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Bill Knighton3/10/20224 min read

AMQ ACTIV-PRO Standing Desk (Overview + Stability Test Review)

Our WobbleMeter stability tests feature AMQ's Activ-Pro height adjustable table base.

 

Assembly

Following the instructions available on their website, we assembled the Activ-Pro desk.

 

Assembly Notes

For the most part, assembling the Activ-Pro was a straightforward process. Except, that is, for a few things:

 

Misaligned Holes

Phase 3 (AMQ's term) gave me headaches. This step attaches the cantilevers to both the leg and stretcher bar assemblies, yet it proved most difficult.

 

Activ-Pro-off-center

 

The holes in the cantilevers didn't line up with the ones in the leg assemblies. Approximately 1/16-inch misaligned the center-line between the two holes.

In the picture to the right, the angle shown was the only way to illustrate the misalignment. However, the amount of misalignment shown is larger than in reality.

That may not sound like much, but it added significantly to the overall assembly.

 

Allen Wrenches

This complaint isn't specific to AMQ but to most adjustable height desk base manufacturers. Two out of the three included Allen keys (4 and 5 mm) are too small to use any leverage.

The largest, 8 mm, was easy to use because of its size and where it's used when attaching the two feet to the legs.

 

Set Screws

Activ-Pro-wrong-set-screws
Included, but not referenced or used.

AMQ shipped eight screws that I'm assuming are used as set screws for other base assemblies.

Ordinarily, that isn't a problem. However, those screws aren't listed among the components, nor are they included in the assembly instructions.

Setting the fixed stretcher bar width required the use of three pre-mounted inset screws instead of the extra screws.

 

Greasy Bag of Screws

 

Activ-Pro-greasy-screws

The bag containing the M10 screws used for fastening the feet to the legs had a substantial amount of grease or oil on the outside.

This may sound like a petty complaint, but there's no explanation behind the excess grease, and when reaching for the bag, it's a surprise when grabbing it.

 

Wire Management

 

Activ-pro-wire-management

The list of components contains an illustration of cable straps used for wire management. However, that's the only place where those straps are referenced in the assembly instructions.

What AMQ shipped was something entirely different: seven plastic clips. After completing Phase 7, there are no instructions for completing any wire management.

 

WobbleMeter Testing

 

RightAngle's WobbleMeter Setup

 

Our stability tests using the WobbleMeter measures the wobble of a standing desk.

Using the same methods against the same scale for a variety of desks, we compare results from a variety of standing desks manufacturers.

We share our results on the Scoreboard page. Similar to golf, the lower the score, the better.

Smaller totals mean there isn’t much wobble in the standing desk.

Click this link for an in-depth explanation of how RightAngle performs WobbleMeter tests.

 

Overview: the AMQ Activ-Pro

The description of the AMQ Activ-Pro height adjustable table from their website:

Choose your way to get ACTIV, with multiple styles and options. Dual motor ACTIV-Pro is available with 2- or 3-stage legs in T or C foot styles and ACTIV-Pro3 is your 90/120 degree option with 3 legs and 3 motors.

 

Specifications

  • Standard push button handsets with 4 memory presets
  • Width adjustable bases fit 3 work surfaces sizes
  • Fabric privacy screens clip onto work surfaces or ILINE beam
  • Legs: 3 stage, available as T or C leg
  • Legs made of 2 MM steel
  • Height range: 23.5 to 49 inches
  • Max capacity: 250 pounds
  • Speed: 1.3 inches per second
  • Decibel: 50<
  • Anti-collision

Note: The principle behind any methodology, scientific or otherwise, is to be open to new information that requires a re-examination of previous conclusions. Based on this, we reserve the right to modify our conclusions as more information becomes available.

 

Test Results

Here are our results of the Activ-Pro, starting with the True Wobble Test.

 

True Wobble Test

The True Wobble Test is a hands-on wobble test where we place 50-pounds on the desk to simulate the weight of a monitor, keyboard, and other accessories. Using a small amount of force, we move the desk slightly to see the amount of wobble illustrated by the WobbleMeter.

 

Directional Pulls

Here are our findings for the WobbleMeter directional pulls.

46-inch Standing Height Tests

46-inch-scale


[supsystic-tables id=4]

30-inch Sitting Height Tests

46-inch-scale


[supsystic-tables id=5]

Scoreboard

Click here to compare the results of the standing desks we’ve tested.

Based on our opinion, the AMQ Activ-Pro is much more stable at lower heights. However, our wobble testing indicates much less stability at standing heights.

Overall, the Activ-Pro is the third most stable desk base we've tested.

Note: The principle behind any method, scientific or otherwise, is being open to new information that requires a re-examination of previous conclusions. Based on this, we reserve the right to change our findings as more information becomes available.


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