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I went down the route of trying to build one, and it's simply not worth it. To get to a point where you can easily adjust the height on a homemade desk is reall
by cweagans 11y ago
I went down the route of trying to build one, and it's simply not worth it. To get to a point where you can easily adjust the height on a homemade desk is really, really difficult. You're much better off (both in terms of time and finances) with going with a prebuilt solution.
Here's a few of the commercial options that I considered:
* Crank-adjustable desk frame: www.amazon.com/Ergo-Elements-Adjustable-Standing-Black/dp/B00YE6CRY8 with an IKEA desk top, perhaps. I also considered using a solid wood door that a friend was going to give me, but it was quite heavy and looked pretty bad.
* The IKEA electric standing desk (Bekant): http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S19022530/ http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S19022530/ A couple friends have had mixed success with this one. If you live near an IKEA, go check it out in person.
* A fixed standing desk and a tall stool (this is likely the cheapest option and would be the easiest to build yourself). Nothing in particular that I can link to on this one, but if you can find something that has the desk top at > 40" from the ground, that's probably a good candidate. I'm 6'0" and my standing preset is at 43.5" (sitting is 27" if you're curious).
* NextDesk - this is the one I ended up going with. I got the Terra (http://www.nextdesks.com/terra http://www.nextdesks.com/terra) and I'm very happy with it. It's expensive, but it felt a lot more solid than many of the other options that I looked into, and at the end of the day, it's holding a lot of expensive things. I don't want any issues with it, particularly those that result in the damage or destruction of my electronics.
A question, though: you said you didn't want electronics or a motor. I'm curious - why not? I'm assuming you're a developer, and you're going to have a computer at your desk, so there's likely power nearby. Is it a philosophical thing or something?
- dragonne 11y agoI also have a NextDesk, the Solo Plus (http://www.nextdesks.com/solo#plus http://www.nextdesks.com/solo#plus). I'm generally quite pleased with it; it's certainly far nicer than anything I could build myself. The Terra is probably noticeably more stable than the Solo, which can flex a bit (I wouldn't lean on it). One interesting datapoint: I was originally very keen to get a desk with height presets, but it turns out that I don't use them much. I end up adjusting the height based on what shoes I'm wearing, etc. so I'm almost never at the height I set on the preset.
- wyclif 11y agoThanks, this is exactly what I was looking for. The reason why I'd rather avoid electronic adjustment is because I've seem some of them burn out (the motor) and then the unit can be tough to replace, esp if the manufacturer goes out of business. I prefer manual adjustment. I'd also expect to save some money that way.
- cweagans 11y agoFWIW, Nextdesk has been in business for quite a while and the desk comes with a three year warranty (though I think you can get an extended warranty for not a lot of extra money). In any case, yeah, you'll probably save money with a crank mechanism.
- wyclif 11y agoToday I was googling standing desks a bit and found this, which was helpful http://www.fluidstance.com/blog/2014/12/16/10-awesome-adjustable-desks-that-get-your-off-your-a http://www.fluidstance.com/blog/2014/12/16/10-awesome-adjust...