We’re all sitting down too much - the average for an office worker is 10 hours a day - and there’s a mountain of research that says this is increasing our risk of heart disease, diabetes and obesity to name but a few. So whether it’s for health reasons or because you want to be able to spy on the next cubicle, standing desks are becoming more and more popular. But buying a completely new desk is a hassle and standing permanently may not be practical, so what you need is a height adjustable standing desk converter - and that's where Varidesk comes in. No assembly required, simply place the Varidesk on top of your existing desk and, before you know it, you’re ready to lower your risk of a heart attack and nose at what Trevor in accounts is doing.

There are tons of options available in the Varidesk range, from compact units designed for a laptop or single monitor setup, right through to the monster Exec 48 which boasts a 122cm x 71cm footprint and two separate surfaces to house your gear. I gave the Corner Cube 48 (RRP £375) a whirl, which features a two-tiered setup designed specifically for corner desks, and has a width of 122cm, depth of 85cm and weighs in at just under 30kg. With such generous proportions it easily accommodates the two 24-inch monitors, laptop, docking station and desk phone I used as a test rig. Varidesk state that the Corner Cube 48 is good for supporting up to 15.8kg at full extension - just over 44cm of lift from your normal desk height - my monitors et al weighed in at just over 11kg and stayed stable at all times. However, the Corner Cube is completely freestanding and relies solely on its own mass to stop it tipping over; so if you like to lean on your desk, this might not be the option for you.

Switching between sitting and standing is simple: using two triggers located in the handholds of the desk, you either manually pull or push to raise or lower it. The mechanism is spring assisted, so the desk requires little effort to move, and the Corner Cube can be raised in roughly 4cm increments, meaning it’s highly adjustable.

In matt black and with sleek curves, it looks great, too - I was the envy of the office - which helped when I was originally feeling a bit self-conscious about towering over my workmates.

However, there are a couple of drawbacks to the Corner Cube 48 which become apparent after you’ve worked with it for a while. There’s no cable channeling solution: my office equipment requires three separate power cables, two ethernet connections and a number of DVI and USB cables, which quickly became a mess; especially as the Corner Cube 48 requires additional slack in the cables to allow the equipment to move with the desk. A bit of electrical tape helped solve the problem, but the DIY solution is at odds with an otherwise elegantly engineered product. Secondly, it’s not great if you take a lot of handwritten notes. When raised, there is very little additional space on the lower tier for a paper pad, so those that still like to work in analogue may find it lacking in this respect.

Those two issues aside, the Varidesk Corner Cube 48 has transformed my work life for the better. At first I only stood for a few hours, but now I do so for up to 6 hours at a time - making those mid-afternoon-slumps a thing of the past. Now, I just need to look into getting a gel mat to stand on... RRP £375

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