Working from home shows no signs of slowing down and in some cases is permanent. If you are still adjusting to the remote working style, it may be time to finish your home office. You can't move around as much as walking around the office, but that's what makes a standing desk so great. Your legs will thank you for the variety, but how do you choose the right model? Here are our favorite standing desks for working from home.
Why get a standing desk?
You may be wondering why you need a standing desk at all when you've worked on a regular one throughout your career. Well, sitting has been labeled a new smoking in some cases - which is scary to say the least. It stiffens your back, reduces blood flow, and compresses your organs. None of these side effects sound exactly like sounding affirmation to hold your sitting desk.
Now you could buy a premium chair and a whole host of other office comforts, but the solution is a lot easier. Standing will help you straighten your legs, increase blood flow, and you will likely be registering a few more steps on your Fitbit. We're not saying to throw away your office chair or go to a standing room, but it's good to have options.
Standing desks typically fall into two basic camps - real desks and conversion kits. The real desks completely replace your current setup and can often hold a few hundred pounds. Unfortunately, they usually don't have built-in drawers as it would be too difficult to lift the drawers. The other way, if you love your current desk, is through a conversion kit. It's on top of your setup, but it adjusts in the same way. You can keep all of your drawers and extra space while simply lifting up your keyboard and monitors.
A standing desk may not resolve all of your work ailments, but it is a good first step in the home office and in your professional life.
The best standing desks:
Publisher's Note: We'll be adding new standing desks to this list as we review and launch new options.Desks We Tried:
Ikea Skarsta
The Swedish furniture giant is a great place to look for a standing desk, and it shows up a lot on our list. That first option, the Skarsta, is a simple, minimalist desk that our own C. Scott Brown took for a spin. You can read his in-depth thoughts below.
See also: Ikea Skarsta review: A little too minimalist
The Skarsta is a 63 x 31 inch hybrid desk that you can adjust for sitting or standing work. However, the desk is entirely manual, so you have to begin your workout while rotating the desktop up or down. It will be delivered disassembled as it is an Ikea product. However, you can also pay extra to have it assembled for you. The desktop is made of thick chipboard and the legs and supports are made of durable metal.
If you are looking for a functionally packed desk then the Skarsta is not for you. It offers a desktop that goes up and down, but that's about it. You won't find cable management and there are no desks or shelves to speak of. However, the materials are solid and the desk is easy to raise and lower during the day.
Full of Jarvis
If a manual crank isn't your speed, the Fully Jarvis may be a better fit. It is fully motorized and stores four height settings for even faster adjustments. Our own Eric Zeman has reviewed the Fully Jarvis - assembly process and everything - and you can read about his experience below:
See also: Full Jarvis Review: A Motorized Bruise
We tested a simple version of the Fully Jarvis, but you can customize the desk to your heart's content on the Fully website. You can add anything from a cable management compartment to a drawer or filing cabinet. Unfortunately there is no option for a lowered keyboard tray, but the desk itself offers plenty of space.
You can adjust the Jarvis up to 25 inches, which is perfect for standing or sitting. It's also lightning fast, rising and falling at 1.5 inches per second. The Jarvis is available in a variety of sizes, from 30 x 24 inches to 78 x 30 inches.
Flexispot desk
The last standing desk we checked is the Flexispot. It's a slightly more budget-friendly option and measures 48 "by 30". We reached out to Kris Carlon for our review, and you can read his thoughts here:
See also: Do you need a standing desk? Yes you really do
Like the Jarvis and the Skarsta, the Flexispot requires a good assembly before you can start working. Fortunately, Kris found it easy to put them together, and the build quality is solid. It also matches the speed of the Jarvis and adjusts to 1.5 inches per second. However, it operates smoothly so you don't have to worry if you spill your coffee while lifting it.
Select versions of the Flexispot standing desk can save on preset heights, but the simplest model has easy up and down options. It is fully motorized in both directions so you can leave your manual crank behind.
The best of the rest:
Pick up V2
Standing desks are meant to be as unique as you are, and Uplift's V2 is a perfect way to tweak your setup. It's not cheap and you have to buy direct from Uplift yourself, but you can customize every aspect. The V2 is available in almost any size, from 42 x 30 inches to 80 x 30 inches.
If you tend to keep a lot on your desk, the Uplift V2 is ready to lift it up. The motorized animal can handle up to 355 pounds at a time, much more than you can probably even fit on your desk. You can also customize the look of your V2 with four frame colors and dozen of desktop materials, including a fill-size whiteboard.
ApexDesk Elite
If you want the desk that sounds like it beats the rest, how do you suggest a name like Apexdesk Elite? Instead of fitting in as just another rectangular desk, the Apexdesk uses a collapsed center section to keep you even closer to the action. The top itself is 60 "by 28" so you should have more than enough real estate to work with.
It may not quite match the uplift's 355 pound capacity, but the Apexdesk Elite can lift 225 pounds like it was nothing. Apexdesk also opted for a durable steel frame so you should be able to work through just about anything. The Elite is fully mechanized and the controller allows you to save multiple elevation profiles for easy adjustments.
Pick up E7
We've highlighted a lot of real standing desks so far, but what if you love the desk you already have? You can skip the complete overhaul with the Uplift E7, a conversion kit that sits on your desk. The E7 is fully electric and the control panel sits flush with the top of the desk.
Unlike some other options that keep things simple, Uplift's E7 has a detachable keyboard tray and you can mount monitors right on your desk. It is available with one, two or three ports and the E7 is available in black or white. You can only stack 110 pounds on the remodel desk, but at least you should still have real estate on your original desk.
The desktop measures 30 "by 21.5" and the keyboard tray is 28 "by 10.5".
Vari electric standing desk
Vari's large 48 x 30 inch standing desk is a great option if you want to match your home or office decor. It is available in the standard black and white finishes. However, you can also choose between butcher blocks or reclaimed wood versions that feel a little more personal. No matter which topper you choose, the frame of the desk is made of sturdy steel and is reinforced with a crossbar.
The powerful motor is just as high quality as the desk itself and can be quietly adjusted to heights between 25.5 and 50.5 inches. You can save up to three height adjustments on the premium LED display to make adjustments even easier. Vari claims you can assemble the desk in about five minutes without special tools. So don't be afraid to put it to the test.
Ikea Bekant
We're back in Ikea to get the Bekant standing desk and the manual crank is nowhere to be seen. It looks almost identical to the Skarsta with the minimalist design, but the Bekant is fully electric. You can adjust your settings with a simple two-button control panel for heights between 22 and 48 inches.
It comes in a variety of colors and styles, and of course, you'll have to assemble the desk yourself. The Bekant also has a cable guide sleeve so that you can keep your workplace clean and tidy. Unfortunately, there are still no extra trays or drawers so you'll likely have to grab a filing cabinet or something similar.
Ikea Idasen
Today's last standing desk is another option from Ikea. It's called Idasen and is designed to endure years of wear and tear. The desktop is a thick sheet of chipboard, and the steel legs are reinforced at the bottom for strength and durability. It only comes in black, but at least you can spill coffee or ink and you shouldn't notice a mess.
Ikea's Idasen is another all-electric option, and the control panel is somehow even more minimalistic. It acts as a single control panel that you either lift or press to make your changes. Even better, Ikea has a companion app that allows you to remotely customize your desk if you need to. The Idasen also uses the same cable management system as the Bekant, so you should be able to keep your desktop clean and tidy.
