Ask HN: Are height adjustable desks worth it? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Are height adjustable desks worth it?

#71

Post by glimshe » Tue, Jan 23, 2024, 4:15 PM UTC

Most people only adjust them once, so buying a manually adjustable desk tends to best if you want a reliable desk. I wouldn't buy a desk with a fixed height.

This reminds me of the ultimate desk deal: the classic IKEA Jerker from the 2000s, no longer manufactured. Now THAT is a desk (I've had one for 20 years).

Re: Ask HN: Are height adjustable desks worth it?

#72

Post by satya71 » Tue, Jan 23, 2024, 4:25 PM UTC

For shorter people, the some height adjustable desks are the only ones that are low enough for good ergonomics. Standard desks in the US are too tall for a large portion of the population.

Re: Ask HN: Are height adjustable desks worth it?

#73

Post by andjd » Tue, Jan 23, 2024, 4:29 PM UTC

propter_hoc wrote: post #5

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..

I have not personally used it, but Flexispot has a 4-leg adjustable base: https://www.flexispot.com/flexispot-4-leg-standing-desk-e7pl...

Re: Ask HN: Are height adjustable desks worth it?

#74

Post by geor9e » Tue, Jan 23, 2024, 5:13 PM UTC

You could always try one out for $99 and give it away if you don't like it (example https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C498LWF5/ )

Re: Ask HN: Are height adjustable desks worth it?

#75

Post by caspercrf » Tue, Jan 23, 2024, 5:23 PM UTC

I love them, I have one at work and three at home. I end up standing about 80% of the time and I feel that I'm more productive when I'm standing. When I sit at my desk, I tend to try to get comfortable and slouch a little in my chair, which makes me want to be lazy.

A big plus I found is that at work, it is much easier to show someone a coding problem or something I'm working on if the desk is at the standing height. It's kind of like working on a whiteboard.

Both my wife and I have adjustable desks for our home offices, and my wife doesn't even have a chair with hers, she's always standing.

I was able to get a used one from my last job after they remodeled our offices. I'm going to use that one for my garage workbench. I weigh 230 pounds, and just for fun, I wanted to see if the desk could lift me, so I sat on it and my desk had no problem going up and down multiple times. That made me have the idea it would be a perfect workbench for working on my motorcycle or car parts.

Re: Ask HN: Are height adjustable desks worth it?

#76

Post by qup » Tue, Jan 23, 2024, 5:47 PM UTC

caspercrf wrote: post #75

I love them, I have one at work and three at home. I end up standing about 80% of the time and I feel that I'm more productive when I'm standing. When I sit at my desk, I tend to try to get comfortable and slouch a little in my chair, which makes me want to be lazy. A big plus I found is that at work, it is much easier to show someone a coding problem or something I'm working on if the desk is at the standing height.…

My motorcycle, a pretty small one, weighs twice as much as you do, with fluids.

Re: Ask HN: Are height adjustable desks worth it?

#77

Post by mrich » Tue, Jan 23, 2024, 6:07 PM UTC

If you are spending more than two hours per day at your desk, it is worth it. There are some cheap ones out there that are OK (200€) but even a sturdy one is not that expensive, when you consider the time you spend there and the benefits to your health.

Re: Ask HN: Are height adjustable desks worth it?

#78

Post by caspercrf » Tue, Jan 23, 2024, 6:59 PM UTC

qup wrote: post #76

caspercrf wrote: post #75

I love them, I have one at work and three at home. I end up standing about 80% of the time and I feel that I'm more productive when I'm standing. When I sit at my desk, I tend to try to get comfortable and slouch a little in my chair, which makes me want to be lazy. A big plus I found is that at work, it is much easier to show someone a coding problem or something I'm working on if the desk is at the standing height.…

My motorcycle, a pretty small one, weighs twice as much as you do, with fluids.

I have a motorcycle lift and a car lift, but the desk is great for motorcycle engine rebuilds or working on a steering rack, just like a normal workbench but you can raise what you're working on to chest high instead of bending over all the time.

Re: Ask HN: Are height adjustable desks worth it?

#79

Post by kkfx » Tue, Jan 23, 2024, 8:34 PM UTC

For me yes, but... Try looking on various on-line vendors... I bought mine for around 90€ + the wood top made myself, meaning you can buy some expensive, but also find cheaper one that are as good as others, since the standing part is just a pair of screws operated by a small motor...

Re: Ask HN: Are height adjustable desks worth it?

#80

Post by aPoCoMiLogin » Tue, Jan 23, 2024, 10:21 PM UTC

propter_hoc wrote: post #5

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..

that sounds like really cheap desk. i've got adjustable desk mostly because the one that i've seen in ikea etc were the most stable desks that there were available.