APOL is coming a full circle in their ergonomic products with their new standing desk lineup – LevoDesk. There are two collections in the LevoDesk range – (1) Izara Wood, and (2) Rex Stone, as highlighted here. We will be looking at the Izara Wood collection which starts at S$748 depending on your configuration.
Assembly
By default, the APOL LevoDesk does not include assembly services. You would need to pay an extra S$60 for it, and the whole process takes about 30 minutes. Personally I don’t think it is that difficult to assemble the desk as the table top comes pre-drilled. So you just have to align the frame to the holes on the table top, then secure them together with the included Allen key and screws. Having said that, if you don’t have someone to help with the assembly, I’d recommend you to pay for the assembly service as the table top can be quite heavy to manage alone.
What I like about the APOL LevoDesk is that the frame is extendable between 107cm to 180cm. This means that it can accommodate table tops of varying lengths. If you wish to switch out to a different size in the future, you don’t have to buy a brand new table.
Build quality and design
I like how APOL offer quite a few options when configuring your LevoDesk. There are three table top finishes, along with three sizes which you can choose from.
- Finishes: Teak, Walnut, Chestnut
- Size: 120*60cm ($748) / 140*73cm ($778) / 160*73cm ($798)
Personally, I went for the Walnut finish in the 160*73cm size, which is priced at S$778. It is really nice that the additional cost of choosing a largest desk is just S$50 more from the base 120*60cm size. If you have enough length space, I’d personally recommend choosing at least the 140*73cm size as I find having at least 70cm of depth to provide just enough room, especially if you plan on using a monitor on the desk.
The Izara Wood collection utilises MDF (Medium-density fibreboard) wood instead of solid wood to keep the cost low. Even though it is not solid wood, the finish on the Walnut variant looks really good and natural. Personally, I’m glad that APOL didn’t go with a gloss finish on the surface as I find it makes it look cheap. The finish on the Walnut of the APOL LevoDesk is matte, as gets really close to the look of a solid wood table top.
The table top has rounded edges which is safer if you have young children around at home. The edges are also slightly bevelled so that it is more comfortable if you rest your forearm against it. The table top have a thickness of 2.5cm which makes it slightly more durable that 2cm table tops.
As for build quality, the APOL LevoDesk feels really solid and well constructed. The steel desk frame keeps the table sturdy, and even with a long 160cm table top, it does not budge when I try to shake the desk. APOL LevoDesk can support up to maximum weight capacity of 120kg. If I’m nitpicking, I’d say that the edges on underside of the table top could be sanded off a little more, but to be honest it doesn’t affect day-to-day use.
Built-in grommet
APOL LevoDesk features a built-in grommet at the middle-back of the table top as part of its efforts for cleaner cable management. Simply thread all your cables through the hole and then place the grommet back on and lock it in position. This is simple yet useful feature to have built-in as it prevents all your cables from raining down the edges of your desk.
If you use a fixed monitor arm (non-rotating), then your arm may not be able to mount directly in the middle unless you give up use of the grommet. However, since most monitor arms these days are rotating, I don’t think this built-in grommet will cause any interference. I like how the grommet is made from aluminium.
Sit/Stand functionality
The sit/stand feature of the APOL LevoDesk is controlled by the handset which you can choose to install it either on the left or right of the table top. The handset has a rectangular design with a LED display on its left and seven physical buttons on the right.
You adjust the height of the APOL LevoDesk manually by pressing the physical up/down buttons. You can also set up to four custom height presets via the option (1) to (4), which automatically moves to your desired height with a single press. The handset of the APOL LevoDesk comes with power saving mode that deactivates power after 60 seconds of inactivity. I found that this means that you usually have to press the button twice to activate a particular function. The first press to wake it from ‘sleep’, and the second to actually raise/lower the height.
Height range and adjustment
APOL LevoDesk employs a dual motor system which allows it to adjust height at speeds of 40mm/s. Even though it is rated slightly slower than the EverDesk+ Max‘s 45mm/s, I found that it was slightly faster by a second or so. The whirring noise expelled from the duals motors are at acceptable levels, and I found it to be a little higher pitched compared to EverDesk+ Max.
APOL LevoDesk‘s height adjustments range from the lowest of 66cm to the highest of 131cm. This range slightly differ’s from EverDesk+ Max‘s 60cm to 124cm. There isn’t a better range between the two since it really depends if you will actually use either ends of the height range. Personally, I like the ability to bring the desk down to a lower height, at around 67cm, allows me to create an ergonomic sitting setup. This means when sitting on the APOL Kraken chair, my elbows can maintain 90 degrees along the arm rest of the chair to the table top.
And when adjusting the height, the APOL LevoDesk remains very stable and smooth. You won’t feel any vibrations coming from the motors at all. I performed my usual ‘cup of water’ and ‘standing pencil’ test, and both of which passed with flying colours, as shown videos below.
Warranty
APOL LevoDesk starts with 3 years of warranty. You can receive a complimentary 2 year warranty extension simply by sharing a photo or video of your LevoDesk on your social media, bringing the total warranty coverage to a maximum of 5 years. It is good to note that even though 5 years is indeed a long time, it pales in comparison with other competitors offering 5-7 years warranty as their starting duration before any extension.
Conclusion
The APOL LevoDesk offers an incredible bang for your buck in the standing desk market. Starting at S$748 for the 120cm base model, it is one of the more affordable options you can find in Singapore that offers a wide height adjustment range. Most affordable options usually offer a limited height range of 70-120cm. If you’re not very tall, you will definitely find the ability to lower the desk to 66cm to be very helpful in creating an ergonomic typing posture.
Furthermore, the walnut finish of the Izara Wood collection looks really natural and I really like the matte look of it. Do take note that there are no smart features on the APOL LevoDesk such as reminders to stand or tracking or standing duration. The APOL LevoDesk is simply a desk that offers height adjustment functionality with a built-in grommet for cable management. The only drawback of the APOL LevoDesk is its shorter warranty period vs the competition, which probably is the reason for its lower price point.
If you’re interested in getting the APOL LevoDesk, I’d personally recommend getting at least the 140*73cm size since the usage of the grommet can eat into some of the table depth as well. At S$778 for the 140cm size, I think it is a really good price.