Well we're not going to go that far and we would never say that about any product, but the VertDesk v3 is not a looker by any stretch. One online reviewer stated this about the BTOD VertDesk V3: 'Much as the publisher of BTOD likes to polish the turd with its deceptive reviews, we can't recommend this desk to any user.' Perhaps loundness won’t bother some consumers, but nobody wants to be that guy in the open floor plan office getting nasty stares every time he adjusts his desk. And the problem only intensifies when you add weight. The desktop is extraordinarily heavy for the power of a single electric motor. It isn’t surprising the motor sounds as strained as it does. Yet that 10-dB difference represents a tenfold increase in intensity. Most of us perceive one sound to be twice as loud as another one when they are about 10 dB apart for instance, a 60-dB air conditioner will sound twice as loud as a 50-dB refrigerator. Here’s the noise level of the VertDesk v3 against the comparably priced Evodesk, measured two feet from the front of each desk:Ĩ decibels doesn’t sound like much until someone points out how loudness and sound intensity works.

To find out just how loud, we conducted our own measurement. lists the assembly time as ranging from 30-90 minutes and we have to agree, with the longer range being much more likely.Įven the Wirecutter commented on this fact, stating “some testers in our coworking space noticed and mentioned the noise, or shot us a glance when the motor was running.”ĭata from The Wirecutter (paid affiliate site that promotes products for payment) reveals that It ran about 10 to 12 decibels louder than the other desks we tested in the same space, 65 to 67 decibels with a background average of 42 to 45 decibels. There might be an elegant solution out there, but this isn’t it. As in, you bend a metal rod by hand (or with a wrench if you have weak forearms) until you can shimmy it into the right spot on the leg opposite the motor. You have to literally and physically bend the long hex rod until it fit into the drive input holes. This is one of the most awkward requirements we’ve ever encountered. This desk has a long rod to drive the second leg that requires aligning the drive shaft through the motor housing. Then there was the granddaddy of them all issue. Why not include a self-tapping screw, which would make installing the control box without pilot holes infinitely easier? Otherwise, be sure to arm yourself with a cordless drill Have you ever tried to pierce through hard thick plastic with a lowly wood screw? It’s not easy. The issue truly lies with the type of screws supplied to do the job. On top of that, the cable box has to be installed without the aid of pilot holes. First, while screwing in the programmable switch we had to use brute force because the supplied screws were too large for the preset holes. While the instructions were decent, there were a few steps that gave us pause. It’s not what you would expect at nearly $840. In summary, it’s a heavy and bulky composite wood slab wrapped in faux wood plastic on all sides. So if you’re of average strength or below and order VertDesk v3, we definitely recommend a helping hand or two. The same giant slab of pressed wood also puts a tremendous strain on the single motor, which you’ll hear more about later. Like, watch-out-you’re-gonna-throw-your-back-out heavy. When ordering a 30” x 60” desktop made of plastic-wrapped particle board, one doesn’t expect to need to summon Greek god-like strength just to lift the thing.

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