Secretlab MAGNUS Evo Desk & The Witcher Titan Evo Chair Review

For the majority of my adult working life, my workstation setup has relied heavily on an old IKEA workhorse of a desk, plus a variety of office and kitchen chairs (as well as work days from the sofa when between home offices for various reasons). I have not, in any meaningful way, invested in serious office equipment, but at my age, and with other considerations (like wanting my son to be able to work alongside me), that had to change. Secretlab came into my life late, but the MAGNUS Evo XL desk may have changed my perspective on what an office should be.

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A standing desk has long been on my radar, as the messaging about sedentary working has rung louder over the years, but I’ve found some of the options inadequate and stopped short. The MAGNUS Evo is the first desk of its kind that I’ve used, and it’s a great bit of kit that combines accessibility with the kind of dependable manufacturing quality Secretlab has built its reputation on. I was lucky enough to review the new desk, as well as a Titan Evo XL Witcher branded chair. My thoughts on both follow, and with Secretlab’s Black Friday sale now on, you can learn more details on discounts by following this link.

Pros	Cons
Intuitive design with excellent, practical new features	The lack of compatibility with the MagPad Desk Mat mean a limit on customization.
High-quality finish and no high maintenance requirements
High end design
Functionality is silent and very smartly customizable

Unboxing & Assembly Notes

The first thing to note is that the boxes that both the MAGNUS Evo desk and the Titan Evo chair come in are easily two of the largest boxes I’ve ever received in my life. But the excellent design and ergonomics work starts with the packaging, and while there’s rather a lot of material to deal with at the end, that’s only a very small drawback. The boxes are easily to unpack, with easily identifiable parts, and instructions to maintain them while assembled to avoid any damage.

The build instructions are also geared toward equipping even the most hopelessly inept (hello, that’s very much me) to breeze through construction. There are some heavier parts to the desk, especially if you go for the XL size, and you’ll need help lifting. It’s also best to get some assistance for fitting the legs, but as far as ease of build goes, it’s hard not to score the desk full marks.

The Titan Evo chair came with a huge Witcher-themed map of the Continent, which I confess I initially thought was just a bonus freebie. It took an embarrassingly long time to turn it over to find equally straightforward instructions on assembly. The construction is so intuitive, however, that the instructions feel more like support than some sort of practical exam as other furniture can.

The Secretlab MAGNUS Evo Desk Explained

The MAGNUS Evo is a new-to-market variation on Secretlab’s flagship MAGNUS Pro, with some distinct differences that it’s worth running over for longer-term Secretlab users weighing up a change. In design terms, there’s not a huge number of differences: the cable tray at the rear, underneath the desk top, doesn’t run the whole length. The Evo’s version is more like 70% of the total length. This is absolutely adequate for my needs, but it’s a difference to note.

More prominently, the magnet setup is different here: while the Pro’s entire desktop is magnetic, the Evo instead has magnetic zones. Again, this suits me: there’s a full steel strip across the rear edge that allows for accessories to be fitted, and two zones on either side of the most logical central sitting position. The magnets are strong enough to avoid frustrating movements, but easily movable with intent, should you want to move the position of accessories. That comes with the downside that you can’t customize the look of the desk with the existing Secretlab Magpad desk mats, but I actually found the sleek black design to be the right blend of functional and grown-up for my office.

The Secretlab MAGNUS Evo Desk & Accessories Review

But we’re not really here to talk about what the Evo desk is not: what it is is a smart, accessible sitting-to-standing desk that is impressively intuitive. I won’t say it’s radically transformed my working, but it certainly has dramatically altered the environment I’m working in. The standing mechanism is a godsend to anyone putting in a lot of hours at a desk, and it doesn’t require a second thought, nor anything invasive to transform from the seated position.

The desk has three programmable settings (the level of attention to detail in offering 3 rather than just 2 is commendable). Logic dictates that I set mine at a comfortable seated position, standing for my over 6-foot height (the highest height is actually perfect for me by some great fortune, so people of NBA-like height might find it low, but only them), and a second slightly lower seated position for my son to work alongside me. The movement itself is not quite silent, but it’s a lot quieter than you’d expect. It’s also a very smooth transition, with zero spillage of any of the (many) drinks I tested out on it while changing the positions. The pace of movement also feels appropriate and won’t catch anyone unawares or startle pets.

The size of the MAGNUS Evo XL was one of the biggest pluses for me ahead of time, because it means I can dual-screen comfortably and take up a little over half of the desk, while still allowing ample space for a separate PC for my 8-year-old to have his own workstation. He is yet to secure any contracts, but assures me he is committed to “build”.

Also included was a Secretlab Premium PC Mount, which comes in handy for that additional PC without taking up desktop space. The installation is a little more complex than the other accessories, because it’s not a purely magnetic setup (it couldn’t be, given the weight on it, of course), but the instructions are straightforward and in depth. It’s perhaps an odd thing to say, but the mount feels sturdy and well-made. On top of that, the Secretlab Magnetic Headphone Hanger is a simple magnetic clip-on affair to be added to either side of your seated position. So too is the Secretlab Cable Management Bundle, which offers both cable anchors and sheaths and helps keep the wire jungle that’s always an issue with the amount of additional accessories we both use managed.

Finally, there’s also the additional Secretlab MAGNUS Dual Monitor Arm included for review, which is another sturdy bit of kit in the same matt black finish. Again, the impetus is very much on ease of installation, with a simple clamp and top mount screw. The dual arms have a wide field of movement, allowing for a lot of customization, with snap-on sheaths to hide cables. In short, with all the Secretlab products here, you very much feel they’re catering to people who want to eradicate as many visible, unmanaged cables as possible. And I’m here for it.

The Witcher Titan Evo Chair Review

I am, I confess, a newcomer to Secretlab products, but even having heard great things, I was bowled over by the quality of the chair, which came out of its box first. The design is understated and elegant (and there’s the option to buy other IP-branded covers to refresh the design), the finish exceptional, and the material easy to upkeep. The chair is also incredibly comfortable, and feels sturdy even when moving around.

It also reclines, with an easily accessible handle to the right of the seat. It’s a small thing, but not even having to bend sideways to reach that lever felt like an intentional design benefit, as you also don’t have to reach over the top of the armrest to access it. Fair warning, if you’re leaning back and choose to test out the handle, you will recline fairly quickly. A good way to test your reflexes, but consider sitting forward when reclining the chair into position. The armrests also raise for additional comfort customization.

Final Thoughts

The MAGNUS Evo XL desk is a great addition to any office. Starting at $749 (almost $250 less than the Pro), it’s worth the cost, and though the accessories come at additional cost, it’s only really the Monitor Arm I’d say is absolutely essential (and even then, computer screens have been standing on desks for decades, so it’s hardly a crime to avoid). Invest in the desk for the sake of your health (sitting for too long is a death sentence), and you’ll be impressed with the attention to detail, the intuitive design, and how good it looks.

And if you pair it with a chair, the Titan Evo chair hits the same reassuring qualities. I am very much a Secretlab convert after never really investing much in a desk setup, and it does rather feel like I’ve seen the light.

All Secretlab products were provided by the company for the purpose of this review.