One of the best-selling desks on Amazon is the Mr Ironstone L-Shaped desk. But with so many options to consider, why is this one standing out from the crowd?
That’s what we’ll explore today in our in-depth Mr Ironstone L-Shaped Desk review. We’ll look at the best features it has to offer (along with some areas for improvement) and how it compares to other similar desks.
Should you buy it just because it’s so well-reviewed, or is there a better option out there for you? L-shaped desks aren’t all made alike, even if they do look similar.
Jump ahead using our table of contents below if there’s a section that stands out to you. Otherwise, continue reading to see what all the fuss is over this popular Mr Ironstone L-shaped gaming desk.
Mr Ironstone L-Shaped Desk Review
What You Need to Know
Mr Ironstone is a furniture manufacturing company located in China. They’re also one of the top Amazon sellers when it comes to office furniture.
This is due in large part to their free shipping and excellent sales support. If there’s a problem with your item, you won’t be ghosted. They work with you to resolve the issue.
They use durable materials so things tend to last, and their designs are simple, yet elegant. This modern desk, along with its other pieces, is made to fit seamlessly into most homes.
Highlights
Good for Multiple Monitors
Because the Mr Ironstone L-Shaped Desk has plenty of space on both sides, it’s great for use with two monitors. It even made our best double monitor computer desks list. You get the same length of about 51 inches on both sides, and it will support up to 100 pounds.
It’s only a little over 18 inches deep, so if you don’t have a monitor arm, the extra monitors could take up valuable space on your desktop.
Leg Room
This desk sits 29.5 inches off the ground, which is plenty of space to sit comfortably beneath it. The only potential concern is if you have an office chair with high, non-adjustable armrests. But this is enough clearance for most office chairs to fit under.
There is plenty of space to move freely around the desk with no obstruction from the metal support legs. There is also a metal bar that runs along the back of the desk, so you can use it as a footrest when you want to prop up your feet.
Adjustable Leg Pads
The feet on the bottom of the desk legs are adjustable in height of about 1/2 to 3/4 inches. This is very important if you have a warped or uneven floor, which many homes do (even if you don’t realize it).
The adjustable leg pads allow you to level the desk, even if part of your desk sits on the carpet, while the other side doesn’t.
Sturdy Metal Frame
The top is made of durable MDF (medium density fiberboard). MDF is more prone to warping from liquids, but it is more durable than particle board, which is also commonly featured in desks.
The strong metal frame keeps the desk feeling sturdy and secure, with the metal “footrests” in the back attached for additional support. You don’t need to worry about the desk collapsing, as long as you don’t exceed the 100-pound limit.
Color Options
The all-black top and frame is the cheapest option, and it really fits the gaming style if that’s what you’re using this for. However, you can choose from other colors, but the prices will vary slightly depending on what you choose.
The black frame also comes with a rustic brown top, a vintage wood top, or a textured surface black carbon fiber top. I personally think the smooth surface space of the rustic brown looks great in a home office.
If you’re not into black and want a bit of glam in your space, you can also choose a gold frame with a marble white top.
Affordable and Reliable
All of these color options are under $150, so even if you don’t choose the all-black, you won’t be paying a fortune. For a desk this large that can hold several monitors, this is a really affordable option, which is one of the reasons it’s so popular.
Despite the low price, it still comes with a 3-year warranty and 24/7 support. Customer service is one of the things people like the most about this desk. If there’s a problem or a missing or damaged piece, Mr Ironstone was quick to resolve the issue.
Lowlights
Too Shallow
This desk is barely 18 inches deep, making it too shallow for many people. If you have several monitors, plus a keyboard and mouse, it can feel a little cramped. If you need a lot of desk space, you get only width with this one, not depth.
Monitor Shelf
This does come with a monitor shelf you can mount to the back of either side of the desk. However, it sits over 7 inches high and feels too unstable to support a monitor. It’s nearly 8 inches deep by 19 inches wide, so it’s suitable to hold a monitor or laptop, but it will cause some wobble.
The shelf is mounted from the back, so there’s space underneath if you want to hide away a small printer or some gaming or office supplies. It’s not a very large monitor stand, and it’s better used for books, decor, or lightweight objects that aren’t as fragile as a monitor.
Difficult Assembly
Many people complain about the assembly. It can be hard to align the screws to the holes, but the majority of these problems could be solved by following the instructions not to overtighten the screws.
Keep all screws a little loose until the entire thing is assembled. If you overtighten before it’s ready, things won’t align properly, and you’ll find yourself frustrated trying to make it work.
Surface Problems
Because the MDF is more prone to warping, the surface can bubble over time. If you’re going to use any liquids around the desk, be sure to use coasters to protect the top. The bubbling was more commonly seen in the white marble desk.
How It Can Improve
More Depth
If you just use a laptop, maybe the 18 inches doesn’t bother you. But when you want to use monitors and a keyboard, the desktop becomes a little too shallow since there’s no keyboard tray.
We’d like to see a bit more depth or at least an optional keyboard tray attachment.
Functional Monitor Shelf
It’s nice to have a monitor shelf, but it would be even nicer if it were sturdier. The height also makes it too high for most people to use as a monitor shelf.
Perhaps a movable monitor stand would be a nicer touch, so you can place it wherever you want or remove it altogether. It’s also more stable and lower to the desk.
However, this does take up space on an already shallow desk, so I understand why they didn’t add a large monitor stand.
Computer Tower Stand
Although not necessary, it would have been a nice touch to have a CPU stand for the floor. Because it’s not suitable to put a CPU on top of this desk, your tower would need to sit on the floor.
And a tower should really be slightly elevated off the ground. It’s not a dealbreaker by any means, but it would be a nice bonus.
FAQs
Does an L-Shaped Desk Make a Good Home Gaming Desk?
If you get a durable desk made with solid construction that can support the weight of your monitors, an L-shaped desk makes a great home gaming desk. You can utilize the center of the L-shape to curve your monitors in for easy gaming viewing.
Is an L-Shaped Computer Desk the Same as a Computer Corner Desk?
Although often used interchangeably, these desks aren’t the same. A computer corner desk can be small, made to fit specifically in a corner. They aren’t all L-shaped. L-shaped desks can be used anywhere, even in the middle of a room.
Where Should I Put My L-Shaped Computer Desk?
You can put your L-shaped desk wherever you want because it’s not designed only as a corner desk. Many people use them in the middle of rooms or in front of windows with their backs away from the window. Find the spot that works for your space.
Verdict
Overall, the Mr Ironstone L-Shaped Desk is a solid desk backed by great customer service and a low price. If you want a nice-looking, sturdy L-shaped desk, this is a great option for gamers and non-gamers alike. The color options, stability, and legroom make it easy to see why it’s so popular.
For most people not using a lot of monitors, the shallow depth won’t be a problem. But if you do need ample space, a foot and a half can be a tight squeeze if you’re spending several hours a day here.
If you need a lot of desk space or work with monitors and a keyboard, you might want to consider the SHW L-Shaped Desk. It doesn’t have the same L-shaped gaming desk look, but it’s no boring wood desk, either. It’s about an inch and a half shorter than the other desks, but it’s got nearly 2 feet of depth.
If you need an affordable chair to go with your new computer desk, check out some of our favorites under $200.
How Does It Compare?
CubiCubi L-Shaped Desk
The CubiCubi L-shaped desk is very similar in looks to the Mr Ironstone L-shaped desk. It also has a lot of good reviews, and like the Mr Ironstone computer desk, this has a monitor shelf with the same dimensions – and the same problems.
Where it differs is in the small box drawer, which can only hold a few pounds but might be good for some basic office supplies or gaming controllers. It comes with an iron hook to hang your headphones – or a bag if you’d rather.
Although there is 1″ more depth to the computer desk, it’s still shallow. The biggest difference is the stability. The reviews for assembly are predominantly that it’s horrible to put together. Once assembled, the entire desk feels wobbly and much less secure than Mr Ironstone, even though they look the same.
For these reasons, we give the edge to Mr Ironstone’s L-shaped desk.
Techni Mobili L-Shaped Desk
This Techni Mobili glass-top computer desk has a keyboard tray, unlike the Mr Ironstone or CubiCubi. One end is longer than the other, and the keyboard tray will assemble to the shorter end. But you can assemble the shorter end on the left or the right.
It does hold more weight at 175 total pounds, but it also has metal legs in the center that really impede your legroom. It feels like you’re either stuck to the left side or the right, but the middle legs make it hard to utilize the entire desk space.
We like the legroom in Mr Ironstone better, but this is a beautiful desk. If you like glass desks, want more weight capacity, and don’t mind the lack of legroom, you might consider this.
L-Shaped Desks or Standard Desks?
If it’s desk space you want, and you don’t care about having the best L-shaped desk, the Mr Ironstone L-Shaped Gaming Desk has over 5 feet of width and over 2 feet of depth.
That’s more than enough room to hold more than one monitor, your keyboard tray, mouse, and any other accessories you want to keep nearby.
The headphone hook and cup holder attachment both allow for more room on the actual desk surface. It’ll cost you a bit more, but it’s sturdy and has 3 cut-out holes for cable management, so your wires can get easily tucked away.
For desk space and gaming purposes alone, we like this Mr Ironstone Home Gaming Desk. But for an L-shape desk, you can’t go too wrong with their L-shaped desk option.
Things to Consider Before Buying a Desk
Price
Before buying a new desk, ask yourself what your budget is. Knowing how much you have to spend will narrow down your pool of options.
The L-shaped desks we looked at today are all under $200. But they have options under $100 that are still able to get the job done.
Space
How much room do you have for a desk? Wherever your desk is going to be, make sure you have space for it. Maybe you don’t have much room and need a small computer corner desk.
When measuring for my new desk, it looked like I’d have enough room for a long desk, but then I realized the depth would make it hard to get past another piece of furniture in the room.
Style
What kind of look are you going for? Do you like glass tops or wood tops? Does color matter to you? Maybe you’re trying to match the decor in your home to your new home office desk. If you want a corner desk, that doesn’t have to be an L-shaped desk.
Maybe you need to be portable and work from anywhere. If so, you might consider a wheeled desk. If you want to be able to stand and work, you might consider a standing desk.
Use
What will you mainly be using it for? Know how much use your desk will get. If you don’t use it every day, you might be more interested in style over function. If it’s your main home office desk, you might want more storage space.
If you are working from there often, do you just use a laptop, or do you have a lot of monitors? Maybe you need a keyboard tray or at least room for a keyboard on the desk.
Does it need to have storage, or do you want a more simplistic, minimal look? How you’ll use it will help determine what you should get.
Size
What is the desk height? Do you have enough room to get an office chair underneath, even with the armrests? As we saw in the Techni Mobili office desk, although there is a lot of room on top, there isn’t much room for your legs because of the metal frames.
If you only work with a laptop, maybe you don’t need as much space as you think. Or maybe you do if you have a lot of files and paperwork to manage. If you have a CPU tower, make sure there’s a place to put it on top of your office desk or underneath it.
