DropTop Duo 24 review — the pinnacle of folding desks
The Pith & Stem DropTop Duo 24 is my new favorite desk because it folds closed and doesn’t take up much space at all in my bedroom where space is at a premium).
However, with a folding desk like this one, there must be some sacrifices. Thankfully, besides the high price, the drawbacks are minimal, and they do little to quell my love for this desk.
I love it so much that even though I’m moving to a much larger house next month, I will keep using the DropTop Duo 24 — it’s that incredible. Could I fit a bigger desk? Yes, but I’ve decided that this is the desk for me, and I couldn’t be happier.
My DropTop Duo 24 review will help you decide if this could be the best desk for you too or if it’s worth spending a bit more and giving up some extra space for one of the best standing desks instead.
DropTop Duo 24: Cheat sheet
- What is it? The DropTop Duo 24 is a wall-mounted folding desk with two 24-inch monitors preinstalled. Cable management is already handled, so you just need to open the box and mount it to the wall.
- Who is it for? Anyone who needs a space-saving desk but isn’t willing to sacrifice quality and performance will benefit from the Pith & Stem DropTop Duo 24.
- What does it cost? A lot. The base desk with no monitors or upgrades is $1,300. The model we reviewed, which includes two 24-inch Philips monitors, a high-end dock with a USB-C output and a whiteboard on the front, goes for $1,900.
- What do we like? Everything about the performance and functionality of the desk is incredible. The size of the workspace, handy storage cubbies, beautiful cable management and folding design all stand out.
- What don’t we like? The price is high. The folding design means you’re also sacrificing the storage that comes with a traditional desk, and it does flex a little when you put some weight on it.
DropTop Duo 24: Specs
Desktop size | 47.46in X 24.02in |
Desktop colors | White, Ash, Tan, Brown, Black |
Options | Pre-installed monitors, USB-C dock, external power outlet, customizable outside |
Max weight | 155lb |
Assembly | Pre-assembled, integrated tech and wires |
Wall compatibility | Includes brick and sheetrock mounting hardware |
Warranty | 5 years |
DropTop Duo 24: The ups
It takes a lot to get me excited about a desk. But the DropTop Duo 24 managed to do just that between the space-saving design, beautiful cable management and every other feature it offers you really can’t go wrong with this expensive yet very well-built desk.
Overall design
Looks are subjective, and what everyone likes is different, so I can’t definitively say this is a beautiful desk.
However, the DropTop Duo 24 is as close as any piece of furniture can come to being objectively beautiful.
And to create the subjective beauty you want, most aspects of the desk can be customized. Whether you want a piece of art from DropTop’s gallery, your own art, a whiteboard or any other option, you can create a look that matches your space. Then you can choose the material color from five options (they all look great) and even pick a custom trim from two options.
Sure, beauty is subjective, but with the options available for customization and overall appealing design of the folding desk, you can get as close to objective beauty as possible.
But it’s not all about the looks, as the desk performs well. Between the massive work area and choosing how high to install it when you set the desk up, you get a workstation perfectly tailored to your needs.
I use the desk without a mouse pad, and it feels good. My Corsair mouse has no issues sliding across the surface. I have a mouse pad available, but because I’m folding the desk at the end of each day, I wanted as few things to put away as possible, and the surface allows that to happen.
Dual monitor mounts
The main selling point of this particular DropTop desk is the dual monitor mounts. It has two built-in monitor mounts that move in and out at different angles. The mounts themselves are standard ones you could buy anywhere, but what makes them great is how seamless they are.
When you’re not using the desk and want to fold it, the arms are exactly the right size to let the monitors sit flush inside the desk. On the other hand, they come out almost to the end of the workspace, letting you have the displays right in your face if that’s your thing.
If you’ve always thought that dual monitors were only for people with massive desks, this one will change your perception.
Easy of setup and installation
I chose the DropTop Duo, which has everything ready to go. Two Philips monitors are already installed and ready to go, as is the dock and power outlets.
Literally all I had to do was install the wall bracket (which was somewhat challenging but not too bad) and hang the desk on it. The desk is heavy, but I lifted and hung it myself. Getting a friend to help might be worth it if you’re uncomfortable with the weight or don’t want to mess anything up.
It is that simple. You plug the USB-C cable from the dock into your laptop and the power cable into the wall, and start working.
All the wires are neatly tucked inside (and the cable management is beautiful), so you don’t need to deal with running wires. It’s truly impressive how Pith & Stem can hand-build this desk and get it to fit in a single box so cleanly.
DropTop Duo 24: The downs
It’s hard to find a perfect product and the DropTop Duo 24 has a couple small drawbacks, but the biggest one is without question the price. The other drawbacks are pretty minor, but they’re worth investigating anyway.
The price
At the end of the day, a desk with a $1,900 price tag isn’t going to be for everyone. Even if you already have your own monitors, spending $1,300 on a desk is out of the budget for many.
But for the truly space deprived who need every square inch they can get, the foldable design offered by the desk, along with its high build quality, might make the price acceptable.
Lack of storage
Before getting the DropTop desk in my office, I had a small traditional one. Small as it was, though, it still had a couple of drawers to keep things in. With this desk, you get two small cubbies to keep your stuff and the top of the desk to display some goodies — that’s it.
Again, it comes down to your willingness to make tradeoffs to save space. Personally, I can make the tradeoff work by getting a separate, smaller drawer unit to keep my stuff in. Something like this one from Ikea will give you enough space to keep your office stuff without eating up too much floor space.
Flex/bounce
The only drawback to the design seems impossible to avoid from my perspective, and that’s the bouncing and flexing of the desk when you lean on it at all.
Because there’s no leg coming down to the ground on the underside of the desk or long arms coming down the sides like the company’s cheaper versions, the hinges have to give a little.
It’s not enough to prevent me from absolutely loving the desk and wanting to keep using it even when I move to my larger space, but if a small amount of movement when putting downward pressure on the desk sounds like something that would annoy you, it could be a deal breaker that prevents you from getting a desk with this design.
DropTop Duo 24: Verdict
This might be the perfect desk if it weren’t for the high price and lack of storage.
Even if you aren’t as cramped as my situation, folding your desk and turning it into a piece of art, a chalkboard or a whiteboard is awesome. Add in the fact that it has quite a large workspace when opened, with support for two monitors, and you have a truly special piece of hardware.
If you’re not concerned about spending a lot on your desk, I have no problem recommending the DropTop Duo 24, especially for tight work spaces.
