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Happen Standing Desk Review: For The Modern Office

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Reviewed by Nathaniel Lang

Last Updated December 2021

Happen Standing Desk Review

Featured Product: Happen Pillar Desk

Price: $599

The Happen Pillar Desk is unique in its genre since it requires absolutely no tools to assemble. It can be adjusted between 27” – 47” high, for a wide range of functionality. This desk comes in either white or teak, for a bit of added diversity.

Since the desktop itself is 24”D by 48”L, you can be sure to fit everything you need on it easily. And with 4 preset height options, it’s hard to go wrong with this standing desk as a contender.

Happen Standing Desk Experience

Ratings Breakdown

QUALITY

★★★★★
The Happen Standing Desk feels solid when in use and adjusting the height. Plus it has a large enough surface area to hold everything needed. But they lack substantial transparency regarding the materials and where it’s made.

VALUE

★★★★
This desk comes in on par with competitors, but is much easier and quicker to set up. This time saved alone makes this desk a better value than others.

CUSTOMER
EXPERIENCE

★★★★★
This desk is exceptionally easy to use and set up, plus it has a fantastic height adjustment system. The only place it’s lacking is the cable management system, which could be a bit more robust.

BRAND

★★★★★
The product this brand is providing seems to be solid, but there is no history or background on this company. Nor do they have a mission statement or any philanthropic endeavors to speak of.

Who Is Happen?

Happen is a company founded to assist with the new working at home environment a lot of us have found ourselves in recently. While there are quite a few standing desk options on the market today, Happen wanted to solve a couple of common issues with them.

Happen Office Company

The first issue included ease of assembly. Their solution was to create a no tools required standing desk that could be put together in a couple of minutes. The company was able to achieve this by setting the legs a bit off center underneath the desktop. This action allowed the desk to be shipped in one solid piece as well as created more stability with the desk itself. 

The other issue was creating a quieter lift system that would still operate smoothly and quickly, but also quietly. They were able to do this with a hydraulic lift operation and also gave their desk a wider range of lift distances than a lot of their competitors. These two things alone helped the brand realize that they could be a strong competitor in this market and also help make consumers’ lives a bit easier at the same time.

Pros

  • Super fast set up
  • No tools required
  • Quiet hydraulic motor
  • Intuitive control panel
  • Hidden cable management system
  • Great weight capacity
  • UL Certified
  • Free shipping

Cons

  • Lacks brand transparency on website
  • Could add some upgrades to the cable management system

Happen Standing Desk Assembly And Performance

Unboxing Happen Standing Desk

I’ve been looking forward to having a standing desk for quite some time. So, when I heard about the Happen Standing Desk that required no tools for assembly, I decided to pull the trigger.

It came quickly in one box and getting the desk in the mail was a really exciting day for me. The box was pretty heavy, and while I moved it myself, I probably shouldn’t have. It’s definitely a two person moving job, as the boxed desk weighs in at 93 pounds. Out of the box, it’s only a bit lighter weighing in at 85 pounds. Either way, this is definitely not a one man job.

Standing Desk Assembly

Opening up the box setup was really easy. It only required 5 steps and absolutely no Allen key. Woo hoo!

Assembling Happen Standing Desk

All I had to do was fold up the legs, lock them down, and then tilt the desk out of its upside down position. Finally, I had to attach the control panel for the height adjustment. And boom, I was ready to rock!

They do hold up to their promise that this desk can be set up in two minutes flat. I set up the desk in under 10 minutes, while also taking photographs of the whole process.

Standing Desk Operation

Everything on the desk worked exactly how I expected it to. The control panel allowed me to adjust the desk to a maximum height (47”) and a minimum height (27”). The control panel also allowed me to save different presets. This will come in handy when I go from sitting to standing to sharing things with coworkers.

Standing Desk Controls Happen

I wanted to see how loud the lifting mechanism was so I measured how loud the desk is when it’s being raised. First, I took a baseline room measurement of 26 dB.     

quiet standing desk

When I was operating the desk it maxed out at 58 dB. This means that it does create a barely noticeable noise when adjusting the height of about 30 dB. However, I was really impressed by how quiet this was. And at a speed of 1.5 in./s, it can rise and lower pretty swiftly.

Standing Desk Experience

I really appreciate the way that the desk plugs into the wall with a single cord. Everything tucks up nicely inside of the cord panels.

time to assemble standing desk

Although I like this cord panel feature, there are some modifications that I do want to make to the desk. I need to add a power strip so I can power more devices, such as a monitor or laptop computer. I want these to be tucked up underneath the desk with a single wire running out to the outlet. Therefore, my biggest upgrade for this desk would be to integrate a power strip and power management. 

I’ve been using the happen desk for about a month in conjunction with my branch ergonomic chair. I couldn’t be happier with the functionality and ease of this desk. Plus it just looks really nice in my office.

standing desk lowest setting
standing desk tallest setting
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Is The Happen Standing Desk Good Quality?

Happen doesn’t appear to have many certifications to help consumers make an educated decision regarding the how and the where of their desk. However, they do have one certification which can help instill confidence in their brand a bit.

foldable standing desk legs

Their Pillar desk UL Certified to BIFMA standards. What this means is that the desk, and all of its components have gone through rigorous testing by the UL accrediting body. This certification denotes that the products certified are considered sustainable.

Just this fact alone helps instill a bit of confidence regarding the overall quality of the desk. And their 5 year warranty doesn’t hurt either.

Is The Happen Standing Desk Worth It?

In my humble opinion, the Happen Standing Desk is definitely worth it. It was so quick and easy to set up, and I love how quiet it is when I want to raise or lower it. The extra large desktop size doesn’t hurt either because I’m able to put everything I need on it and still have a bit of extra room.

happen standing desk instructions

The price point is on par with other standing desks I’ve researched in the past. And those desks take much more time, and tools, to set up. Plus, they don’t appear to be nearly as quiet as this one is. The UL certification they have denoting the sustainability of their product helps boost my confidence in the overall product, even if I don’t know much else about them.

Happen Coupons & Discounts

Currently, Happen is offering $100 off on their standing desk. Sometimes they run Facebook ads to promote their product also, so that might be another good place to check.

happen standing desk payment options

FAQS

For any consumer considering a standing desk, the choices are fairly abundant these days. So, before you make a decision, we wanted to answer some of the most common questions consumers have about Happen desks specifically.

Happen Standing Desk Review Summary

Overall, if you’re in the market for a standing desk then the Happen Pillar Desk may just be worth a second glance. This desk is fantastic for versatility, desktop storage, durability, and just overall aesthetics. The fact that it can vary by 20” in height makes this desk a strong contender in the realm of stand up desks.

great standing desk

If you want something that is quick and easy to put together, I’m not sure if there’s another standing desk on the market that compares. Plus, I love that I don’t have to add one more Allen key to my already burgeoning supply.