Overall and Final verdict
Like I mentioned before I took a look a the Arena Gaming Desk from Arozzi, the desk market is slim pickings. There is a wide selection of cheap and disposable desks that you would find at department stores, there are all kinds of really expensive options when you look at desks designed for professional use, but in the middle there just aren’t as many options. This is especially true for gamers who might not want the same desk they use in the office or for the younger gamers, the same desks their parents use. So Arozzi made a good call to get into the market, especially with a lot more people investing in chairs.
So when testing the Arena I had to keep in mind the wide range of people who might be looking at desks. It had a few things going for it. The biggest thing to me was the all metal frame, this alone sets the desk apart from all of the department store desks made of all MDF or thin metal frames with glass tops. In fact, the entire Arena desk feels more solid than my inch and a half thick solid wood desk and it is because of the thick steel frame. The size of the desk is also a big plus, especially if you run multiple monitors and/or keep your PC up on your desk. The wire management is awesome, with this setup anyone can have a clean setup that could be posted up on r/battlestations. Now the mouse surface does have a few big downsides, but overall it is a pro. You don’t have to worry about running out of space when gaming or running off your mouse pad and having the padding under your arms and keyboard is a lot nicer than the edge of the desk digging into your arm.
Of course right at the top of my cons is the mousepad surface as well. While it was really nice to use, I do have concerns with just how dirty and nasty it might get. Even in my relatively short testing period of just under two weeks I had to be sure to keep the cats off of it and with the dry air this winter I noticed a disturbing amount of dry skin as well (disturbing because that same amount is all over my normal desk as well and I just can't see it). That doesn’t even count future spills and just overall dirt and grime that is going to build up in the pad. Hopefully, replacement pads come out in the future. On that same note, I would love to see an all black pad option for the model with black legs, some people are going to want a simple looking desk. Beyond the pad, the wire management net could use a little more support to handle power bricks. I’m also not a big fan of having MDF for the table top, but it does seem to be a lot stronger than your standard desk due to its thickness, so it might not be a con just yet.
So if I were on the market would I go with the Arozzi Arena? Well, honestly I have been moving away from the flashy gamer focused stuff in my personal office for the past few years because I’m turning into an old man. That said If I could put my table top on the metal base I think I would have the perfect table. The solid construction is going to last for a very long time and I would love to have the wire management. The big issue for me is the variance in pricing. Officially the MSRP of the Arena desk is $399 and at that price, I would be out of my budget. I have seen it selling for closer to $270 and at that price I think it is a good buy. I mean hell crappy all MDF desks at Walmart are selling for up to $200, and a lot of us gamers and enthusiasts are settling for them. Arozzi could use a second model focused on us “non-flashy” gamers, but I do think they are on to something here.
*Post Review Followup* After talking to Arozzi, they did confirm that the mouse pad surface is washable and can even be machine washed if you have a front load with the capacity.
Live Pricing: HERE
