Zen Space Desk Review
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Stable and unique-looking, the Zen Prosstanding desk proves ideal for home office setups. Above all, the desk impresses me with its build quality, especially since it’s made right here in Australia.
Quick Verdict
Our Rating:
4.2/5.0
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Bottom Line:
Great value for money for bamboo or hardwood desktops persuaded me to go for The Zen Pro Series Standing Desk. Available in different materials and with a compact footprint, this desk stands out with its excellent price, durable materials, impressive warranty, and great financing plans. I’ve also chosen the Zen Space Desks for the option to pay later through installments Zen Space Desk facilities through Afterpay and other financing platforms.
Who Should Buy The Zen Space Pro Desk?
With its flexible payment arrangements, the Zen Space Pro standing desk is ideal for those who need a reliable workstation without having to save up for the entire cost. Whilst the Zen Space desk is not the cheapest option available in the Australian market, the ability to pay in installments using Afterpay, Zip, or Klarna makes the desk more affordable.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Great range of hardwood materials to choose from.
- Flexible payment options including Afterpay.
- Very high weight capacity.
Cons:
- Need to pre-order – there is a 4-week time.
- You can’t test out the desk in stores (albeit there’s a 100-day money-back guarantee).
- Shipping is not free ($79.95).
Specifications
| Price | $949 – $1,999 |
| Place of Manufacture | Australia |
| Type | Electric dual motor standing desk |
| Load Capacity | 140kg |
| Maximum Height | 127.5cm |
| Installation | Requires assembly |
| Warranty | 10 years |
| Shipping | $79.95 to anywhere in Australia |
ZenSpace Desk Compared and Alternatives
Overall Rating
5/5
With a 100-day trial and free returns on top of the 10-year warranty, the PRO series from UpDown is hard to pass up and one of the best standing desks in Australia.
Overall Rating
4.9/5
A top-quality Australian standing desk that provides advanced practicality and functionality with its industry-leading cable management system and power options.
Overall Rating
3.9/5
Artiss standing desks are a viable option for the cost-sensitive Australian who doesn’t need or want the bells and whistles of a premium brand.
What We Liked:
As one of the best standing desks available to Australians, the Zen Space Pro offers plenty of strengths that we found during our review.
- Financing options make it more attractive: The Pro series of desks are not the cheapest options where prices start from $949 and are as much as $1,999 for the hardwoods. If you can’t get them heavily discounted during a sale, then the flexible payment arrangement make the cost more appetising. Zen Space is one of the very few manufacturers that support Afterpay.
- Excellent choice of desktop materials: Affordable melamine, natural-looking bamboo, and real hardwoods are available as desktop materials.
- Great weight capacity: The Zen Space Pro matches the industry standard load capacity of 140kg.
What We Didn’t Like:
Here are some of the cons of the Zen Space Pro desk.
- Few accessories that match the hardwood desktops: Accessories such as the high riser and set of drawers only come in the bamboo or black/white finish. If you want more surfaces that match your teak or walnut desktop then you’re out of luck.
What Is Zen Space?
Zen Space is a Brisbane-based manufacturer of electric-driven height-adjustable desks. The company produces a line of various standing desks for work and gaming, desk frames, ergonomic chairs, and accessories to build out your workstation. The Mornington headquarters in Brisbane typically permits the viewing and testing out their range provided you contact them beforehand to organise a suitable time. They have two warehouses located in Westmeadows, Melbourne, and Port of Brisbane, Brisbane if you live nearby for pick-up orders.
Zen Space is one of the leaders in the Australian market space by offering high-quality materials and construction, an industry-leading 10-year warranty, and a 100-day money-back guarantee. They are particularly prominent on social including Facebook.
My Thoughts On The Zen Pro Standing Desk
Unique hardwood tabletops
In addition to the standard bamboo and melamine desktops on offer, you can also choose from four hardwood finishes if you prefer the natural look of wood grains. Natural rubberwood, teak, premium walnut, and walnut stain rubberwood are the choices available for every size of standing desk and these can be paired with the classic looks of the black or white legs and frame.
For a reputable provider of electric-standing desks, you would expect for hardwoods to be a feature amongst its products. And Zen Space certainly delivers in this regard. The tabletops of all its hardwood tops have been milled to perfection leaving a silky smooth surface on which to work. One thing to note, is the corners are quite pointy and not curved like some other providers.
Customisable desk sizes
A unique service offered by Zen Space is their ability to make a desktop in custom sizes and shapes. Customising your sit-stand desk is able to be achieved for melamine and some hardwoods, with the exception of bamboo and rubberwood finishes.
If you have a space that will benefit more from being filled out better rather than opting for a standard-size standing desk, then Zen Space becomes a real option. Contacting the customer team and asking for a quotation is the first step.
Flexible payment terms
By price alone, the Zen Space Pro desk isn’t the cheapest standing desk in Australia. This might be why the company supports flexible payment terms where customers can cover their purchases using Afterpay, Zip, or Klarna. By doing this, you can pay in more manageable instalments which is a feature that not commonly offered in the Australian market.
Plenty of accessories to choose from
Monitor arms, cable trays, and even a hammock footrest are available to purchase alongside your Pro desk. The suite of good standing desk accessories includes all the popular ones including a cable management channel, power rails, an anti-fatigue mat, and two types of monitor arms that can hold one or two computer screens.
A child lock feature
One of my favourite Zen Space Pro desk features is the child lock option. This is a system that allows you to electronically block the digital controller so that kids or anyone else around the office or in the house may not use the desk. Children can be protected by this function and its one-button activation makes it very easy to use. You need to press and hold the M button for 8 seconds to activate this function and lock the desk in its current position. In short, the lock feature makes the Zen Space Pro a good standing desk for children.
Pricing
The Zen Space Pro line of standing desks are priced competitively but they aren’t the cheapest desk in comparison to other Australian brands. Whilst marginally more expensive than similar-sized desks we’ve tested such as the UpDown Pro Series, Varidesk, and Aussie Active desk. The advantage of Zen Space is the ability to pay in installments. As seen in the table below, we have compared the price of the Zen Space Pro desk against other popular desk brands. The key criteria were to compare desks of similar size with bamboo (or its equivalent) as the desktop material.
| Brand | Size (medium or equivalent) | Price (Bamboo or equivalent) |
|---|---|---|
| Zen Space Pro | 150 cm x 75 cm | $1,149 |
| UpDown Pro | 150 cm x 75 cm | $1,099 |
| Desky Dual | 150 cm x 75 cm | $1,299 |
| Omnidesk PRO | 150 cm x 75 cm | $1,200 |
| XDesk Encore | 160 cm x 75 cm | $1,597 |
The same can be said for its accessories. Whilst not the best-looking items on the market, they are priced fairly which doesn’t make it worthwhile to spend the time and energy to find a cheaper option elsewhere. Take the cable tray as an example. Depending on size, you can get it between $29 and $278 and save the hassle of cables running around the desktop.
However, one of the major downsides is that shipping isn’t included in the price of the desk. This is particularly annoying since almost every other standing desk brand provides free shipping. Unless you live in Brisbane or Melbourne to pick up your desk, be prepared to pay the $79.95 for delivery.
Design & Aesthetics
I feel the only worthy options from the Zen Pro Series are the hardwood and the bamboo desktops. The melamine looks generic and it may need to be replaced in the future as you want something more upmarket. The design of the wooden desktops is superb. The Ergo Edge Desktop is even better for those into long hours at work.
As previously mentioned, the design of the accessories is not the most inspiring. However, neither are those of the competition. For example, Desky, UpDown, and Zen Pro use the same power rail and headphones stand. Desky has the edge on accessories with a new line of wooden standing desk accessories (find out more in our review by clicking the link above).
Ease of Installation & Set Up
While it can seem intimidating to install without previous experience, the desk can be installed by yourself. You need to assemble the legs and connect them to the crossbar before connecting the desktop, and installing the electronics. The instructions are relatively easy to follow and the whole process can take up to 1 hour to complete.
My assembly tip: Have someone help you flip the desk on its feet once assembled. I’ve done it all myself, but accidents can happen, especially when you go for the largest desktop (180 X 75cm) as I did.
Build Quality
Impressive for the budget, the build quality is superb and the desk should last a long time. It doesn’t wobble at normal height, only at full elevation, something not many users would ever be inclined to use. Its impressive build quality is backed by a comprehensive 10-year warranty, which is a nice surprise in this price range.
Despite its smooth finishes, the hardwood tabletop can still be damaged but it takes a lot of effort to do so. I noticed the mount for the monitor arm leaves a mark that is almost unnoticeable, but this is unavoidable. It is generally scratch resistant (within reason) and coffee stains can be easily wiped off using your standard household cleaning agent and a microfibre cloth.
Performance & Functionality
Smooth and fast to adjust by height, the stand up desk feels like a quality product in everyday use.
Ease of adjustments
The Zen Pro Series desk adjusts from a minimum of 60 cm to a maximum height of 127.5 cm, which is a range that you will typically find in the Australian market. Standing at 178 cm tall, the Zen Space desktop comes to a height of 108 cm when set at the ideal standing desk elevation.
The digital height controller can be mounted to the left or right side of the desk using two screws. There is the ability to only set 3 pre-set elevations instead of the four usually given by premium desk brands. However, for the lack of pre-set options to offers, the Zen Space Pro makes up for it by utilising the fourth button as a child lock feature.
Cable management
You need to route the cables yourself when assembling the desk. Once assembled, cables are left dangling. Purchasing the additional cable management tray helps keep the desk tidy and the cable properly organised.
When you buy the cable management tray, you can opt to include 4 or 8 power plugs as optional extras, noting that the 8 plug option will not fit desks smaller than 150 cm. What this does is provide you with a designated space to put your power board and make the other cables easier to tidy up. Since your cable fit to the exterior of the cable tray, access is much simpler but it does mean that the aesthetics are less.
Accessories
You’re expected to pay for the cable management tray. While not an exclusive issue to Zen Desks, it would be nice to see all manufacturers offering these practical trays with the desk itself.
While I did buy the cable management tray and the desktop riser, I’m only partially satisfied with these accessories. Whilst relatively cheap, these aren’t the best. The monitor high riser feels unstable for large curved displays and it looks a bit cheap, especially when paired with a hardwood desktop.
An accessory I’m looking to purchase in the future includes the surface charger. This supports wireless charging right through the desktop. You can attach it to the underside of the desktop yourself with 4 small screws and eliminate having to rely on smartphone chargers around the desk.
Warranty & Returns
For a high-quality standing desk and its price tag, you would expect it to come with an industry-leading warranty and money-back guarantee. Zen Space certainly meets these expectations by offering a 10-year warranty and 100-day money-back guarantee for dissatisfied customers.
Comparable to the policies of competitors such as Omnidesk, these policies are about the best you are going to find in the Australian market.
My Customer Experience
Zen Space does state these desks are only sold on back-order as they are built to order. For me, the waiting period for my teak hardwood desk was 3.5 weeks and inside the indicated four-week period. This is why I only recommend the Zen Pro Series for buyers that aren’t in a rush, especially since there are other desks you don’t have to wait a month for, such as UpDown and Desky.
A live chatbot is available on the website, however, conversing via email yielded a better experience.
Customer Reviews
The Zen Space Pro standing desk has a rating of 3.6 from 16 Productreview.com.au reviews. This is slightly below average when compared to any other sit-stand desk in Australia. Some of the reviews also mention the low-quality power sockets which make it difficult to plug in power cables. I’ve also found these power sockets to be unattractive and cheap-feeling.
However, most users are satisfied with the build quality, especially for this price.
Frequently Asked Questions
While more affordable, Zen Pro Desks come with a 10-year warranty as opposed to a 5-year warranty on the Omnidesk Pro Desks. Both come with intuitive controllers that show current elevation levels but Zen Pro is only available on backorder while most Omnidesk Pro parts are ready stock items.
In terms of price, Zen Space standing desks sit in between UpDown and Omnidesk but are still worth the money. Their accessories are also cheaper than other brands. Additionally, Zen Space standing desks match the market-leading 10-year warranty policy for standing desks.
Zen Space standing desks come with a 10-year warranty on the frame and electronics. This is on par with most other electric desk brands where 10 years is commonly offered.
Final Thoughts On The Zen Space Pro Desk
Easy assembly, smooth dual motors, and always precise (due to the digital height reader) height adjustments make the Zen Space Pro standing desk reliable for everyday use. Its high weight capacity and unique hardwood desktops are something to consider as well. Small drawbacks such as average-looking accessories can be overlooked but you need to be prepared to wait up to 4 weeks for your Zen Pro Series as these desks are made to order. The wait might be worth it if you’re after a good bargain.
| My Criteria | My Rating |
|---|---|
| Desktop size | 5 / 5 |
| Performance | 5 / 5 |
| Desktop materials | 4 / 5 |
| Stability | 4 / 5 |
| Value for money | 3 / 5 |
