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Ask HN: I need a standing desk. Should I buy or build?

5 points by wyclif ↗ HN
I need a good standing desk. My requirements are simple: I want something height-adjustable and sturdy, but without electronics or a motor. Simplicity is key. I'm thinking something with a crank to adjust the height of the surface. I know there have been a lot of threads on HN about standing desks (I've read them all). Some members might be tired of the subject but I wanted to ask what other HN people, especially developers, are using. Thanks.

20 comments

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cdvonstinkpot
Buy & get an extended warranty. Then get back to working on whatever it is that you do, that you're good at.

If you're good at woodworking, build it. You can be better than a warranty- be your own repair guy. I've never checked, but I would imagine there's a community online which can point you to guides & plans/prints.

Either way, I wish you the best.

cweagans
I went down the route of trying to build one, and it's simply not worth it. To get to a point where you can easily adjust the height on a homemade desk is really, really difficult. You're much better off (both in terms of time and finances) with going with a prebuilt solution.

Here's a few of the commercial options that I considered:

* Crank-adjustable desk frame: www.amazon.com/Ergo-Elements-Adjustable-Standing-Black/dp/B00YE6CRY8 with an IKEA desk top, perhaps. I also considered using a solid wood door that a friend was going to give me, but it was quite heavy and looked pretty bad.

* The IKEA electric standing desk (Bekant): http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S19022530/ A couple friends have had mixed success with this one. If you live near an IKEA, go check it out in person.

* A fixed standing desk and a tall stool (this is likely the cheapest option and would be the easiest to build yourself). Nothing in particular that I can link to on this one, but if you can find something that has the desk top at > 40" from the ground, that's probably a good candidate. I'm 6'0" and my standing preset is at 43.5" (sitting is 27" if you're curious).

* NextDesk - this is the one I ended up going with. I got the Terra (http://www.nextdesks.com/terra) and I'm very happy with it. It's expensive, but it felt a lot more solid than many of the other options that I looked into, and at the end of the day, it's holding a lot of expensive things. I don't want any issues with it, particularly those that result in the damage or destruction of my electronics.

A question, though: you said you didn't want electronics or a motor. I'm curious - why not? I'm assuming you're a developer, and you're going to have a computer at your desk, so there's likely power nearby. Is it a philosophical thing or something?

dragonne
I also have a NextDesk, the Solo Plus (http://www.nextdesks.com/solo#plus). I'm generally quite pleased with it; it's certainly far nicer than anything I could build myself. The Terra is probably noticeably more stable than the Solo, which can flex a bit (I wouldn't lean on it).

One interesting datapoint: I was originally very keen to get a desk with height presets, but it turns out that I don't use them much. I end up adjusting the height based on what shoes I'm wearing, etc. so I'm almost never at the height I set on the preset.

wyclif
Thanks, this is exactly what I was looking for. The reason why I'd rather avoid electronic adjustment is because I've seem some of them burn out (the motor) and then the unit can be tough to replace, esp if the manufacturer goes out of business. I prefer manual adjustment. I'd also expect to save some money that way.
cweagans
FWIW, Nextdesk has been in business for quite a while and the desk comes with a three year warranty (though I think you can get an extended warranty for not a lot of extra money). In any case, yeah, you'll probably save money with a crank mechanism.
georgeam
I just noticed that IKEA has a new product called SKARSTA, which is a hand-crank standing desk. This is different from the electric IKEA standing desk that others have mentioned. Lets see if this link will work: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/search/?query=SKARSTA ps. I do not own this product and can not recommend for or against it, just saying that it exists.
justinv
Not sure where you're located, but if you're anywhere in or near the UK, check out Biurko: http://biurkobiurko.com/

Incredibly well crafted (& in full disclosure: made by a friend!)

saich
Ironing board. Works great and folds up when done.
1arity
I like the trestles you can get at IKEA and putting a large table top from IKEA on top of them. The trestles look very DIY / workshop / cave like and you can adjust the height. I'm not so tall so if you are more than 6 ft something you may not find it high enough.

If you don't find any table tops to your liking you can buy solid wood fireproof door blanks at a hardware supply and use that instead. They have serious heft and will last and are relatively cheap.

Having a good high stool to sit on when you don't feel like standing is also useful.

ellegiers
You can get a wooden minimal one from Jaswig.com their Kickstarter launches in 4 hours!
blueside
Build one with "spare parts" you have laying around and then try it out first and see if it's for you. I've seen a few people go out buy a fancy standup desk and then decide it's not for them. Don't worry, they aren't for everyone.

If you really like (and it takes a good month for you feet to get conditioned to the change) then you'll have your answer :)