As seen on PC Gamer: FNATIC X CHOPVALUE REVIVE PRO RECYCLED GAMING DESK
When working from home a standing desk is a seriously useful piece of kit. Not only can you use it to help give your day some variety with the sitting and then the aforementioned standing, but they also provide options in other ways. Changing the height can make it easier to fit storage like draws, or even perhaps your weirdly huge tower PC, underneath your desk. I've been sold on the standing desk life for a while now, and a carbon negative one like what the Fnatic x ChopValue(opens in new tab) Collaboration is definitely worth giving a look to.
Most of the deal with the Fnatic x ChopValue Revive Pro desk is that it's made out of recycled chopsticks. It's an eco-friendly sorta desk, you know? I love that you can see that in its finish. All the splinted different colours of wood come together to make a nice sort of butcherblock styled top but with a lot more interest.
Just about enough space for all my gaming gear. (Image credit: Future)
When purchasing the desk you can choose what logos you want to have emblazoned on your chop top. It comes with ChopValue and Fnatic logos embedded into the wood, as well as a count of how many chopsticks were used at the far left of the desk. At the front to the right is a special spot, just for you to make your own mark. Mine is fittingly branded with the PC Gamer logo, and it looks far cooler than I expected.
In use, the tougher feeling desktop adds a nice boost of confidence, so I don't worry about moving things around so much. I've tried to scratch it to no avail, which is definitely nicer than accidentally causing damage. The desk controls for raising and lowering the table top is almost identical to most standing desk models and allows for your up down, and programmable levels of customisation. This is all a fairly standard affair from what I've seen and works as expected.
Though I'm going to say that one of the other standing desks I have plenty of experience with, the Vari Electric Standing Desk(opens in new tab), beats out the Fnatic x ChopValue Revive desk when it comes to price. The Pro ChopValue desk model I'm reviewing has a desktop that measures 65cm x 117.5cm for $1,075 USD. That's a little bit smaller than the similar Vari model which is sub-$1,000. That's not a huge price difference, but it's still noticeable. And for those of us in Australia that price difference gets much higher with the Vari about half the price of a ChopValue option.
The Vari was also a bit easier to put together than the Fnatic x ChopValue Revive standing desks as it came mostly prebuilt with just the legs and table top separate. The Fnatic took a bit longer to piece together, but its parts were easier to wield thanks to being in smaller chunks. The top of the Revive was also packed ultra securely with many layers to buffer against damage. I dented the Vari desktop moving a monitor on its veneer, but haven't had that issue yet with the Revive. This is important given half of what you're paying for in these desks is their lovely customisable desktop.
Generally the ChopValue desk offers a much more natural wood finish than the Vari's topping, as well as being a bit more unique in aesthetic, especially with all the engraving. Some of which you can even add yourself.
The ChopValue does move just a touch bit smoother and quieter than the Vari, and there's a handy cable hole at the back which lines up nicely with the included cable organiser that attaches to the bottom of the desktop to make things a bit easier to organise. It's a very small surface so the ability to keep as much of your kit off this desk is super important, and any little bit to help with that is appreciated.
The hardest part of this desk, aside from its sturdy top and metal legs, has to be the price. With most of us out here just trying to survive capitalism, this desk isn't the best bang for buck for all consumers. But if you've got the cash there's a great initiative here behind this very good desk, plus a few noticeable quality boosts in there too. It just depends on how much more you're paying for those improvements in your region as to whether or not it's worth sticking to the chop.