The Uplift V2-Commercial Standing Desk has the best combination of features, build quality, and customer support for the price. It also has the widest height range (26.1 inches) of all the desks we tested, and because it starts at a lower height than competing models (22.6 inches), it’s a better fit for folks 5-foot-2 and under. It moves quickly between positions and was stable in both our front-to-back and side-to-side movement tests, thanks in large part to its crossbar. Uplift offers hundreds of configurations of desk materials and colors, and the inch-thick bamboo desktop we tried out was most testers’ favorite, particularly when it was configured with a curved front (a $20 add-on). The desk is backed by a seven-year warranty, and customer service was surprisingly fast to respond to us over both live chat and email.

One of the complaints we heard from readers on previous versions of this guide was that most adjustable-height standing desks don’t accommodate people who are below average height, particularly women. The V2-Commercial desk supports ergonomic sitting and standing postures for 5th-percentile-tall females through 95th-percentile-tall males. It’s called “Commercial” because it meets the ANSI/BIFMA G1-2013 ergonomic height standard for office furniture, which many companies require. Creating a workstation that fits you properly is a delicate balance between setting the right chair height, desk height, and monitor height; for most people, the V2-Commercial will solve the desk-height issue.

The Uplift V2-Commercial was notably more stable than other desks we tested, including the Uplift V2 Standing Desk, which lacks a crossbar. It’s remarkably solid in side-to-side movement at all heights, and we didn’t notice any significant front-to-back wobble until the desk height topped 45 inches (the ideal height for a 6-foot-2 person who’s standing). All standing desks wobble at taller heights, but the V2-Commercial was the second-best performer in our stress tests after the Vari Electric Standing Desk.

In previous guides, we preferred Uplift’s V2 standard frame over the commercial frame because there was a hefty $200 price difference, but now that the sturdier frame is more affordable—a mere $60 bump, at this writing—we think the added stability is worth the investment, especially if you’re of average to below-average height.

Uplift’s control keypad was the best of the bunch. We tested the advanced comfort keypad, which adds four memory positions and a velvety touch to the keys for an extra $40, but Wirecutter editor Ben Keough has an Uplift desk with the clicky, non-comfort advanced digital memory keypad (a $30 upcharge) and says it’s also a pleasure to use. We recommend that everyone upgrade to one of these over the included basic keypad, which only goes up and down and doesn’t store favorite heights. The four memory presets are the same as Fully’s and one more than Vari offers, and like the Jarvis keypad, it has a child-lock feature so little ones can’t change your desk height even when they’re tempted by the buttons. (I’ve accidentally raised or lowered the desk myself—during conference calls—so the lock comes in handy even if you don’t have children.)

While raising and lowering the desk was mostly trouble-free, the desk did glitch on us a few times, stuttering when we pressed the keys continuously before resuming smooth motion. We’re not sure whether the issue stemmed from the keypad or the control box, but Uplift support was quick to troubleshoot and offer a replacement unit. Since our other V2 desk worked perfectly, we simply chalked this up to a dud part—something that experience tells us can happen with even the best products. We’re satisfied that Uplift will make it right in the unlikely case that you experience a similar issue.

When we contacted Uplift support on other occasions—as an anonymous customer with a generic Gmail address—representatives were courteous, informative, and quick to respond. The other manufacturers we contacted during the course of testing were helpful as well, but they don’t offer live chat support.

Most bamboo desktops we tested looked good and felt smooth, but Uplift’s 1-inch-thick desktop was the clear favorite for most of our testers. The variegated light and dark grooves look great and are particularly noticeable if you choose the contoured desk shape. This desktop looks and feels substantial, too, and after long-term testing for over a year, we’ve found that its lamination has yet to show any notable nicks or scratches.

For this round of testing, the Uplift V2-Commercial and standard V2 desks were both 72 inches wide, while the Jarvis and Vari were 60 inches wide. Although the larger desks cost more, our testers didn’t notice any significant difference in the experience of using any of the desks because of the desktop size, since the desks were outfitted with the bare minimum of equipment. With the desks standing side by side, a couple of testers noted that the larger desks seemed almost too big to fit well in typical home offices, so we recommend that you measure the space your desk will occupy before ordering.

Uplift provides a few more options in looks, functionality, and add-ons than Fully does for our runner-up pick, and far more than most other standing desk makers. The company can make your desktop of bamboo, rubberwood, powder-coated wood composite, reclaimed wood, or various solid woods, or even finish it with a whiteboard laminate coating (prices vary by surface type). Most of those options allow for a handful of sizes, four leg colors, your choice of grommet covers (powered or unpowered, with three color choices), and three matching keypad colors.

You get a couple of free accessories with your desk purchase, and although they shouldn’t be a deciding factor for a purchase this big, they’re certainly a bonus. Uplift’s standing desk mat is nowhere near as good as our pick or even our budget pick, but it’s handy to have when you first get your desk unpacked, and it could transition to light duty in the kitchen or garage once you replace it with a better model. A free bamboo or colored plastic desk organizer set is useful, too.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

The Uplift V2-Commercial isn’t quite as stable as the Vari Electric Standing Desk—the most stable standing desk we tested—at its highest settings, but it is more than stable enough for most people and provides the best combination of stability, looks, and features. That said, if you’re a particularly aggressive typer, if you tend to move forcefully, or if you can’t tolerate a bit of monitor wobble or coffee rippling in a cup, consider the Vari.

We found the crossbar, which adds to the desk’s stability, to be a benefit for some people and an annoyance for others. One 5-foot-5 tester said she liked the crossbar because she could use it as a footrest while sitting. Others, including a 6-foot-3 tester, didn’t like their legs bumping into it.

Similarly, while many testers liked the curved desktop option because it allowed them to get in closer to their keyboard and monitor, one tester thought it was a waste of space and brought them in too close. Thankfully, Uplift offers many desktop size and shape configurations.