Staples Varidesk Buying Guide: How to Choose the Right Model for Your Situation

There is no single best Varidesk. There is a best Varidesk for your situation. That sounds like a consultant answer, but I mean it literally.

I've been an office administrator since 2020, and I manage purchasing for a 90-person company. Part of my job is deciding whether a standing desk makes sense, which model to get, and where to buy it. Staples carries Varidesk in some locations, but the online catalog is bigger than the shelf. So the first question isn't 'which model?' It's 'who is going to use it?'

Here are the three scenarios I see most often. If you're an HR manager, a remote worker, or a student with a shared desk, the right answer changes.

Scenario A: You're Buying for a Team

If you're an HR manager or office buyer, you need to solve for the whole group, not the heaviest user. That changes the decision more than anything else. In 2024, I bought 30 Varidesk converters for a finance team. Full electric standing desks would have been ideal on paper, but we didn't have the budget or the time to replace every existing work surface. The realistic option was a converter on top of the desks we already had.

What most people don't realize is that a converter is not a compromise. It's a different product with a different purpose. Put another way: a converter raises whatever is already on your desk. It gives you standing height without replacing the desk below. The finance team was happy. The CFO was happy because we didn't buy new bases. The biggest mistake I made? I ordered budget monitor arms at the same time, assuming they'd work with any desk. They wobbled. I replaced them within a month. The monitor arm matters as much as the desk.

Here's the trade-off I weighed. The upside of full desks was a tailored solution for every height. The risk was budget overrun and a two-week installation delay. A converter was the middle path. If you're in this scenario, buy heavy-duty converters, test one or two with a volunteer group before rolling out to the whole floor, and skip the cheapest accessories.

For corporate orders, I usually check Staples Varidesk availability online first. Staples' product range changes, but their site makes it easy to compare sizes. Local stores may have a display model, which is useful if your committee wants to see the thing before approving the purchase.

One small thing: if your employees wear ID badges, ask them what they do with the badge when they stand. 'What is a lanyard?' seems like a silly office question, but it actually matters for desk tidiness. A lanyard is just the strap you wear around your neck for an ID badge or keys. When people take the lanyard off, it ends up on the keyboard tray. Add a small hook or tray for badge holders and it sounds minor, but it's the kind of detail that makes a desk setup feel finished.

Scenario B: You're Buying for Yourself

If this is your own desk, you can be more flexible than a corporate buyer. You don't need to satisfy 30 different heights. You just need one setup that works for you.

I went back and forth between a Varidesk converter and a full electric standing desk for two weeks—or rather, two months. I kept adding things to the cart, deleting them, adding them again. On paper, the full desk made sense. My gut said the converter would be enough. What finally broke the tie was realizing I already had a solid desk. Replacing it meant selling or storing the old one. The converter cost less and was installed in an afternoon.

If you're in this scenario, measure your desk depth before you buy anything. A converter clamps to the back edge and sits on top of the desk. If your work surface is shallow, the clamping base reduces your usable depth. My own desk is 30 inches deep, and the converter still changed the layout. I had to move my monitor arm to the left to make room for the keyboard platform. It took a few days to get used to. A full electric desk would have given me more flexibility, but not enough to justify the cost.

Honestly, I'm not sure why some Varidesk models show up at Staples and others don't. My best guess is that it comes down to shipping costs and shelf space. From a buyer's side, the important rule is to check the return policy before ordering from anywhere.

According to the OSHA computer workstation e-tool (osha.gov/etools/computer-workstations), a workstation should allow users to adjust the keyboard, monitor, and work surface. That doesn't mean every desk needs to be electric. A converter is one way to satisfy the adjustability part, provided the height range actually fits the person using it.

Scenario C: You're a Student or a Hybrid Worker

This is the scenario that most furniture guides miss. If you're a student, or you share a desk between work and school, your needs are different from a regular office user. You might be doing math homework one hour and answering email the next. The screen setup is the real driver.

Suppose you're working through linear algebra. You'll often have an eigenvector calculator open in one tab, a problem set in another, and a class notes PDF on the side. That's a lot of screen real estate. A converter gives you a second level, and that helps even if you're using a laptop. Put the laptop on the raised platform, put your notes or a physical calculator underneath, and switch between them without moving everything.

Students also tend to track their academic status constantly. If you're trying to estimate what you need this semester, a cumulative GPA calculator is one of those tools that seems simple but saves you from a spreadsheet mistake. It's not a desk accessory, but the desk is where you use it. That's why a converter with enough depth for a laptop and a separate keyboard matters more than a desk with a fancy cable tray.

And if you're on campus, you probably have a lanyard with a student ID on it. A lanyard is just the strap that goes around your neck. The plastic badge holder that comes with it scratches desks. Buy a retractable badge reel instead. It clips to the edge of the desk or your bag, and it keeps the lanyard from tangling with your cables.

How to Tell Which Scenario You're In

The quick test is simple. If someone else approves the budget and more than two people will use the desk, treat it like Scenario A. If you own the desk, rarely share it, and already like your work surface, treat it like Scenario B. If the desk has to do double duty for school and work, or if screen space is more important than having a certain look, treat it like Scenario C.

Still unsure? Go to Staples and touch a Varidesk display. Staples carries at least some Varidesk models in certain stores, and the display will tell you immediately whether the converter feels stable at standing height. I've seen people push down on the surface, wiggle it, and walk away. That test is better than reading 50 reviews. If you can't get to a Staples, order one model with a good return policy and set it up before you buy a second one.

On our last order in Q3 2024, we paid around $430 per Varidesk Pro Plus converter, not counting tax. Full electric desks ran closer to $1,100. Those numbers will change, so verify current pricing at staples.com or varidesk.com before you build a budget.

One More Thing: Spend Where People Can Feel It

I'm not saying you should buy the most expensive Varidesk just to make a statement. I am saying that quality perception is real. When I standardized the finance team on a sturdier converter, one employee said, 'Oh, this doesn't feel like the old one.' That comment was worth more than the price difference. The cheap converter had a slight rock at standing height. The Varidesk did not.

No desk will fix back pain, and no desk will make someone use it every hour. But a desk that feels solid changes how people talk about the office. If you're buying for a company, that matters. Employees meet clients and recruits. They carry your brand. A wobbly desk makes the company look careless. A well-made Varidesk makes it look like you thought about the details.

That's the rule I use now: spend money where a person's body touches the furniture. That means the surface, the height mechanism, and the accessories that actually get used.

And if you're still not sure whether to buy a converter or a full electric desk, start with a converter. You can always sell it or move it to another room. I did that with my first one—moved it to the guest room when I finally bought a full desk. No, wait: I didn't buy a full desk. I bought a second converter for the guest room because I didn't want to give up the first one. That tells you everything about which side I landed on.