Yes, but they need to be good quality and quite heavy, so they don't wiggle. Being able to save presets (sitting, standing) is also an important feature for me, otherwise they are always a bit off.
Ask HN: Are height adjustable desks worth it?
41–50 of 81 posts
Re: Ask HN: Are height adjustable desks worth it?
#42It's good option to have an option to stand, regardless how good your chair is, sometimes you have enough of it.
I used to stand a lot 4-6h / work day. I used the "LIDKULLEN" stool most of the time instead of a proper chair. Nowadays, I picked up a cycling and train regularly and I find my legs are often tired and I rarely stand.
What's important to have comfortable shoes. I'm a "neutral" shoes person (vibram five fingers, barefoot running, etc.), but I hate them for standing desk, they are not comfortable when standing.
I guess it depends on the person, and their lifestyle in the end.
Re: Ask HN: Are height adjustable desks worth it?
#43I 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.
It's kinda nice to use one, but I hate the fact that we burn energy to burn energy.
I would like to see more (and maybe cheaper) options/alternatives for manual operated walking pads like the Walkolution [0] or Nohrd SprintBok [1] (which seems to be a Chinese white label [2])
0: http://Walkolution.de 1: https://www.nohrd.com/us/sprintbok/ 2: https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005005169772365.html
Re: Ask HN: Are height adjustable desks worth it?
#44I agree with others that this is pretty personal to your own values. For me: it was definitely worth it, and if you buy a decent quality frame/desktop it'll be durable and a pretty minimal premium over time. I usually switch sitting standing 1-10 times/day depending on how restless I'm feeling. That said: - it's hard to know how much you'll like standing (or switching) until you try it - it is pretty hard to vet qual…
+1 for uplift. I’ve had mine for two years and love it.
Re: Ask HN: Are height adjustable desks worth it?
#45I got one a few years back. However, I have so much electronics with cables going everywhere that it ended up being impossible to raise once I had connected everything - even if I had used one of those brackets to hold the PC to the desk.
Re: Ask HN: Are height adjustable desks worth it?
#46Everybody in this thread is insanely positive on height adjustable desks, but I have had height adjustable desks at different employers since 2013, and I have never used them as standing desks. They are great to get the height exactly right in the beginning and then I never move them again. I'd rather have a larger table than an height adjustable desk.
Re: Ask HN: Are height adjustable desks worth it?
#47If 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.
I also have a walkingpad, but I haven't got used to it too much yet. Mine is a foldable rebranded xiaomi, feels kind of bouncy, but sometimes I use it. When I use though, it gets hard to use the mouse, so I bought an external trackpad, which works perfectly.
Re: Ask HN: Are height adjustable desks worth it?
#48I have a fixed height standing desk, and just use a barstool when I want to sit at the desk.
The main reason for getting a standing desk (about 12 years ago) was to fix back pain, and even on days where I sit on the barstool all day, the back pain hasn't come back, so it has been a success for me.
NOTE: I had my current desk made by carpenter to the exact height I wanted, before that, I used an Ikea Fredrik desk configured for my height.
Re: Ask HN: Are height adjustable desks worth it?
#49The only downsides I can think of is the price and the weight. I have one at work which is nice but I wouldn't bother getting one at home.
Re: Ask HN: Are height adjustable desks worth it?
#50Mine is very much worth it. I have an old Humanscale mechanical sit/stand desk that lets me very quickly adjust the height between sitting and standing whenever I'm inclined to do so. I don't know if you can still get this kind; it probably could be dangerous if kids played with it since nothing stops it from moving fast. There's more mental friction involved in the slow-moving electric-motor adjustable desks, but if you have preset buttons you can think about something else while you're waiting for it to get to the right height.
Some people who stand at desks say it's a lot more comfortable with a soft pad to stand on. I haven't used those myself.