5 ms·

Ask HN: What kind of standing desk do you use?

10 points by nodivbyzero 11y ago

I want to try standing desk to increase my productivity. What kind of standing desk do you use? Any recommendations?

neilsharma 11y ago
I use Varidesk. Its a ~35 pound adjustable platform you place on top of a normal desk. There are handles on the side so you can easily change the height to a few settings. Specifically, I got the Varidesk Pro Plus 36: http://www.amazon.com/VARIDESK-Plus-Height-Adjustable-Standing-Desks/dp/B00JI6NCCK/ref=pd_sim_229_3/176-3577757-6695818?ie=UTF8&refRID=0ERX1YDM4QKFKXS2BP4D http://www.amazon.com/VARIDESK-Plus-Height-Adjustable-Standi... Had to watch for a few things: is the keyboard platform the same height as their monitor (ideally, no). Would monitor/keyboard/mice cables get crushed if you keep the desk down? Can it support two 24"+ monitors? It's incredibly durable (it'd won't tip over short of putting your entire weight on it in the elevated position). Use it for 2-3 hours/day (with a compression mat I got from costco for $20). There are a couple models, and none are that cheap ($300-$400), but I've had back pain and poor posture all my life so I figured I'd invest what is typically 1 month of my living expenses into this.
bobsky 11y ago
At our office we have Haworth Planes Height Adjustable [1], which I like and many others that visit inquire about them. They are premium but they will last, cost is ~$1,200 [2] Pro-tip, get the wheels; everything should be on wheels, makes all the difference. [1] http://www.haworth.com/home/resources/design-tools/image-search?searchQuery=Planes%20Height%20Adjustable http://www.haworth.com/home/resources/design-tools/image-sea... [2] a reseller has one on amazon http://www.amazon.com/Haworth-Planes-Height-Adjustable-Desk/dp/B006J1JPIC/ http://www.amazon.com/Haworth-Planes-Height-Adjustable-Desk/...
chollida1 11y ago
We give everyone, one of these desks.... http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/S49022524/#/S59022528 http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/S49022524/#/S5902... We had existing desk tops so we just had someone come in and install the legs. They work well and given that we tend to average 4 27" monitors per person they handle the extra weight well. Mechanical riser's are awesome! They also rise fairly high, important when you have someone who is 6'9" on your team:) Just don't forget to buy a standing mat to, ummm, stand on. http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-standing-desk-mat/ http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-standing-desk-mat/ EDIT Yes, the mat really matters, we've had a few ergonomic experts in and their advice usually varies but they all agree on using a standing mat.
- nodivbyzero 11y ago
  Does a mat really help?
  - kzisme 11y ago
    It helps a lot! Try working a retail job or somewhere where you have to stand for 8+ hours without a mat (then try it with it) HUGE difference
nodivbyzero 11y ago
Does anyone have triangular corner desks?
- tdoggette 11y ago
  My Ergotron clamps onto a corner desk.
bstpierre 11y ago
I got this desk earlier this year: http://amzn.com/B00JREVI5G http://amzn.com/B00JREVI5G after having tried simply raising a "regular" desk to standing a year or two ago. Standing all day didn't work for me, but the crank-up makes it so I can stand in the morning and then sit for the afternoon. FWIW I use it cranked nearly all the way up and I'm 6'0" -- it might not be tall enough for someone taller than that. The crank is easy to operate and fairly smooth. It's got a large surface for keyboard, notebook, coffee, etc. The second tier comfortably fits two external monitors + laptop.
duyhuynh 11y ago
We offer the most affordable standing desk on the market. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ergo-world-s-first-smart-standing-desk-that-talks/x/7544098#/story https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ergo-world-s-first-smart-... $299 for the DIY Kit. $399 for a full desk. $599 for the Smart Version.
- mod 11y ago
  Am I missing something or is this not actually offered yet?
tdoggette 11y ago
I use an Ergotron Workfit-S: http://www.ergotron.com/ProductsDetails/tabid/65/PRDID/378/Default.aspx http://www.ergotron.com/ProductsDetails/tabid/65/PRDID/378/D... It's very quick to move up and down, and the keyboard tray and monitor are independent. Not much adjustibility on the monitors, but otherwise I have no complaints.
eip 11y ago
Built my own. 4x4s, 2x6s, and plywood. Measured to exactly my height. It's about $80 of wood and ~40 minutes to assemble. The only problem is it's too big to fit through doors so it has to be disassembled to move.
bwh2 11y ago
I built the standing desk on Mint's design blog: http://www.mintdesignblog.com/2012/08/diy-standing-desk/ http://www.mintdesignblog.com/2012/08/diy-standing-desk/ Cost me about $60. I polyurethaned a plywood top instead of buying an Ikea top. Plus I stacked some books as monitor stands.
caw 11y ago
I have an Evodesk, which is the cheaper version of the NextDesk. I picked it because I was able to get a curved work surface without a significant added cost, along with a memory controller (save your height settings and 1 click adjustment from sit-to-stand), and a cable tray. It's sturdy enough for my laptop and 2 monitors from my sit height (~25ish? inches) to my stand height (~46? inches). The cable tray was a bit difficult to fit a surge protector into but I eventually found one that worked. The top is a bit different from normal desks, but it feels fine to rest against and use my laser mouse sans mousepad. Most of my coworkers have some variant of the Geek Desk.
aprdm 11y ago
https://www.opendesk.cc/lean/standing-desk https://www.opendesk.cc/lean/standing-desk And you can even make it yourself!

10 points by nodivbyzero 11y ago

I want to try standing desk to increase my productivity. What kind of standing desk do you use? Any recommendations?

I use Varidesk. Its a ~35 pound adjustable platform you place on top of a normal desk. There are handles on the side so you can easily change the height to a few settings. Specifically, I got the Varidesk Pro Plus 36: http://www.amazon.com/VARIDESK-Plus-Height-Adjustable-Standing-Desks/dp/B00JI6NCCK/ref=pd_sim_229_3/176-3577757-6695818?ie=UTF8&refRID=0ERX1YDM4QKFKXS2BP4D http://www.amazon.com/VARIDESK-Plus-Height-Adjustable-Standi... Had to watch for a few things: is the keyboard platform the same height as their monitor (ideally, no). Would monitor/keyboard/mice cables get crushed if you keep the desk down? Can it support two 24"+ monitors? It's incredibly durable (it'd won't tip over short of putting your entire weight on it in the elevated position). Use it for 2-3 hours/day (with a compression mat I got from costco for $20). There are a couple models, and none are that cheap ($300-$400), but I've had back pain and poor posture all my life so I figured I'd invest what is typically 1 month of my living expenses into this.

bobsky 11y ago

At our office we have Haworth Planes Height Adjustable [1], which I like and many others that visit inquire about them. They are premium but they will last, cost is ~$1,200 [2] Pro-tip, get the wheels; everything should be on wheels, makes all the difference. [1] http://www.haworth.com/home/resources/design-tools/image-search?searchQuery=Planes%20Height%20Adjustable http://www.haworth.com/home/resources/design-tools/image-sea... [2] a reseller has one on amazon http://www.amazon.com/Haworth-Planes-Height-Adjustable-Desk/dp/B006J1JPIC/ http://www.amazon.com/Haworth-Planes-Height-Adjustable-Desk/...

chollida1 11y ago

We give everyone, one of these desks.... http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/S49022524/#/S59022528 http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/S49022524/#/S5902... We had existing desk tops so we just had someone come in and install the legs. They work well and given that we tend to average 4 27" monitors per person they handle the extra weight well. Mechanical riser's are awesome! They also rise fairly high, important when you have someone who is 6'9" on your team:) Just don't forget to buy a standing mat to, ummm, stand on. http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-standing-desk-mat/ http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-standing-desk-mat/ EDIT Yes, the mat really matters, we've had a few ergonomic experts in and their advice usually varies but they all agree on using a standing mat.

nodivbyzero 11y ago
Does a mat really help?
- kzisme 11y ago
  It helps a lot! Try working a retail job or somewhere where you have to stand for 8+ hours without a mat (then try it with it) HUGE difference

nodivbyzero 11y ago

Does anyone have triangular corner desks?

tdoggette 11y ago
My Ergotron clamps onto a corner desk.

bstpierre 11y ago

I got this desk earlier this year: http://amzn.com/B00JREVI5G http://amzn.com/B00JREVI5G after having tried simply raising a "regular" desk to standing a year or two ago. Standing all day didn't work for me, but the crank-up makes it so I can stand in the morning and then sit for the afternoon. FWIW I use it cranked nearly all the way up and I'm 6'0" -- it might not be tall enough for someone taller than that. The crank is easy to operate and fairly smooth. It's got a large surface for keyboard, notebook, coffee, etc. The second tier comfortably fits two external monitors + laptop.

duyhuynh 11y ago

We offer the most affordable standing desk on the market. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ergo-world-s-first-smart-standing-desk-that-talks/x/7544098#/story https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ergo-world-s-first-smart-... $299 for the DIY Kit. $399 for a full desk. $599 for the Smart Version.

mod 11y ago
Am I missing something or is this not actually offered yet?

tdoggette 11y ago

I use an Ergotron Workfit-S: http://www.ergotron.com/ProductsDetails/tabid/65/PRDID/378/Default.aspx http://www.ergotron.com/ProductsDetails/tabid/65/PRDID/378/D... It's very quick to move up and down, and the keyboard tray and monitor are independent. Not much adjustibility on the monitors, but otherwise I have no complaints.

eip 11y ago

Built my own. 4x4s, 2x6s, and plywood. Measured to exactly my height. It's about $80 of wood and ~40 minutes to assemble. The only problem is it's too big to fit through doors so it has to be disassembled to move.

bwh2 11y ago

I built the standing desk on Mint's design blog: http://www.mintdesignblog.com/2012/08/diy-standing-desk/ http://www.mintdesignblog.com/2012/08/diy-standing-desk/ Cost me about $60. I polyurethaned a plywood top instead of buying an Ikea top. Plus I stacked some books as monitor stands.

caw 11y ago

I have an Evodesk, which is the cheaper version of the NextDesk. I picked it because I was able to get a curved work surface without a significant added cost, along with a memory controller (save your height settings and 1 click adjustment from sit-to-stand), and a cable tray. It's sturdy enough for my laptop and 2 monitors from my sit height (~25ish? inches) to my stand height (~46? inches). The cable tray was a bit difficult to fit a surge protector into but I eventually found one that worked. The top is a bit different from normal desks, but it feels fine to rest against and use my laser mouse sans mousepad. Most of my coworkers have some variant of the Geek Desk.

aprdm 11y ago

https://www.opendesk.cc/lean/standing-desk https://www.opendesk.cc/lean/standing-desk And you can even make it yourself!