We feature the best standing desks on the market, for people looking to be healthier by sitting less to work at their computers, whether in the office or in the home.
The best standing desks can help minimize the damage that all that sitting does to our bodies. If you spend most of your professional life sitting at an office desk, you should consider getting one. The American Journal of Public Health points out that sitting down for an excessive amount – more than 8 hours a day – can actually increase the risk of premature death or the development of some chronic diseases by 10% to 20%. Meanwhile, studies repeatedly saw “an improvement in discomfort and pain as people use [standing] desks.” The best standing desks actually bring a wealth of health benefits to folks who work on their computers all day. Alongside taking breaks, getting your legs and your blood moving, and staying active in general – as well as alternating between standing and sitting, these productivity stations can certainly make a difference. We’ve rounded up the best standing desks to help point you in the right direction. Whether you want something that’s high-end and elegant, affordable, or a desk for gaming, there’s something on our list to suit your comfort and wellness needs. Round out your healthier working experience with best office chair and best under-desk treadmill. Don’t forget to also have one of the best office coffee machines ready for when you need to take a break. Uplift V2 is one of the best standing desks that benefits from top-notch build quality, and prides itself on stability. An issue which can be found with some standing desks is that they might be a bit wobbly, particularly when extended to higher levels. Uplift is nicely stable, though, thanks to built-in stability braces. Dual-motors mean the desk can change heights quickly, with a smooth and quiet action, and anti-collision tech is also in the mix (meaning if the desk is lowering and hits something – like your seat, or heaven forbid your head – it stops). The desk also benefits from a large number of mounting points for accessories, with some pretty nifty extras that can be hooked up to this thing – including an under-desk hammock (yes you read that right – it attaches underneath when the desk is fully raised up). If there’s any testament you need to the stability of this unit, it’s being able to sleep in a hammock under it! There are loads of choices for desktop sizes and colors (and indeed frame colors), you get built-in cable management, and there are curved or corner desk models. The products are backed by an impressive seven-year warranty, too. The Uplift is available in standard and commercial standing desk versions (the latter has even more stability thanks to a crossbar), and those outside the US can order a unit to be shipped. However, it will be delivered as ‘palletized freight’, and could be expensive – so the maker suggests purchasing the Uplift frame only and sourcing your own desktop for it locally. Need a lot of desk space for all your stuff, like multiple monitors, or other peripherals? Then ApexDesk Elite is a good port of call for another high-quality desk that delivers some serious walnut real-estate (other woods are available, of course!) – and the real bonus is that it’s nicely priced for what you’re getting here. There are actually two sizes with a 60-inch and 71-inch version of the Elite, but obviously if you want maximum desk space, go with the latter, which also has a depth of 33-inches – more than most (it’s a few inches deeper than the Uplift, for example). It’s a superbly built standing desk with a dual-motor lifting system, featuring a smooth, albeit a little slow, lifting mechanism (and a controller with the ability to set four preset heights). The lifting capacity is just over 100kg to ensure you can indeed fit plenty of hefty bits of hardware on top of this desk. The Elite is sturdily built with the center beam providing greater stability (without having to have a crossbar underneath). Furthermore, you can get some pretty smart deals on these desks if you shop around, and if you go the ApexDesk route, you’ll likely get a lot of desk for your money. Another of the best standing desks is the Jarvis Bamboo, which as the name suggests is fashioned from bamboo – it’s environmentally-friendly in that the bamboo is sustainably grown (without pesticides), plus it has a tough polyurethane coating. Underneath that is a frame capable of supporting over 150kg, and with a full extension suitable enough for someone who is as tall as 6-foot 7-inches. It’s a sturdy desk and moves into position very smoothly (and quietly) with adjustments made using a simple up/down control panel, or an upgraded programmable handset (which you can use to set different heights into the memory). You can get the Jarvis in the standard rectangular desk shape, or contoured (with a concave curve at the front), or even an L-shaped model to go in a corner. There are all manner of nifty options with this standing desk, as well, including desk lamps, drawers, and a desk shelf for your monitor – or indeed if you want to get really fancy, a gas-activated monitor arm. It’s not so much a standing desk as a thing of beauty in terms of its design – and eco-friendly credentials – but like the other higher-end products here, it doesn’t come cheap. If you want your best standing desk to be motorized, but you don’t want to pay too much, then check out the FlexiSpot EN1. It benefits from a quiet motor lift, with a keypad that allows for three height presets that can be customized. There’s also a programmable alarm to let you know when it’s time to change from sitting to standing (or vice versa), which is quite nifty. The frame is built using double-steel tubing and is pretty solid, but may suffer from a touch of the wobbles when extended to its very highest levels. The FlexiSpot EN1 Standing Desk (see here for the UK site) is impressively cheap compared to rival motorized products, providing some great features at this wallet-friendly level, plus the company backs the desk with a five-year guarantee (and the motor gets a slightly shorter three-year guarantee). According to FlexiSpot, the EN1 will soon be renamed the EF1, but that hasn’t happened on the official website yet – although it presumably will in the very near future, seeing as the name change is supposed to have come into effect at the beginning of January (it’ll be an upgraded model, as well, by all accounts – so watch this space). If you don’t want a fully-fledged standing desk for whatever reason, you can always turn your existing desk into one by using a converter solution such as the Uplift E7 Standing Desk Converter. There are a number of similar products, but Uplift gets the nod as the overall champ because it is not only a fantastically built affair – just like the company’s Uplift V2 full desk – but it has a nifty keyboard tray. This hangs down lower than the main platform, meaning you’re in the right ergonomic position to type and use your mouse, while looking comfortably at the monitor on the platform at eye-level (the same being true when you’re sat down). You also get a neatly integrated keypad for one-touch adjusting of the height, and a memory function so you can save your sitting/standing settings. This can be a much more compact – and indeed somewhat cheaper – solution than a full standing desk. If you prefer a cheaper standing desk converter rather than the powered model from Uplift above, then check out the FlexiSpot ClassicRiser. This is a manually adjustable model, which is obviously where a lot of the cost-savings come into play, but it’s still a nifty solution nonetheless, despite being considerably cheaper.
