Way back when, as I was getting back into writing, I started a series of articles cleverly titled Desk Upgrades, or some variation of that. In them, I documented whatever weird or wacky items I stumbled upon during my Amazon side quests. They are always a lot of fun to write, but let’s be honest, this stuff is not cheap. Luckily, this time around, I had some help from, you guessed it, my parents.
The Desk
After three long years, the time finally came to replace my desk. This time, I was stepping up to the major leagues with FlexiSpot. I have been an admirer of the brand, and sit and stand desks in general, for a long time. The price always held me back though, especially as a high schooler and college student. With Black Friday deals lined up alongside my birthday and the holidays, I finally managed to snag a deal on the E6 frame and a 71-inch tabletop.
Of course, nothing is ever that simple.
A well-known fact in the FlexiSpot community is that the pre-drilled holes in their tabletops, if you are lucky enough to get them, are more like suggestions than actual placement guides. After hours of frantically trying to extend the frame in ways that made absolutely no sense, I finally worked up the courage to drill into the tabletop myself. All things considered, it went pretty well, until I got a little too ambitious and tried adding support screws.
Thankfully, FlexiSpot came in clutch and offered to send me a replacement tabletop free of charge.
The Surface
The desk was not the only thing that changed. I also made several upgrades to the surface, starting with a new monitor. This time, I opted for a gaming monitor, mainly because I have been toying with the idea of building a gaming PC. With RAM prices doing what they are doing right now, that plan may be on hold.
The monitor is a 34-inch curved ultrawide from Acer. It runs at up to 144Hz, supports 4K, and looks absolutely stunning. I did have to download an app called BetterDisplay to get it working properly with my Mac, but once everything was configured, it worked perfectly.
Another change was the desk shelf. The old shelf had a dark oak or walnut finish to match my previous desk. Since the new desk has a natural wood finish, I wanted the shelf to match. I picked up an eight dollar peel-and-stick vinyl wrap from Amazon, applied it carefully, trimmed the edges, and just like that, I had a brand-new-looking desk shelf for about the price of a Big Mac meal. I also wound up designing some custom legs for the stand to accommodate the Mac Studio with the Satechi USB-C hub+SSD enclosure. The model is available on MakerWorld, for those that are interested.
Other additions are less exciting, like bringing back a monitor arm. I am considering upgrading to an arm that could support both the ultrawide and one of my 27-inch monitors in a vertical setup. I am not entirely sure how that will work, especially since I still want to add speakers. A dual-monitor setup may end up eating into that space, particularly with an ultrawide monitor. Time will tell.
Not *Exactly* Desk Related...
If the desk itself was not the biggest upgrade, this next one definitely gives it a run for its money, the Bambu Lab A1. Much like standing desks, I have been fascinated by 3D printing for years and always wanted to get into it. After my trip to California, I finally took the plunge, and it has been an absolute blast.
One of the first things I printed was a cable management system called Underware. It mounts to the underside of the desk and lets you route cables cleanly without relying on Velcro or awkwardly hiding everything along the frame. Cable management is still very much a work in progress, but this system has been a great start.
I am not using the printer only for cable management, though. On my old desk, I 3D printed a drawer, and I plan on doing the same thing here. I may even use the Underware system for it this time. I also printed the same setup for underneath the desk shelf. I am not sure it will be used for much more than holding a dock and routing a few cables, but having it there is a nice comfort.
Back to the Desk
After a few days of waiting for the replacement tabletop to arrive, I cautiously resumed the installation process. I was extremely nervous mounting the frame again, mostly because I did not want to crack the surface. I am still not entirely convinced that the first crack was completely my fault.
What would probably take an experienced builder about 20 minutes took me nearly six hours. I slowly and deliberately drilled new holes into the tabletop because, unsurprisingly, the pre-drilled holes were almost entirely useless, except for the sit and stand control.
In addition to the frame mounting holes, I also drilled holes for the Underware system. This was by far the most nerve-wracking part of the entire process. Unlike the pilot holes for the frame, the desk started to crack slightly with each drill. I worked slowly and methodically, left small gaps where needed, and skipped a few mounting points altogether to avoid risking further damage.
I will probably need to crawl back under the desk to refine a few of the holes and make sure everything sits flush. Still, for my second-ever attempt at drilling into anything, I would call it a success. Knock on wood.
On the Horizon
It probably will not surprise anyone to hear that I already have more upgrades planned, both big and small. Many of the smaller changes will be 3D printed, which I am excited to experiment with. Cable management remains an ongoing battle, so I am sure I will continue finding new ways to make my life more difficult.
As I say in every desk upgrade article, a desk setup is never truly finished. At the time of writing, I already have a few items on the way. The most exciting of them all is a set of desktop speakers.
It feels a little cheesy thanking a company that does not know who I am and did not sponsor this article, but I genuinely want to thank FlexiSpot for how understanding they were throughout this process. I am sure they deal with plenty of customer service issues, and I truly appreciated how supportive they were in sending a replacement tabletop.
Finally, a huge thank you to my parents for this incredibly generous Christmas and birthday gift. I love you guys. Team Albany.
That is all I have for this one. It was a long read, but desk upgrade articles always are. You know what you are signing up for when you click in, right? Anyway, I am off to tinker some more.