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At home?
Recommendations without breaking the bank
Any other feedback? Are they worth it?
IKEA, love it. Just got the frame and used my old desk top.
I got an electrically raising one. Just the frame as I already had a desk top. It is a felxispot one. Its pretty good. Only gripe is that it does move back and forth a bit if you lean on it. Not much and not a major issue but its not rock steady but for the price I can't complain. If you're on a budget its pretty good. Think I paid about £160 or something like that. Was on offer at the time...maybe 10% off or something so not significant.
But as for raising desks they are worth it. I spend most of the day on my feet now which helps with my back.
https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/idasen-underframe-sit-stand-f-table-tp-el-dark-grey-10412171/
This one!
I had a desk that had a 1600 * 800mm too.
Bought a twin motor base for it from Amazon for £189, which took about a week to be delivered.
Went together very well and is solid, rated to lift 80kg iirc and has 4 memory positions.
Maybe the top could be an old existing one for you, or even an IKEA top for maximum work space for your money.
If you want a smaller desk, the wife also got one from Amazon. Hers was complete with 1200x600 top for £240. Single motor and no memory, just up and down.
Also works well though.
We spent a good few days researching and both ended up on Amazon.
I've got 2, one at work and one at home. The work one was about £400 and has dual motors. At home I've got a flexispot from amazon which was less than half that.
Got the flexispot about a year ago and its been faultless. Used every day as I've been working almost entirely from home. Up and down maybe 4 times a day. And rock solid with a printer large monitor, laptop and all my crap on it.
Helps my dodgy back no end. Highly recommended.
Yup, dual motor one from here:
https://www.forest-av.com/uk/1-touch-height-adjustable-desk-dual-motor/
With £15 IKEA Linnmon worktop on top.
Really good, and goes lower than most sit stand desks. Some are quite high even at their lowest, so look out for that.
Yes - built my own using a dual motor base from Amazon (£179) and a laminate oak worktop.
It’s absolutely rock solid and is the exact width and depth I wanted it to fit the room.
The hardest thing for me about having a sit stand desk is making sure I actually use it standing up. Sometimes I forget I have the ability to do so!
Got one and love it...but can't remember where it came from - Autonomous or something. I'm adjusting it every 90 mins or so between seated and standing. Has made my crap posture back pain from 8 hours at a keyboard much better due to varying position.
Work gave me one. It's nice to be able to vary my position but it's a manual desk and a bit of a pain to wind up and down
I got a Fully "Jarvis" frame, and put my own desktop on it. Not cheap, but quality is top notch. Definitely helpful for posture and back pain
Just got one at the weekend. Buy a dual motor base unit and put your own work top on top. It seems to save a fortune. Who knew the plank on top could add £200 when all you do is screw it onto the base
Mine has 3 memory positions but so far I only use sitting and standing.
Expensive compared to a normal desk but really nice if 3 days of use is anything to go by.
I have a Flexispot dual motor, got it in one of their flash sales.
I'd recommend getting one with position memory so you can get it to the same heights every time. Prior to realising that, I was going to get a cheaper one or even a hand-cranked one for reliability/longevity.
I got the top from them as well, heavy and quality thing. But I would source it myself next time from a sustainable more local source. By ordering this made in China top I almost certainly caused unsustainable deforestation somewhere and shipping a damn heavy plank of wood halfway around the world.
I've got two; one in the office and one at home. I haven't been into the office for 18 months so it's not getting used much!
When COVID hit, I was just using a small laptop placed on the kitchen worktop and my posture was terrible and I developed all sorts of problems with my shoulders, neck and arm.
Anyway, I got another for home BUT I've discovered that having it permanently UP has made a huge difference to my posture and all my aches and pains have gone away. It was fairly tiring on my legs to start as my legs are used to pedalling a bike not standing still, but they are now used to standing for 8hrs+ per day 😃
Hmmm, this isn't good...when I bought this, the whole thing came to about £375 (I bought the ergo-stool and cable tidy as well so the whole thing came to about £475 - might have had a discount code but think it wouldn't have been more than £500), but it seems to have gone up in price a wee bit!
I'm pretty sure I've got this one -
https://www.autonomous.ai/en-GB/standing-desks/smartdesk-2-business
However, the cheaper version seems closer to what my bill was -
https://www.autonomous.ai/en-GB/standing-desks/smartdesk-2-home
Yeah, Ikea FTW on this. Can choose manual or electric and slap what you want on the top. I kind of wish I had gone for the slightly larger size top, but mine does fit two laptops and two extra screens, so I should not complain.
Same as @bikesandboots, I got a flexispot dual motor desk with a 4 memory position controller, and I got my top from them as well. Really happy with the frame and controller but might be tempted to look for a top elsewehere. I ws lukcy that I got it mostly paid for by my employer to help with working from home
this is the frame I bought:
https://flexispot.co.uk/standing-desk-eq4.html
note they're selling off bike turbos for £30 if you need a cheap turbo unit 😉
Similar to @33tango, I bought a hand-cranked/manual height adjust and wish I'd gone motor adjust - think I'd adjust it more often.
I got extremely lucky and ordered it the day after my office closed for the first lockdown last year (20th March) and delivery a couple of days later. This one fits my 32" and 22" screens setup fine, absolutely rock solid. My version of 'memory positions' is some marker pen lines on the legs for my favourite positions:
https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/skarsta-desk-sit-stand-white-s59324818/
Absolutely transformed my decades old back ache.
Takes a bit of getting used to. Get one with a good motor warranty and also as stool that you can lean against to vary position.
Got the top flight IKEA one after local company let me down.
I can recommend the Ikea electric ones (we now have two). Mrs B bought one of the smaller electric base units in about 2016, and I reused an old table top for it. My OH uses the desk 4 days a week for office work and also for her glass making hobby (hammering and tapping bits of glass and metal). I've also used it for my work occasionally (piling 50kg of rock on it!), so it’s had a decent amount of use and abuse...oh, and two house moves. More recently I got the larger version to accommodate my workshop tabletop. Bit expensive, but seem worth it for the reliability and robustness.
I had to cobble together a workspace at the start of lockdown. Built myself a standing desk, initially just using bits a pieces stacked under the desktop so I could vary the height. Now I've got a height that works, I've put some proper legs on it to fix it, and I've got a bar stool that I can perch on to change positions/have a rest from standing. The stool position is comfortable enough that I can work for a bit, but not too comfortable that I end up using it all day. I reckon if I had a proper sit/stand desk, I'd sit a lot more. And obviously its cheaper. So there you go, a proper STW recommendation for something you didn't ask for 😉
At the office I have the Ikea one. Which I like very much. I tend to stand in the morning and sit in the afternoon, unless I'm feeling drowsy after lunch.
I'd like one at home but the home office is too small fit.
IKEA Bekant motorised one here.
I spent months and months revisiting sit-stand.com and spec'ing a desk upto about £750 then baulking at the cost so not ordering.
Finally just bought the £400 IKEA one and wish I'd just done so in the first place!
Bekant here as well, go it about 4yrs ago, still going strong, love it.
I've had one about 5 years at work since breaking my back. I don't use it as much as I should, but my desk is a good 6" higher than normal, I can't work comfortably at a 'normal' desk. desk at home is height adjustable (manual) and that's set higher than normal.
@GTDave - how is the Forest frame going? How long is the guarantee on it?
Wife's just ordered this. We have a 'top'.
She does get another 30% off it though, but at sale price it's good.
@ElShalimo - Unsure to be honest, but the desk has been used regularly without fault since day one. I would happily recommend it.
Does anyone use a keyboard tray on their sit/stand desk?
I'm v tempted by these (back issues) but I do quite like my keyboard tray!
@doris5000 Nope, as my desk goes low enough to not warrant one. Never been a fan of keyboard trays tbh.
Flexispot here too with the 4 position memory. Bought a scruffy solid oak coffee table for £20. just the right size, sanded and refinished with Osmo then just used the top. I ended up making a riser shelf with the leftovers to get the work supplied monitor and laptop at the right height, but if I had a choice I'd use a normal dual monitor stand and usb-c dock.
Very happy with it,tend to stand for meetings and sit to work.
Holy thread resurrection Batman!
I was scrolling thru this and noticed my own comments from 8+ months ago.
Anyway, Ive decided I'm not as keen on standing for work as I used to be. It cured my back problems but ****ed my knees instead (but that's because I lack the self-discipline to alternate between sitting and standing...I was spending far too long standing)
I have found I use the height adjust only when my back starts aching and I am on a Zoom call, normally towards the end of the week after a lot of meetings.
I do adjust the height up when watching YouTube in the evening so my elbows are comfortable for lounging rather than typing.
The novelty od standing and typing soon wore off.
I thought the whole point of them was to sit for 1-2 hours, then stand for 30-60mins then back to the chair, repeat until you finish for the day??
I have the IKEA manual one. I was going to bodge a motor on myself as a project, but in reality I've decided it's really not a pain at all to wind up and down and in fact probably good to inject some movement into my work day. Also saves on raw materials for the sake of a bit of laziness. I built a top from old scaffold boards. Currently plagued by a shoulder injury down to poor posture and not doing antagonistic training to counter climbing - standing and sitting helps no end
i'm planning on developing a lie down desk, the difficulty is sourcing pillows with a roomscap pattern to hide the fact i'm clearly in my jammies on call.
it goes live on kickstarter next week. any early adopters?
As an ex DSE assessor I can say that while sit stand desks can work for some people with specific issues they do introduce other potential problems which can cause issues down the line.
I was never a “you must sit like this diagram” assessor as I was taught by someone really good who really stressed the issue that DSE guidance is only guidance and gives a set of things to look out for when trying to solve problems. I’ve set some people up in positions where others would be complaining after 30mins - everyone is different!
I never got to a point where I needed to recommend a sit stand desk, and I helped maybe 100 people and got great feedback on how I had helped people.
Most often issues I found with back problems is poor chair setup in particular the relation to the desk (not helped by chairs with no adjustment), but most changes I recommended were very small.
However saying all that no matter what you do with your position if you don’t take regular breaks and have a walk round, do something different for 2-5 minutes, and also look after your general muscle health (stretching, core strength) no desk setup will ever help avoid injury completely.
If anyone would like help (in an unofficial friend type non medical not my fault way) then send me a DM and we can maybe do a video chat about your setup. I’m not your normal DSE assessor and to be honest I’m gutted I don’t do it any more as I have a real passion for it and loved helping people, I didn’t do it just to get away from my job and make myself feel important like a lot of assessors do!!
I've had a sit stand desk at work for about 6 years. Following getting my spine busted whilst commuting on the bike.
I use it raised TBH, still sit, but it's 4-6 inches higher than a standard desk to improve my posture - normal desks are too low. At home the table I currently use is 'raised'.
Anyway, Ive decided I’m not as keen on standing for work as I used to be. It cured my back problems but ****ed my knees instead (but that’s because I lack the self-discipline to alternate between sitting and standing…I was spending far too long standing)
That can be an issue with standing desks, they are generally (not always) needed to provide someone with a specific medical issue a different position for a while to alleviate pain or discomfort, but as you have found they do introduce other issues. It’s not necessarily the position that helps, it’s the change in position that makes the difference.
WCA I think I read on another thread how messed up you are so in your case it can be very difficult to find something that works well!! Hope you are ok with how you have set yourself up and found solutions that work for you.
I’ve had a sit stand desk at work for about 6 years. Following getting my spine busted whilst commuting on the bike.
I use it raised TBH, still sit, but it’s 4-6 inches higher than a standard desk to improve my posture – normal desks are too low. At home the table I currently use is ‘raised’.
One thing I found when doing assessments is that it’s easier to make a shorter than average person fit a standard desk but harder for a taller person. Certainly for anyone taller than maybe 6’2” getting longer desk legs can make a big difference depending on torso/leg length ratios. I reckon standard desk height hasn’t changed for many decades (I used to have a 1940’s Abbess desk which was the same height as my new ikea one) but average heights have increased which can be a real pain. Height adjustable legs or desk risers (used on standard office desks, not sit stand desks) can solve so many issues.
I'm now 2+ years on with my manual Ikea desk. I'm now not sure I'm that bothered about adding a motor. Simply having a desk at a more comfortable height for me (810mm from the floor) is good enough - the average office desk is only 720mm.
Tempted by a larger desk top than I currently have - initially went small (1200 x 700 I think) but could use a bit more width.
I reckon standard desk height hasn’t changed for many decades (I used to have a 1940’s Abbess desk which was the same height as my new ikea one) but average heights have increased which can be a real pain. Height adjustable legs or desk risers (used on standard office desks, not sit stand desks) can solve so many issues.
You're probably right. At 187cm (6'1ish) I initially increased my keyboard and mouse height with reams of A3 paper underneath them. Worked like that for years until finally getting a desk with the ability to set to different heights (via bolts in different holes, so not easily adjustable daily). 720mm previous up to 810mm now, ideal.
I got a sit stand desk about 4 months back, not as a result of a specific problem but as a result of wanting to sit less.
I do probably stand for too long (many days all day, some days just sit for an hour), I also use a balance cushion but I am starting to notice my feet aching in new ways.
I don't find typing a problem while standing, but perhaps I am not producing chapter and verse like some others here.
perhaps I am not producing chapter and verse like some others here.
Maybe you should up your game - that Keir Starmer thread isn't going to write itself, you know
How smooth are the manual winding desks?
Are they hard work to move up/down? i.e. not a gym workout
Easy to spin, but takes quite a lot of turns. If anything I would prefer fewer turns even if it upped the effort to turn
Easy to spin, but takes quite a lot of turns. If anything I would prefer fewer turns even if it upped the effort to turn
Agree with this with my manual Ikea desk - no effort at all. The frantic twaddling of the crank handle under the desktop does create a talking point during Teams calls if I decide to change position during the call.
I have a sit stand desk (fancy Herman Miller one) and as well as using it to sit at, I also use different chairs for a bit of variety. For example, I'm sitting on a humanscale ballo at the moment, a bit like the lovechild of a gymball and mushroom