment, so the platforms adjust in tandem. This can make it difficult for all users to achieve an ergonomic viewing angle. The Versa Power Pro comes standard with three grommet mounts on the back edge of the monitor platform. These will allow you to easily add monitor arms which will give the unit dual ergonomics.
The keyboard tray sits about an inch off your desk when in the lowest position and adjusts up to about 17” off your desk which will allow an ergonomic typing position for people up to 6’4”. Your sitting typing position will be altered slightly due to the increased height of the keyboard tray.
My 27” monitor was about 16” from the front of my keyboard tray. This put my viewing distance at about 20” from the monitor. The recommended ergonomic viewing distance is between 20”-40”. You should be within the recommended ergonomic viewing distance but you will probably be on the shorter side of it. Using a smaller monitor or dual monitors will increase the viewing distance.
Task Space
The work surface on the Versa Power Pro provides a good amount of task space. It is 36” wide and 16” deep, with a small cut-out in the front of the monitor platform. This cut-out is used to allow for easier laptop use on the keyboard tray but it does take some task space away. There is still enough space to allow for several small to medium sized accessories. Larger items like papers or catalogues will be a bit more difficult to use because they may not fit on the platform.
The platform is wide enough to allow for dual monitors on stands and has the potential to accommodate three monitors with the grommets, if they are not too large. The monitor platform features three grommet mounts with plastic inserts. The inserts are easy to remove if you need to place a monitor stand on top of that part of the platform.
Keyboard Space
The keyboard tray is 36” wide and about 8” deep. There is a small curved edge at the front of the keyboard tray that indents a little less than an inch. There is also a little extra space at the back center of the keyboard tray from the cut-out on the monitor platform. This gives you about an inch and a half of extra depth. The width on the tray is fantastic but the depth may limit you to more narrow keyboards. I used my Microsoft ergonomic keyboard for this review. It worked but it wasn’t ideal. If this was going to be my permanent standing desk then I would switch to a standard keyboard for the best experience.
Wire Management
The only wire management tools are the grommet holes on the monitor platform. These can help with cords coming from the monitor platform. Managing cords coming from the keyboard tray will be your responsibility. I would recommend using a wireless keyboard and mouse to avoid having to run cords under the monitor platform.
Safety
The Versa Power has a number of concerning safety risks. My first concern is the button placement. The button is located at the front, right of the top side of the monitor platform. The location of the button makes it very easy to press inadvertently. On two separate occasions, I have pressed it by accident. Having an electric desk move when you are not expecting it to is certainly a concern.
My next concern is that the Versa Power does not have collision avoidance. Collision avoidance is a system found on many electric desks that stops the desk from moving when it contacts an object. This is a very important feature to prevent the desk from damaging something or hurting someone.
Another big concern is the large number of pinch points present when raising or lowering the unit. This is probably a bigger concern for things like cords and wires but be very careful with your hand and finger placement when moving the Versa Power. Also, be aware of people around you.
What do I like?
Shipping and Assembly
The fast shipping time and lack of assembly are huge positives for the Versa Power. Aside from VARIDESK, most standing desk converters will have a longer lead time, require some type of assembly or both
Easy to use
The Versa Power is unmatched when it comes to ease of use. Moving the unit only requires pressing a single button and all the work is done by the built-in motor.
80 lbs. Lifting Capacity
The most common lifting capacity for most manually adjusted standing desk converters is 35 lbs. The electric motor on the Versa Power Pro allows the unit to lift 80 lbs. This is an advantage over manual converters because you will not be hindered by adding things like monitor arms. A monitor arm will weight around 10 lbs. or more which is a large percentage of the allowable weight when you are limited to 35 lbs.
Can Mount Up to 3 Monitors
The Versa Power Pro is one of the few standing desks on the market that allow for a triple monitor set-up, with the use of the three grommet mounts. It is important that you use small enough monitors to both stay under the 80-pound weight limit and to make sure they don’t run into the sides of each other.
Standard Grommet Mounts
I really like the standard grommet mounts on the Versa Power. This not only allows for you to easily add accessories like monitor arms but they can be used to help alleviate the problems posed by the lack of wire management.
Good Option for Tall People
The large adjustment range on the Versa Power Pro allows people up to 6’4” to be in an ergonomic typing position. Most units with a similar design or price will be limited to users in the 6’0”- 6’1” range.
What don’t I like?
Poor Electronics
I think that the biggest downside to the Versa Power Pro is its poor electronics, even if it is nice to move it with the press of a button.. Products like the VARIDESK Pro Plus, Ergotron WorkFit-S, Duke, etc are all adjustable within a couple seconds with almost no physical effort but they don’t require an electric motor. The Versa Power Pro is actually much slower to adjust than most converters. One of the biggest advantages to going with a standing desk converter is a simplistic design with high functionality, which means that not a lot can go wrong to make the item unusable. By adding electronics, you’ve introduced something that can easily stop working that makes the entire product unusable.
This is compounded because the electronics used on the Versa Power are of very low quality from China. We have been dealing with our own line of electric standing desks for many years now and we have learned a lot through the process. One of the most important things we’ve learned is that most electric desks fail because of a lack of quality in their electronics.
Inconsistent Lifting Speeds
I am not a fan of the inconsistent lifting speed produced by the Versa Power. The change in speed is very drastic which is not something you want on an electric desk.
Lack of Stability
While the side to side stability is great, the lack of front to back stability completely overshadows it. Each time I put my palms down onto the keyboard to begin typing, the entire unit shifts forward and wiggles for a few seconds before settling down. There is very pronounced keyboard bounce and monitor shake which is incredibly annoying to work with.
I found myself typing completely different than I normally do in an effort to minimize the bounce. I was hovering my hands above my keyboard and pressing the buttons as lightly as possible instead of resting my palms in a correct ergonomic posture. I stopped using the unit shortly after so that my wrists didn’t start to get sore from the different posture.
Safety Concerns
The button placement, numerous pinch points and lack of collision avoidance are all going to be large safety concerns. This is not a product I would feel comfortable recommending for home offices where children may be present. Be very careful before making any adjustments so you are sure that you will not damage something or hurt someone.
Not Dual Ergonomic
In order to make this product dual ergonomic, you will need to add a monitor. This will give you the ability to control the separation between your keyboard and monitor so that you are in a proper ergonomic position. The grommet mounts make this easy but it will come at an extra cost for the monitor arms.
Shallow Keyboard Tray
The keyboard tray is wide but at only 8″ deep, it is one of the shallowest keyboard trays we have tested. This will really limit you on keyboard sizes and you probably won’t have room for something like a wrist pad.
Bottom Line
The Versa Power Pro reminds me of the TaskMate Executive because it is such a polarizing product. On one hand, it is among the easiest standing desk converters to use, with a good lifting capacity. It is pre-installed with three grommet mounts, adjusts high enough for people up to 6’4” and has the ability to use a triple monitor set-up. It also arrives fast and ready to go out of the box.
The problem that I have with the Versa Power Pro is that the downsides are very concerning and will affect the majority of buyers. Cheap Chinese electronics, inconsistent lifting speeds, large amounts of front to back instability and several safety concerns are all factors that should be considered prior to making your purchase.
At the end of the day, the Versa Power Pro has its positives and it has its negatives. The goal of this review is to detail these factors so that you can decide which are most important to you, ultimately letting you choose whether the Versa Power Pro is the best standing desk converter for your situation.
