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Affordable, automatic sit-to-stand desk

kickstarter.com

81–90 of 109 posts

Re: Affordable, automatic sit-to-stand desk

#81
post #20

I talk with a lot of people about getting started with standing desks, and I usually recommend throwing a small cheap table (ikea) on top of your existing desk and getting a drafting chair (tall). This way you don't have to pay for a variable height desk, and you keep it on the cheap side to see if you actually like it. Also, be sure to start slow and stand for maybe an hour or two a day for a few weeks. Then gradual…

A couple of crates and a 1800mm sheet of melamine worked well for me: https://www.flickr.com/x/t/0094009/photos/benrhughes/1082833.... Cost all of about AU$40.

Because I have a corner desk, I can sit at the other half when I want to write, and I use a stool for the rare occasions I want to sit while typing.

Re: Affordable, automatic sit-to-stand desk

#82
post #6

Looks interesting. I currently have a GeekDesk, but the market could definitely stand to have some competition at lower price points. That said, Dave Asprey isn't a name that inspires trust. I would be uncomfortable backing a project he plays such a central role in.

Could you elaborate more on the Dave Asprey bit?

Re: Affordable, automatic sit-to-stand desk

#83
post #71
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd imagine that these desks cost roughly the same amount to produce and the only reason they're ~£400 is because it's a relatively niche product and is sold through a reseller, not direct.

This is they type of desk that I have and I saved a significant amount of money by just buying the legs and then getting a table top at Ikea. Most of this re-sellers are capturing their margins by having overpriced desktops included in the purchase. This desk also has a cross bar for support and to conceal an axle which allows the desk to have a single beefy motor. I have found the cross beam to be crucial as I have…

Are the table tops standard or did you have to drill holes in the Ikea top to get it to fit?

Re: Affordable, automatic sit-to-stand desk

#84
Curious that they include "patent application" as part of the process. Based on what they've disclosed in the Kickstarter, they're not doing anything that hasn't already been done before in existing motorized standing desks (this includes the height-position memory function--there's a standing desk out there that retails for about $3000 that has this functionality). As far as I can see, the only real difference is the cost.

Re: Affordable, automatic sit-to-stand desk

#85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is motorized, so you can also sit at a regular chair if you want as well. Some people don't like stools, they simply don't offer the same level of comfort and ergonomics that a regular chair would.

So spend $200 and get a drafting chair. You'd still be saving a couple hundred bucks.

Drafting chairs aren't as comfortable or as good for your back as a nice standard chair. If part of why you're doing this for your back and are going to sit very much at all, you'll want a better chair.

Re: Affordable, automatic sit-to-stand desk

#86
post #20

I talk with a lot of people about getting started with standing desks, and I usually recommend throwing a small cheap table (ikea) on top of your existing desk and getting a drafting chair (tall). This way you don't have to pay for a variable height desk, and you keep it on the cheap side to see if you actually like it. Also, be sure to start slow and stand for maybe an hour or two a day for a few weeks. Then gradual…

Where were you two years ago... 11 hours day one. It was many days before a day two.

Re: Affordable, automatic sit-to-stand desk

#87
My employer got me one of these: http://www.ergotron.com/Products/Workstations/StandUpDesks/t... and it's been really nice. You move it up and down by hand. I just grab on and stand or sit and it moves right up or down with me. I love being able to change position so quickly and easily. This desk looks like it takes a long time to move up or down.

Re: Affordable, automatic sit-to-stand desk

#88
The fact that you need to keep the button pressed to move other standing desks is a feature, not a bug. It's a safety feature designed to make it impossible to get yourself in a situation where a body part is trapped in the desk but you're too incapacitated to push the stop button.

I would never buy a desk that had auto-up and auto-down, just like I'll never buy a car with auto-up windows after nearly getting decapitated by this "feature" in a Volkswagen Passat.

Re: Affordable, automatic sit-to-stand desk

#89
post #75

This seems awfully similar to the Stir Kinetic Desk [1], except the Stir desk is selling at ~$4k. Anyone know what accounts for the huge price difference between these two? [1] http://www.stirworks.com/

Did you watch both videos? The Stir desk has a touch screen with built in computer for tracking and displaying standing habits over time. It also seems better designed.

Re: Affordable, automatic sit-to-stand desk

#90
The automatic raise-lower after holding the button is the only reason I won't buy one. Seems like a huge safety issue. The current desks we have in our office have a push-button to hold and a up/down toggle to raise lower. Both must be held to make it move, let go and it stops moving.
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