5 ms·

Why are these things so damn expensive? Looks like they are fleecing money ( or it appears so for my cheapskate sensibilities ). Someone should start a kick-sta

Why are these things so damn expensive? Looks like they are fleecing money ( or it appears so for my cheapskate sensibilities ). Someone should start a kick-starter project to make good ones for a reasonable price.

lukifer 13y ago
The nichier the market, the more price has to go up to compensate. I also doubt there's much competition in the field, other than DIY or not using a convertible desk at all.
- stevesearer 13y ago
  There are actually more options for height adjustable desks than you might imagine. I wrote up a post a while back that listed 7, but commenters have since added quite a few more. http://officesnapshots.com/2012/08/24/7-adjustable-height-desks-that-wont-betray-and-kill-you/ http://officesnapshots.com/2012/08/24/7-adjustable-height-de...
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
  - nknighthb 13y ago
    If you saw a day in my life, "hyper-sloth" would more likely be your term for me. "hyper-optimizer" isn't even on the list of possible descriptions. And I use an adjustable standing desk. And no, ergonomic suicide is not an alternative to a proper desk with external monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
- nilkn 13y ago
  It's not quite that simple because the high prices force the market to remain niche. It may be that the market could become surprisingly large if an affordable commodity version of this were available.
nknighthb 13y ago
How much do you think a sturdy steel frame with reasonably precise synchronized lifting motors with a combined capacity of over 300lbs designed to put up with years of use and abuse should cost?
- simplekoala 13y ago
  What is a reasonable guess here..hmmm. I have no idea about how much these motors would cost but I am assuming given the number of office chairs (which move up and down with a lever) we produce, they shouldn't be costing a lot. We get good office chairs which support up to 300 lbs for under $100. I am assuming the technology for moving tables should be similarly priced. A sturdy steel frame + planks (wood/composite) + up/down motor/hydraulic lift shouldn't cost more than $300 in my subjective opinion. I am not willing to pay more than that. Wonder how much would IKEA charge for these, if they made one (edited for typos).
  - jlgreco 13y ago
    One problem I see with the chair-piston approach is that if you don't get each leg moving up or down at the same rate then you might get a jam. This could probably be overcome if it is indeed an issue at all, but probably worth considering.
    - simplekoala 13y ago
      I have a simple(minded) idea here. Connect a damn horizontal rod between the two pistons/moving-legs on each side
      - nknighthb 13y ago
        Which will cause the desk to jam at a (potentially disastrous) angle when the motors get out of sync. Are you a programmer? Do you like it when a non-programmer tells you "just do X", because it must obviously be so simple? Why, then, are you so sure that you can come up with a better design than mechanical engineers without even studying the problem?
stock_toaster 13y ago
I got a ModTable (multitable.com), which is a bit more cost effective. Bought it through Amazon. You can buy just the hardware, and supply your own top if you want too (ikea sells some). It isn't automatic (has a hand crank), but it works great! I don't run it up and down all day, and taking a minute to crank the handle (which is removable) when I want to change positions, is not onerous.
- DigitalJack 13y ago
  Do you think it would be feasible to use a drill to raise/lower it?
  - stock_toaster 13y ago
    I think so! Here is a picture of the handle: http://cl.ly/image/1e2k0a1Q2u38 http://cl.ly/image/1e2k0a1Q2u38 I don't see why you couldn't leave the handle off (you insert the large allen wrench thing into the handle as part of assembly) and use a large-capacity bit grip, and a drill. Might be a bit unwieldy though.
samstave 13y ago
I bought mine at a garage sale for $100! (I do recognize that I am SUPER lucky) -- but keep hunting CL.
vacri 13y ago
Welcome to the world of furniture; the world of huge items taking lots of warehouse space, all with low turnover. Furniture is expensive, full stop.
- mcv 13y ago
  They need to be more Lean!
marknutter 13y ago
They're not so bad if you supply your own table-top.
ejp 13y ago
I've been quite happy with one of these: http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=modtable http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=modtable Somewhat expensive, but costs less than a geekdesk/etc.
beowulfey 13y ago
Since I have a laptop, I think it would be easier (and cheaper) to just have a standing setup and a sit-down desk nearby to switch between.
lobster_johnson 13y ago
There are other options. Why a huge desk in the first place? The Jesper Workpad [1] is just $299 on Amazon [2] -- a minimalistic laptop desk with a minimal footprint and clean aesthetic. It's not motorized, but it doesn't need to be. [1] http://www.jesperoffice.com/jesper-office-ergonomics/526-height-adjustable-tables-workpad-201 http://www.jesperoffice.com/jesper-office-ergonomics/526-hei... [2] http://www.amazon.com/Jesper-Height-Adjustable-Computer-Table/dp/B00A2Z3MSK http://www.amazon.com/Jesper-Height-Adjustable-Computer-Tabl...
- kyzyl 13y ago
  I don't know about you, but I commonly have a lot more stuff on my desk than would fit on that thing. I don't work with keyboard+mouse+monitor, but even with just that it would be cramped. Maybe if you just use a laptop.

lukifer 13y ago

The nichier the market, the more price has to go up to compensate. I also doubt there's much competition in the field, other than DIY or not using a convertible desk at all.

stevesearer 13y ago
There are actually more options for height adjustable desks than you might imagine. I wrote up a post a while back that listed 7, but commenters have since added quite a few more. http://officesnapshots.com/2012/08/24/7-adjustable-height-desks-that-wont-betray-and-kill-you/ http://officesnapshots.com/2012/08/24/7-adjustable-height-de...
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
- nknighthb 13y ago
  If you saw a day in my life, "hyper-sloth" would more likely be your term for me. "hyper-optimizer" isn't even on the list of possible descriptions. And I use an adjustable standing desk. And no, ergonomic suicide is not an alternative to a proper desk with external monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
nilkn 13y ago
It's not quite that simple because the high prices force the market to remain niche. It may be that the market could become surprisingly large if an affordable commodity version of this were available.

nknighthb 13y ago

How much do you think a sturdy steel frame with reasonably precise synchronized lifting motors with a combined capacity of over 300lbs designed to put up with years of use and abuse should cost?

simplekoala 13y ago
What is a reasonable guess here..hmmm. I have no idea about how much these motors would cost but I am assuming given the number of office chairs (which move up and down with a lever) we produce, they shouldn't be costing a lot. We get good office chairs which support up to 300 lbs for under $100. I am assuming the technology for moving tables should be similarly priced. A sturdy steel frame + planks (wood/composite) + up/down motor/hydraulic lift shouldn't cost more than $300 in my subjective opinion. I am not willing to pay more than that. Wonder how much would IKEA charge for these, if they made one (edited for typos).
- jlgreco 13y ago
  One problem I see with the chair-piston approach is that if you don't get each leg moving up or down at the same rate then you might get a jam. This could probably be overcome if it is indeed an issue at all, but probably worth considering.
  - simplekoala 13y ago
    I have a simple(minded) idea here. Connect a damn horizontal rod between the two pistons/moving-legs on each side
    - nknighthb 13y ago
      Which will cause the desk to jam at a (potentially disastrous) angle when the motors get out of sync. Are you a programmer? Do you like it when a non-programmer tells you "just do X", because it must obviously be so simple? Why, then, are you so sure that you can come up with a better design than mechanical engineers without even studying the problem?

stock_toaster 13y ago

I got a ModTable (multitable.com), which is a bit more cost effective. Bought it through Amazon. You can buy just the hardware, and supply your own top if you want too (ikea sells some). It isn't automatic (has a hand crank), but it works great! I don't run it up and down all day, and taking a minute to crank the handle (which is removable) when I want to change positions, is not onerous.

DigitalJack 13y ago
Do you think it would be feasible to use a drill to raise/lower it?
- stock_toaster 13y ago
  I think so! Here is a picture of the handle: http://cl.ly/image/1e2k0a1Q2u38 http://cl.ly/image/1e2k0a1Q2u38 I don't see why you couldn't leave the handle off (you insert the large allen wrench thing into the handle as part of assembly) and use a large-capacity bit grip, and a drill. Might be a bit unwieldy though.

samstave 13y ago

I bought mine at a garage sale for $100! (I do recognize that I am SUPER lucky) -- but keep hunting CL.

vacri 13y ago

Welcome to the world of furniture; the world of huge items taking lots of warehouse space, all with low turnover. Furniture is expensive, full stop.

mcv 13y ago
They need to be more Lean!

marknutter 13y ago

They're not so bad if you supply your own table-top.

ejp 13y ago

I've been quite happy with one of these: http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=modtable http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=modtable Somewhat expensive, but costs less than a geekdesk/etc.

beowulfey 13y ago

Since I have a laptop, I think it would be easier (and cheaper) to just have a standing setup and a sit-down desk nearby to switch between.

lobster_johnson 13y ago

There are other options. Why a huge desk in the first place? The Jesper Workpad [1] is just $299 on Amazon [2] -- a minimalistic laptop desk with a minimal footprint and clean aesthetic. It's not motorized, but it doesn't need to be. [1] http://www.jesperoffice.com/jesper-office-ergonomics/526-height-adjustable-tables-workpad-201 http://www.jesperoffice.com/jesper-office-ergonomics/526-hei... [2] http://www.amazon.com/Jesper-Height-Adjustable-Computer-Table/dp/B00A2Z3MSK http://www.amazon.com/Jesper-Height-Adjustable-Computer-Tabl...

kyzyl 13y ago
I don't know about you, but I commonly have a lot more stuff on my desk than would fit on that thing. I don't work with keyboard+mouse+monitor, but even with just that it would be cramped. Maybe if you just use a laptop.