A new adjustable standing desk for gamers or creatives: The Blacklyte Atlas Lite
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The Atlas Lite is the latest adjustable desk from Blacklyte – a Canadian company that looks to take on the big boys in the gaming furniture market – though you don’t need to be a gamer to enjoy this sleek-looking table, which would fit perfectly into any office setup.
We’ve already had the pleasure of taking the standard adjustable Atlas Gaming Desk for a spin; unlike that model, the Lite variant does not have synchronized RGB or a magnetic surface with full-size surface pad mouse mat, however, it is available for a lot less money (almost half the price in fact). Many people prefer a more stripped-back experience with a more minimalist design regardless, and the Lite caters to this market; the fact that it’s substantially cheaper is a very nice bonus! The Atlas Lite is also available in different colors and sizes, whereas the standard variant is not.
Whichever option you go for, they all pair beautifully with the Blacklyte Athena Pro chair that we reviewed earlier this year, which offers a cheaper alternative to SecretLab chairs and the like, whilst actually having superior lumbar support. Like this chair, the Atlas Lite does incorporate design elements from the Secretlab Magnus Desk, although Blacklyte branding is delivered throughout with a tactful flair.
You can currently pick up one of these top-notch tables from the Blacklyte store for £94 off the usual asking price, bringing the asking price down to £376!
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Size & Color Options
The Atlas Lite comes in three colors: Obsidian Black, Moonstone White, and Natural Oak (a wooden table-top with white legs). Although we only got to see the white option in person, all three look pretty slick and well-suited to either a gaming-focused or more reserved office setup.
Similarly, there are three size options: Medium (1400mm x 800mm), Large (1600mm x 800mm), and Extra Large (1800mm x 800mm). We got to try out the Medium option, which is the one that will likely suit most people – it certainly gives ample room for a dual-monitor setup along with any speakers, monitor arms, or secondary tiered monitor stands you may wish to add.
With a consistent depth of 800mm, all size options are deeper than the regular Atlas Desk (which is 700mm), though the Medium option of the Lite has a lower width than the 1500mm of the standard Atlas.
Assembly
The assembly of the Atlas light is nice and straightforward, and it’s possible to do it on your own, although we’d generally advise having an additional person on hand to help you turn it over and move it into place without damaging either the table or any of your nearby furnishings. If you’ve done this sort of thing before, you could probably put the whole thing together in less than 45 minutes.
The desk comes in two boxes: one that contains the main table section and another that houses the legs with the inbuilt motor. All the tools you need (a Phillipshead screwdriver and an Allen key), plus the screws, are included in two smaller brown boxes that you’ll find within. The bags containing the screws are helpfully labelled with letters that correspond to the included instruction booklet, making the construction process that much easier.
You also get some sticky cable ties to help you tidy away the wiring that powers the leg motors, plus a pair of grippy-textured gloves in case you want to keep your hands and/or desk as clean as possible when you’re putting it together.
Adjustability
The black desk control unit can be placed on the left or right, depending on your preference. It has up and down arrow buttons that enable you to increase or decrease the height of the table between 700mm (27.5-inches) and 1170mm (46-inches). The taller settings enable it to be used as a standing desk if you like, which can be better for your posture – the ideal being to switch between both sitting and standing within the same day, which is nice and easy with these controls.
The four number buttons (1,2,3,4) are memory shortcuts – allowing you to save preferential height settings (perhaps different ones for different users) and easily switch between them, without having to remember them.
The transitions between the different heights are nice and smooth, and the motor is whisper quiet, meaning no noise disruption to your working environment.
Materials & build quality
The majority of the desk is made from metal: specifically Q235 Steel with Powder Coating. The table-top itself is made from MDF.
The desk supports an impressive max weight of 265lb/120kg, so you could almost certainly lie on it if you fancied an impromptu bed. We found it to be a nice and stable platform to work on with minimum wobble, even at max height if you lean on it. The heavy duty legs definitely help with this.
Warranty & returns
The desk comes with a very nice three year warranty, which should bring you some piece of mind. All orders from the Blacklyte store fall within a 30-day returns policy; you also get free shipping on all orders from the Blacklyte online store.
Our setup
We paired the Blacklyte Atlas Lite with the aforementioned Athena Pro chair – the black of the chair contrasting nicely with the white desk. Our PC and monitor setup were also black, with more lightly colored peripherals, and the whole thing looked very nice indeed.
We tested this arrangement at various sitting heights, and it worked great with different members of our team with differing levels of vertical endowment, shall we say. We also tested the desk at standing height without the chair for working and gaming – an option that’s very useful for those of us with back issues (or those who want to prevent getting such issues) – and it worked very nicely for this as well.
Where to buy the Blacklyte Atlas Lite?
As mentioned, there is currently a sale on at the Blacklyte store for 20% off the usual asking price, which is a damn fine deal indeed. Also, at the time of writing, there aren’t many other retailers currently selling the Lite variant, so the official store remains the best place to buy this product.
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