Hey there! Let me start by saying that I have never thought that I would need a standing desk until I realized that sitting for hours in a day had an adverse effect on my body. In fact, as I am writing this post I am using my standing desk that I purchased not long ago.
I explored a number of standing desks with different types and features and decided to settle with one that met my need and budget. My hope that after reading this post on how to buy a standing desk for first time buyer, you will have some ideas on how to buy a standing desk that work for you and your family without breaking the bank.
Why do I Need A Standing Desk?
If you are reading this article, there is a good chance that either you or someone else you care about need to try a standing desk. You probably already knew the benefit of having one so I am not going to bore you about that. However, I am still going to briefly share my story why I decided to get a standing desk just in case you still have a little bit of doubt. I have a feeling that my story is not uncommon at all.
At my previous workplace I worked in a factory that manufactured seats for cars. However, I did not work at the assembly line. I had my own desk with a computer, keyboard, phone, and everything else a regular office person needed. At that time, sitting for hours in front of my computer was actually discouraged by my superior.
She often reminded me and my coworkers to spend considerable amount of time at the assembly floor where all the “action” took place. Little did I realize then that habit was actually a blessing for my health.
Every day I only had to sit for a few hours and then I had to walk around the factory floor and warehouse, which made me stay active during the day.
After spending a few years there, I moved to a company where I am currently working now. It is a full office environment where I have to sit for the whole day analyzing data and attending meetings. This new job really disrupted my habit of staying active in the office. The only time I get up from my chair is when I go for a bathroom break or walk to a meeting room.
A few months had gone by and I started feeling discomfort on my lower back so I decided to change my routine in the office by doing a short walk every hour and told my wife that I would be purchasing a standing desk at home. I needed to get one because I could not bear another hour or two sitting in front of my laptop.
So I did what you did – trying to find some information about buying a standing desk online. After researching for days and contemplating whether it would be worth the money, I decided that my health is much more important. So here I am now writing this article for you while standing in front of my laptop. I have no regrets in buying this standing desk.
Whether you are looking to buy one for yourself or perhaps for your office or company, you will gain some knowledge about purchasing a standing desk after reading this post.
Lets get to it now!
Get To Know Different Type Of Standing Desks
You may have done a little bit of research before coming to this site so you could be familiar already with some adjustable standing desk types that I am about to share. However, if this is your first site that you visit, you may want to pay attention more closely.
1). Standing Desk Converter
This type is actually my first exposure to a standing desk. My coworker owns one and uses it daily with no issues. She loves it! It is basically a small desk being placed on top of another desk. It is not powered by anything so you will need to adjust the height manually as you wish.
Some converters come with a pre-determined height setting level and some can be adjusted on any level. The design and simplicity can be very appealing for a first-time user.
Related : Best Standing Desk Converters 2024
With that being said you want to make sure that your chair’s height can be adjusted as well. I say this because the converter will raise your eye’s level to your monitor so you may need to adjust your chair when you are not using the converter.
Positive: Easy to install and remove, generally inexpensive.
Negative: Space could be a problem if you have many things to put on the converter. Despite the simple design, the converter could make your work desk look bulky.
2). Crank Standing Desk
I noticed this type of standing desk when I went to my local IKEA. It looks like a normal desk except that it has a crank that is normally located at the side of the table. Depending on the option you select, you can buy just the legs without the table top. Some people like it this way because they can install their own preferred table top.
The way you raise or lower the desk is by…well…you know it as soon as you see the crank, right? Therefore, operating the desk is a very straight forward process. I honestly somewhat like the idea of not having a powered desk so that I would not need to worry about any electrical issues or where I need to place the desk. However, because of my own pride, I just could not see myself cranking a table up and down.
Positive: It is an actual desk where you can put a lot of stuffs. Free to adjust to any height level you want. You do not need to worry about placing the desk near an outlet or having any electrical problems.
Negative: Cranking up and down the desk manually will obviously take some energy and time. I am also personally not fond of seeing a crank attached to a desk.
3). Pneumatic Standing Desk
Let me introduce you to another non-electric adjustable standing desk. This type, however, is quite intriguing. You can adjust the height rather quickly and effortlessly by pushing a button and simultaneously raising up or lowering down the table. The desk will be automatically locked after you release the button.
My wife actually has one installed in her office and so far she is fine with it but she does not give a 5 star recommendation because she has to push down quite firmly to lower the desk down. In addition to that, she sometimes had to adjust a few times because she could not remember her preferred height level.
Overall, her experience with a pneumatic standing desk is not as great as an electric one.
Positive: Fast to adjust. Easy to operate.
Negative: No memory setting so you may need to try a couple of times to find your preferred height. Generally expensive.
4). Electric Standing Desk
The last type that I want to mention to you is an electric or powered standing desk. This is the type that I bought for my home office. There is a small motor that powers the legs to go up and down and connects to the controller. You can also choose how much power you need. If you are going to put a lot weight on your desk, you will need a more powerful motor.
The controller will have not only the “up” and “down” button but also several others for recording your preferred height. My wife and I have our own settings so we do not have to keep resetting the memory. I also bought my own table top so I could choose the design and color that fitted my office room.
From all the adjustable standing desk types, this is what I like the most.
Related : Best Electric Standing Desk 2024
Positive: Easy to operate with a click of a button. Memory settings are available for most brands.
Negative: Adjusting the desk will produce some noise. You will also need to place the desk near an outlet. It is generally pricey but they become less and less expensive every year with so many options and features available.
So there you go! Those are the most common types of standing desk known to public. You may find some other variations out there but typically they will fall to one of these four categories.
OK so now what?
Find A Durable And High Quality Desk
You have heard the saying “you got what you paid for”. I am type of a person that does not like to spend any money unless I need to. I consider myself frugal but not cheap. When it comes to purchasing a good, I want to buy something that will last for quite some time with no major issues. If that means I have to spend a little bit more to get a higher quality desk, I will do that and that’s exactly what I did here!
I knew that I wanted a motorized desk so that I had the convenience of adjusting and recording the height as I wanted it. Just like what most people would do, I did some research about the brand that I was going to buy before making a final decision.
With so many brands competing with each other now, I find it very unlikely that you will get a poor quality product. However, if you ever found a standing desk with a lot of negative reviews, just stay away from it.
Buy What Works Best And Meets Your Need
The last thing that I want to tell you about is to not assume the most expensive desk will always satisfy your need. I have seen a standing desk that is as low as double digits and as high as four digits. By the end of the day, don’t forget the ultimate reason why you need one, which is to give you an option to stand and make your body stay healthy.
If you find something that fits your budget and has decent positive reviews, I suggest that you go for it rather than spending some ridiculous amount of money for a premium brand or customized desk.
Thank you so much for spending a few minutes of your time reading this post. Let me know your buying experience by writing a comment below.
To Your Health,
Rei
Hi, thanks for the review! I didn’t realize that there is pneumatic option until I saw this article. I did some research and the price is less expensive than the electric one. Any web or store suggestions for pneumatic? Thanks.
Hello Zach,
Thank you for reading my post. I am glad that the post could add some knowledge to you. My suggestion other than to look at your favorite online retailer is to check standingdesknation.com. You can navigate easily to find some premium brands for pneumatic standing desk. If you cannot find it or have additional question, please do not hesitate to reach back to me.
Best regards,
Rei