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

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9687854

by nodivbyzero • 11 years ago

10 15 11 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

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

neilsharma• 11 years 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-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• 11 years 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-sea... [2] a reseller has one on amazon http://www.amazon.com/Haworth-Planes-Height-Adjustable-Desk/...

chollida1• 11 years ago

We give everyone, one of these desks....

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/

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.

nodivbyzero2• 11 years ago

Does a mat really help?

kzisme• 11 years 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

nodivbyzero2• 11 years ago

Does anyone have triangular corner desks?

tdoggette2• 11 years ago

My Ergotron clamps onto a corner desk.

bstpierre• 11 years ago

I got this desk earlier this year:

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• 11 years ago

We offer the most affordable standing desk on the market.

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• 11 years ago

Am I missing something or is this not actually offered yet?

tdoggette2• 11 years ago

I use an Ergotron Workfit-S: 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• 11 years 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• 11 years ago

I built the standing desk on Mint's design blog: 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• 11 years 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• 11 years ago

https://www.opendesk.cc/lean/standing-desk

And you can even make it yourself!

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

Related Stories