Ask HN: Are height adjustable desks worth it?

ikea has cheap ones

yes

Costco was selling a decent quality one for not too much

I love the idea but can't deal with how much they wiggle. They all seem to only have 2 legs, which results in them being very wobbly, particularly at standing height.

Interested to hear if anyone knows of any actually stable sit-stand desks..

Highly dependent on the person. I had one at my old job and stood once for four hours, hated it, and never stood again.

My coworker had one that was always raised and didn’t even have a chair.

I “built” my own, got an L shaped VIVO desk frame from Amazon and then a butcher block slab from Lowe’s. L shaped standing desk for a fraction of the cost.

Yes. But you have to know how to use them. And I don't mean "pressing buttons".

My anecdotal data: I almost never use standing feature of my standing-desk in the office, I use it if I want to show something on my displays to a couple of people. I see the value of standing desks, but since I am a very physically active person, I find the health benefits of standing in front of a desk just tiring and useless for me. But a lot of my co-workers do use standing desks.

It's nice to have the option of standing up for a while instead of always sitting.

Depending on your technology setup, cable routing might be made more difficult as you may need to ensure sufficient slack for the full range of movement to be available.

Depending on the size and construction of the desk, you may need to care more about how much weight you put on the desk surface. Some designs at max height can get a little wobbly and this gets worse with more weight.

When I bought one for my home office, I decided to go with one with a mechanical crank instead of an electric motor. I've seen too many offices full of adjustable desks with dead motors and decided I didn't want to be staring at a non-moving adjustable desk 2 years later.

Everyone has one at my job and the usage varies wildly, probably due to fitness and willpower. If the price is a barrier, think twice whether you'd really stand or not. Maybe you can try one a few weeks at a coworking place or so?

YES. Look for deals. I got a really sturdy one from Costco 4 years ago for about $250 and it's the best desk I've ever owned.

I don't use a char at all anymore - I stand about 80% of the day, and use a stool to rest for the other 20%.

Make sure to get one with programmable heights, and spend some time setting up your ideals for ergonomics.

--EDIT-- This is the model I bought (but mine is black). Looks like it's gone up about $100 since my purchase, but well worth it. https://www.costco.com/tresanti-geller-47%e2%80%9d-adjustabl...

I find it tough to concentrate on serious work while standing, but I do use mine elevated when I am doing administrative tasks or research.

I really like having one. I just wish it didn't wobble and squeak as much as it does.

Next time though, I will select by researching stability / non-wobbly reviews, such as these:

https://www.btod.com/blog/most-stable-standing-desks/

https://www.reddit.com/r/StandingDesk/comments/gyopqq/sugges...

About 3 years ago, I bought a relatively cheap one from Amazon-- for the price, it's quite decent.

Note on Depth: I like that it's 30" deep-- My preference would be 36", just so I can sprawl out more. So, I would keep depth in mind. I think 24", which is a common depth, is too narrow.

- $210 for base: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08FT9JVW7/

- $250 for tabletop: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083LLGX14/

= $460 total

I bought it thanks to an employer's WFH covid stipend. If I get such a home office stipend again, I will likely go with this sort of brand which is at least on the top 5 list of non-wobbly desks linked above.

- Price: $850 https://www.amazon.com/Vari-Electric-Standing-Desk-Adjustabl... note: it does not have a cross beam, so it might not be the best choice. I will likely keep searching

I have the predecessor to the Uplift4 and have owned it for 7 or 8 years now. https://www.upliftdesk.com/uplift-4-leg-standing-desk-v2-v2-...

It has been a very good purchase for me--I stand for at least 2-3 sessions during the work day and find it very helpful.

This particular unit has very little wobble and is extremely strong. Zero regrets and I highly recommend it. If you're doing any consulting/contracting this should be a tax deductible purchase.

I recently purchased a walking treadmill for my standing desk, though it hasn't come in yet. I do think that if you're interested in burning some calories on the clock, a standing desk is a prerequisite.

I bought a fairly cheap one off of Amazon last year to see if I would actually use it before buying some of the more recommended brands and models. I find there are times where it helps to stand. Usually during those online meetings where I tend to get distracted and fidget more.

How much I stand really depends on the day.

I think the desk top matters, the accessories and how much you remember to use it.

I have two fully Jarvis sit / stand desks. One at home and one at my coworking space.

There are mats and balance boards you can stand on to keep your balance moving around which makes standing less…boring?

I have to remind myself to stand up and set a timer to take a seat again. It can help vary things up a bit.

It’s somewhat pricey, esp w the accessories I mentioned. Supposedly this can be a big contributor to health though, so hard to put a price on that.

I also put some time and a little money into the under desk power and cable management basket and a high watt power strip so only one cord would hang.

It all takes time and money and then you gotta use the stuff but it’s nice.

I’d suggest investing in a nice office chair first.

If you're looking at these for the health benefits, you might also want to consider dedicating a part of the budget towards a walking pad to go with the desk. Just standing at a standing desk is boring, walking is much more fun and more active as well.

It's a nice feature, but it doesn't really fix the issue. I still need like I need to walk around now and again.

For me, yes.

I've had a Jarvis desk for some years now (at least 7? not sure). The overall build quality feels quite good for the price.

I originally bought it because I'd heard that alternating between standing and sitting was good for you, and I imagined myself switching its height multiple times per day.

I ended up mostly just sitting at it. But it's nice to have the ability to get the height just right for each person using it.

FWIW, I haven't had any of the wobbliness problems that others are mentioning.

Yes. I made my own for about £200 by buying a crank-driven frame (everything but the desk top) and a length of oak worktop (US: kitchen countertop) and screwed it on myself.

If I had my time again, I probably wouldn't buy a crank-driven one.

I basically can't present work or be interviewed without standing up any more. It feels weird.

Having a standing desk is worth it. I used to have back pain and with the standing desk it is all gone.

But even when you just sit at the desk, a few centimeters of table height can make all the difference for back pain.

I have an electric one from Ikea for around 500 EUR, but there are also even cheaper similar desks for ~ half the price.

It depends. I suggest you first try to work at your desk with a tray on top or something that lets you try out switching between standing and sitting all the time. See if you’ll actually be switching between standing and sitting and enjoy it.

I have one. Bought it about 9 years ago. Thought it was so cool. After the first week I barely ever moved it to standing.

Fast forward to now. I have some pretty bad lower back pains that I do like standing frequently. Unfortunately the desk I have is motorized not manual; and it stopped working. So I now have a tray that I switch in and out during the day to sit and stand.

I have mine from Flexispot.de and I absolutely love it. Already 3 years that I have it, I believe I got a good deal. I stand maybe like 10% of the time but still I think my body and my back is thanking me for this.

I've seen them sold for about 150€ here in Finland. I'd say it's pretty worth it. A height adjustable office chair is cheaper, however, and still might work for us.