Flexispot Kana Bamboo Standing Desk review

Flexispot is well-known for its high-quality standing desks, and the Kana Bamboo is no different, offering a more affordable alternative to the solid wood or solid wood texture (which utilizes a blend of wood, poplar and eucalyptus) found in its E7 or E8 models. But just because it’s less expensive, doesn’t mean it’s not a viable, sturdy alternative. 

The Kana Bamboo feels great to the touch, offers a solid, gorgeous desktop, and utilizes excellent safety features that will prevent someone from getting hurt by the lifting and lowering mechanisms. While the desk is hindered by its absurd weight, wobbling at standing height and some issues I’ve found with the automatic safety feature, it is still one of the best standing desks out there. 

Standing vs sitting 

The benefits of switching between standing and sitting positions cannot be understated. If your back has taken a brutal beating, or you need to stretch your legs, it’s great to do so without leaving your desk. This helps a lot when absorbed in a gaming binge, but it’s especially useful when finishing some work, as it has directly impacted my productivity.

There’s something about standing that gives me more energy or motivation to get stuff done. It’s an immediate mental shift, where I’m encouraged to stop idling and instead feel a desire to engage with my work directly. It’s easy to get distracted by conversations in chats, or to stare at my screen, overwhelmed with uncertainty on what to write while I’m sitting. Being seated is a state of relaxation, so it feels like an extra push is required to work. But as soon as I hop up on my own two legs, blood is pumping and I’m ready to write.

It’s also great when playing Dungeon & Dragons online with friends, as standing up while orchestrating a scene that requires specific gestures, emotes, or body language enhances the potency of the game. It’s difficult to completely get into character while sitting down, and a standing desk changed the quality of my roleplaying as a result.

This might make it sound like standing is the ultimate method of deskwork, but that’s unfortunately not the case. Standing is great… until it isn’t, which is when your legs get tired or your back becomes sore from keeping itself straightened out. Standing is exhausting, which is why swapping easily between either position makes these desks useful.

Flexispot Kana Bamboo pricing and configurations 

Flexispot desks offer an absurd level of customization, and the Kana Bamboo is no exception. You can check out the multitude of configurations in-depth on Flexispot’s website, but we’ll go over the most important bits here. 

The Kana Bamboo starts at $349.99 with a size of 48 x 24-inches, which comes with a basic touchpad (only goes up or down), an E1 frame supporting up to 154lbs that can lift or lower from 28 to 47.6-inches, and a rectangular desktop shape.

The Kana Bamboo we received for review comes in at $819.99 with a size of 60 x 30-inches, a premium touchpad (with height memory presets), the E7 frame supporting up to 355lbs that can lift or lower from 22.8 to 48.4-inches, and a rectangular desktop shape.

Flexispot Kana Bamboo setup 

Building the Kana Bamboo wasn’t a problem, as the steps to put this thing together are surprisingly easy to follow. Flexispot did a great job ensuring it came in the correct segmented parts, and although I normally get frustrated at some point during most of my building projects, this one was relatively stress free.

However, that wasn’t the case for any aspect of this project that didn’t involve building. These desks are incredibly heavy, and moving it into my house was a huge undertaking. Just moving the bottom portion alone required two people and was still a massive struggle, but then you also have the desktop itself in a separate box. 

If you intend to purchase a Flexispot desk, and do not have someone on hand to assist you, I’d recommend waiting until you can get some help.

Flexispot Kana Bamboo design and ease of use 

The Kana Bamboo is a chemical-free desktop made with 100% bamboo, which is six times more sturdy than normal wood, according to Flexispot. It’s smooth to the touch, to the point where I find myself rubbing my fingers along it just for fun. Tapping on the surface offers a fulfilling, resonant knock, which is a huge improvement over the hollow echo from some cheaper “wood” desks. 

Our 60 x 30-inch review configuration offers plenty of space to work with, but this model can be configured to be 48 x 24, 55 x 28, 72 x 30, or 78 x 30 depending on your needs. Regardless, there’s plenty of space to get work done, especially if you find yourself steeped in as much clutter as I do.

The dual-motor lifting mechanism is fast and reliable, remaining relatively quiet and it can hold up to 355lbs. The E7 possesses a three-stage mechanism to clear even more distance than other legs, as it can lift or lower between 22.8-inches to 48.4-inches. The console is also wonderful, offering a sleek display to change the height of the desk and bind those values to four different memory buttons. It also informs the user what distance the desk is at through a counter in the middle.

While the mechanical legs are sturdy, they run into some trouble when at standing height. To be fair, I’m 5’11, so my version of “standing height” is rather high, but it’s annoying when casually typing on my keyboard causes everything atop the desk to wobble. It doesn’t take much force to make the whole desk move back and forth, and I can always tell there’s a significant difference in sturdiness as its legs the further up I go.

On the other hand, the desk is sound when at sitting level. I’ll sometimes notice my monitor wobble, but only when I type aggressively, and if I try to move the desktop around, it takes a lot of effort for it to budge even a little bit.

Flexispot Kana Bamboo special features

The Flexispot Kana Bamboo features an anti-collision safety system that causes the desk to move in the opposite direction if it detects a certain level of pressure against it. Essentially, if I keep my legs beneath the desk and accidentally lower it down on myself, it will move in the opposite direction very shortly after colliding with my knees.

This is a great system to prevent accidents, but it’s not infallible and shouldn’t be relied on without caution. There is a minimum amount of pressure required for it to kick in, which means that anything beneath a certain threshold will not cause it to activate. This is a very powerful desk and should not be underestimated, and after some testing with varying levels of pressure, it could absolutely do some damage to pets, small children, knees, or fingers. The anti-collision most commonly kicks in when there is a strong force pushing against it, so it’s far from perfect, but it’s better than not having it all.

Flexispot Kana Bamboo warranty 

The length of your warranty depends entirely on what you’ve purchased. For example, the E7 and E8 height adjustable desk frames boast a 15 year warranty, whereas the E3 and E5 only get 10 years. Everything else is five years, so at a minimum, a frame has five years of coverage. 

Bamboo desktops feature a five-year warranty if they were purchased after April 1 of this year;every other type of desktop only gets two years of coverage. However, this warranty mostly just covers defects of workmanship or material. Flexispot is even willing to replace the damaged part with no extra cost if that is the case.

Conditions relating to standard wear and tear, improper installation, misuse, abuse, or accidents are not covered under these warranties. You’re pretty much only looking at coverage if the fault was with Flexispot’s product as shipped.

Bottom line 

Swapping between standing and sitting is not only great for physical health, but each position lets you work or play in different ways. And the Flexispot Kana Bamboo, like any great standing desk, will change your productivity for the better. With a sturdy desktop that’s smooth to touch and features reliable mechanical legs, a lovely beige aesthetic, and a great anti-collision safety perk, this product comes together offering a worthwhile package.

It’s far from perfect though, as its absurd weight, imperfect safety features, and noticeable ricketiness at standing height make improvements more than welcome. But for anyone looking to get a sturdy standing desk, the Kana Bamboo is a great pick.