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I'm the co-founder of an office furniture startup called Bureau (www.bureauwork.com) and thought I'd chime in here. By far the most frequent complaint that cam

I'm the co-founder of an office furniture startup called Bureau (www.bureauwork.com) and thought I'd chime in here. By far the most frequent complaint that came up in our research about cheaper standing desks is their tendency to wobble, along both the front-back axis as well as the side-to-side axis. Generally, there are four reasons a standing desk will wobble: 1) Frame materials: I'd highly recommend a steel frame for stability. You trade off against weight and some added complexity in assembly, but the desktop will be way more stable across both axes. 2) Lift columns. A three-stage lift is more stable than a two stage lift for a given height--the stages overlap and support each other through a greater portion of the length. 3) Fasteners. The frame-to-feet connectors are most critical, and DIY installations are often under-torqued here. If you're building a standing desk yourself, tighten that bolt as much as you can. 4) Adjustable feet: Most floors are slightly uneven. A quality standing desk will let you screw the feet up and down to compensate for your floor. We sell our standing desk for $850. Def more expensive than many of the options discussed here, but the incremental cost flows through directly to design, materials and ultimately stability, which we felt was a trade worth making. Beyond our line, we're big fans of the Herman Miller Renew, which is unfortunately priced well beyond reach for most but a really great piece of furniture. If you have any questions about choosing a standing desk, feel free to DM me.

st3fan 8y ago
My BEKANT does not wobble at all.
- tonyedgecombe 8y ago
  Mine is rock solid as well.
- jasode 8y ago
  The conflicting anecdotes of "wobble" vs "no wobble" of the BEKANT desk in this thread are fascinating. Last year, I played around with the BEKANT standing desk on display at the IKEA store and (in my perception) it wobbled. It's the same type of wobble that a youtuber demonstrated[0]. There are others in this thread that complain about wobble.[1] And yet some people say there's no wobble -- and I believe them. My attempted explanation to reconcile the Schrodinger's Cat dual reality is that people must have a different threshold for sensing a noticeable wobble. Is the dress blue or white? Does the BEKANT desk wobble or not wobble? Depends on the observer. [0] deep link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3sYS0xUq1E&t=230 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3sYS0xUq1E&t=230 [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19020722 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19020722
  - clairity 8y ago
    wait, so do you really believe that all the bekants, after assembly, are perfectly identical so that the only remaining variable is the observer's subjectivity?
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
    - jasode 8y ago
      >you really believe that all the bekants, after assembly, are perfectly identical so that the only remaining variable is the observer's subjectivity? They may not be identical but I think subjective detection/annoyance of a wobble is the most likely difference because of the physics of how the desk is assembled. If you're not familiar with the BEKANT desk, this video[0] shows what the underside looks like. (Please note this is showing the BEKANT version that is motorized to adjust the standing positions.) You'll see there's not enough support mass, nor enough surface area of metal cross bracing, etc to prevent it from wobbling -- especially at extended heights of 39+ inches. Also notice that the braces are attached to the table top using plastic push pins and not metal lag bolts. To eliminate perceivable wobble would require increasing the 2 'T' posts to 4 corner posts -- or keeping 2 posts but make them more massive, etc. But IKEA didn't have to do any of those more expensive engineering designs because a significant number of buyers already praise it as having "no wobble." This makes sense to me. Some other possibilities for the conflicting observations: (1) It's possible that some self-reports of "no wobble" are mainly using the desk at sitting height instead of standing height. (2) Maybe some users have it extended at standing desk but put in a corner so there are 2 walls that stabilize it. (3) They may be using the BEKANT version that's non-motorized and sitting-height only. (That one has a different underside bracing geometry and also more mass for more rigidity. I wouldn't expect this desk to wobble.) This thread happens to be about "standing desks" and the comment people are replying to is also talking about "standing desks". Therefore, I discounted the 3rd possibility. [0] deep link: https://youtu.be/lZ9VmpyXk6g?t=187 https://youtu.be/lZ9VmpyXk6g?t=187
      - clairity 8y ago
- kerridge0 8y ago
  Mine also does not wobble in the slightest.
whttheuuu 8y ago
I have the Bekant and it is very well built. I have a monitor arm with 2 monitors on it and the desk doesn't wobble at all.
ar-jan 8y ago
Any comments on the durability and robustness of different lifting mechanisms? Somehow having the functionality of a piece of furniture depend on electricity feels wrong to me, plus there's the chance of the motor breaking.

st3fan 8y ago

My BEKANT does not wobble at all.

tonyedgecombe 8y ago
Mine is rock solid as well.
jasode 8y ago
The conflicting anecdotes of "wobble" vs "no wobble" of the BEKANT desk in this thread are fascinating. Last year, I played around with the BEKANT standing desk on display at the IKEA store and (in my perception) it wobbled. It's the same type of wobble that a youtuber demonstrated[0]. There are others in this thread that complain about wobble.[1] And yet some people say there's no wobble -- and I believe them. My attempted explanation to reconcile the Schrodinger's Cat dual reality is that people must have a different threshold for sensing a noticeable wobble. Is the dress blue or white? Does the BEKANT desk wobble or not wobble? Depends on the observer. [0] deep link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3sYS0xUq1E&t=230 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3sYS0xUq1E&t=230 [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19020722 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19020722
- clairity 8y ago
  wait, so do you really believe that all the bekants, after assembly, are perfectly identical so that the only remaining variable is the observer's subjectivity?
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
  - jasode 8y ago
    >you really believe that all the bekants, after assembly, are perfectly identical so that the only remaining variable is the observer's subjectivity? They may not be identical but I think subjective detection/annoyance of a wobble is the most likely difference because of the physics of how the desk is assembled. If you're not familiar with the BEKANT desk, this video[0] shows what the underside looks like. (Please note this is showing the BEKANT version that is motorized to adjust the standing positions.) You'll see there's not enough support mass, nor enough surface area of metal cross bracing, etc to prevent it from wobbling -- especially at extended heights of 39+ inches. Also notice that the braces are attached to the table top using plastic push pins and not metal lag bolts. To eliminate perceivable wobble would require increasing the 2 'T' posts to 4 corner posts -- or keeping 2 posts but make them more massive, etc. But IKEA didn't have to do any of those more expensive engineering designs because a significant number of buyers already praise it as having "no wobble." This makes sense to me. Some other possibilities for the conflicting observations: (1) It's possible that some self-reports of "no wobble" are mainly using the desk at sitting height instead of standing height. (2) Maybe some users have it extended at standing desk but put in a corner so there are 2 walls that stabilize it. (3) They may be using the BEKANT version that's non-motorized and sitting-height only. (That one has a different underside bracing geometry and also more mass for more rigidity. I wouldn't expect this desk to wobble.) This thread happens to be about "standing desks" and the comment people are replying to is also talking about "standing desks". Therefore, I discounted the 3rd possibility. [0] deep link: https://youtu.be/lZ9VmpyXk6g?t=187 https://youtu.be/lZ9VmpyXk6g?t=187
    - clairity 8y ago
kerridge0 8y ago
Mine also does not wobble in the slightest.

whttheuuu 8y ago

I have the Bekant and it is very well built. I have a monitor arm with 2 monitors on it and the desk doesn't wobble at all.

ar-jan 8y ago

Any comments on the durability and robustness of different lifting mechanisms? Somehow having the functionality of a piece of furniture depend on electricity feels wrong to me, plus there's the chance of the motor breaking.