
Affordable, automatic sit-to-stand desk - k-mcgrady
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2036834894/the-most-affordable-automatic-sit-to-stand-desk
======
reustle
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 gradually stand more and more.

I've gone into more detail here: [http://reustle.io/blog/cant-stand-
sitting](http://reustle.io/blog/cant-stand-sitting)

~~~
benrhughes
A couple of crates and a 1800mm sheet of melamine worked well for me:
[https://www.flickr.com/x/t/0094009/photos/benrhughes/1082833...](https://www.flickr.com/x/t/0094009/photos/benrhughes/10828337133/).
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.

------
chromaton
When I was researching building my own standing desk, the biggest cost seemed
to be getting quality actuators with a long throw at a low price.

Compare this to the a similar looking Ikea Galant workstation at $180-$200.
You're getting the motor(s), electronics, actuators, and slide bearings for an
additional $200 more.

I'm curious as to how they managed to do away with the horizontal stabilizing
bar (this is mentioned as a feature in the video). Without something
connecting the legs together, it seems like the left and right tracks could
potentially get out of alignment and potentially bind as the desk top raises.

My current verdict from my home built sit stand desk is that it's great for a
change a couple times a day. What I found, though, is that my hip starts to
hurt after an extended period of standing in one place. I'm now trying
standing on an EVA foam pad to see if this helps with that problem.

Incidentally, if you're curious as to how I added sit-stand capability to my
desk for less than $200, check out my blog post:
[http://planiverse.wordpress.com/2014/01/10/building-a-sit-
st...](http://planiverse.wordpress.com/2014/01/10/building-a-sit-stand-desk-
for-less-than-200/) .

~~~
the_cat_kittles
I think there is some trick that stone masons used where you stand on a brick,
and keep changing which foot is on it- somehow it helps

~~~
chromaton
Sounds like it might help, thanks!

------
ynniv
Half the price of the competition sounds nice, but they're also using a single
motor that has less lifting power and aren't an established name that will
necessarily be around in a decade to service your desk... This seems more of a
business and marketing play than one of true cost cutting or technical
innovation. It would be more impressive to be of equal capability, but less
cost.

~~~
rhizome
They could insure against that problem by using off-the-shelf parts so you
could just go to Grainger for replacement motors or whatever in 20 years.

------
ytjohn
I use a standing desk. When I first started out, I spent a lot of time
thinking about how I could make a standing desk that I could raise and lower.
I looked at taking apart office chairs and using the hydraulics, I looked at
possible crank methods, weight and pulley systems, etc.

A friend of mine listened to my brainstorming and said "why don't you just get
a taller chair?". He was right.

This $140 drafting chair is what I have now. It has a padded seat, back,
armrests, and is just as comfy as any other office chair I've tried.
[http://www.amazon.com/Boss-Multi-Function-Leatherplus-
Drafti...](http://www.amazon.com/Boss-Multi-Function-Leatherplus-Drafting-
Adjustable/dp/B0030ZDZL8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1396493894&sr=8-2&keywords=drafting+chair)

There are cheaper ones that are more like a stool, more expensive ones, and
even some weird (but expensive) saddle type chairs that are designed to mimic
standing while you're sitting down. But basically, if you want a standing desk
and the ability to sit, ie if you're going to be buying a chair anyways, just
buy a taller chair.

It takes a week or two for your feet to get used to it, and if you slouche or
lean, you'll find yourself with sore hips at the end of the day. But once you
get used to it, you'll find yourself standing much more than sitting. For me,
I mostly only sit if I'm eating at my desk, or maybe for a bit after lunch. I
have a standing desk at work and one at home. It's a different experience just
walking up to your computer and start typing. Most people have to sit down
first or stand up when they walk away. This lends to a sort of reluctance to
switch from one state to another. Standing, I can lock my screen and walk away
at any time.

------
DontBeADick
$500!? Plus shipping!? You can make a standing desk with $100 worth of Ikea
parts then buy a tall stool/chair for $75 on Amazon. Bam, just beat your "most
affordable" sit/stand desk by $325+. Oh, and you can have it next week instead
of next year (or later).

I guess I'll start my Kickstarter campaign tonight.

P.S. 45" is not enough height for many of us tall folk, especially in dress
shoes with a thick heel.

~~~
vijayr
I like this one - [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/499144433/the-
cardboard...](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/499144433/the-cardboard-
standing-desk-stand-up-for-creativit?ref=live)

~~~
DontBeADick
Only one height? And they claim it fits anyone from 5'2" to 6'2" tall?

I'm 6'3" and my girlfriend is 5'5". Watching her try to use my standing desk
is comical. I think those guys are being extremely optimistic, if not outright
deceitful.

------
hacknat
Is giving us a list of your advisers (read: board) supposed to make me think
that this is a truly community backed project? I'm sick of people using
Kickstarter for free money and advertising on ideas that could be (and
probably have been) readily pitched to investors.

Kickstarter is supposed to be for projects that are interesting, but that
traditional investors probably won't touch. A stand-sit desk hardly qualifies,
IMO. Obviously people are free to give money to whatever they want, but I, for
one, won't throw any money at such ho-hum ideas.

Oh, and a quick google search shows that their price point isn't even that
much of an improvement on the existing market.

~~~
rhizome
Taking your point, if it's on Kickstarter with an appearance that it has
already been pitched to investors, it's safe to say that the investors didn't
touch it.

~~~
snowwindwaves
Or investors weren't lining up to loan them 100k for free!

------
phpnode
Looks nice but not really revolutionary, I've had one of these for a year
[http://www.heightadjustabledesking.co.uk/index.php?_a=viewPr...](http://www.heightadjustabledesking.co.uk/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=26)
which looks basically identical and is quite comparably priced.

~~~
doktrin
> _looks basically identical and is quite comparably priced._

I disagree. That desk is priced at £407, whereas this one goes for £240. All
else equal, that's significant.

~~~
phpnode
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.

~~~
batoure
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 used the desk off-and-on as part of my treadmill setup and
every now and then you want to stabilize yourself holding the desk. Even with
the cross beam it can wobble in this scenario.

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

~~~
batoure
just used a power screwdriver to screw the desk to the top

------
anotherevan
To those snarky people how say something equivalent to "just use a box", if
your desk setup includes three 24" monitors, that is not a practical solution.
Even if you only changed between sitting and standing once a day it would not
be practical.

[Edit: Some are pointing out cheaper and alternative ways without any snark or
smugness, which is great. I wasn't aiming at them and appreciate their input.]

With one trifling exception, the universe consists entirely of other people. A
box may not solve their use case just because it solves yours. For them an
affordable motorised desk may be the perfect solution.

So stop being a dick.

~~~
benrhughes
I'm not sure people are being snarky - more pointing out that there are much
cheaper ways to create an alternative. Plus, it's often a whole lot easier to
add a DIY platform to an existing desk than to get your company to shell out
for a mechanised adjustable height desk.

FWIW, I have a 27" and 2 24"s.

~~~
anotherevan
Some are pointing out cheaper and alternative ways without any snark or
smugness, which is great. I wasn't aiming at them and appreciate their input.

------
krupan
My employer got me one of these:
[http://www.ergotron.com/Products/Workstations/StandUpDesks/t...](http://www.ergotron.com/Products/Workstations/StandUpDesks/tabid/803/default.aspx?FID=134)
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.

------
qq66
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.

------
randomstring
In our office we really like the MultiTable.com tables. These were the
cheapest high quality tables we could find. Ikea now sells adjustable desks,
but the last time I looked they didn't show up on the US version of their
site. Ikea prices were comparable to MultiTable. You can buy your table top
from MultiTable, or re-use your existing Ikea table tops as we did. Our
company was able to negotiate a (modest) bulk discount as well.

[http://heightadjustableworktable.com/index.php/manual-
modtab...](http://heightadjustableworktable.com/index.php/manual-modtable-
combo1.html)

Speaking of Ikea. I stared with an Ikea hack as my standing desk. Building a
combo coffee table with a book shelf as a keyboard tray, all for about $34.
That sat on top of my existing Ikea desk/table. I used that until I was
convinced I wanted to stay with the standing desk.

There are two drawback to the Ikea hack solution. 1) they are not readily
adjustable. You don't want to stand 100% of the time, certainly not when
starting out. 2) they can be very top heavy if you have more than one monitor
and a workstation AND a laptop.

The electric motors look cool, but are totally unnecessary. It takes about 10
seconds to crank the table up or down by hand.

What goes unmentioned in most standing desk articles is the need for a really
good mat to stand on. Here are the best I've found that are also a reasonable
price:

[http://www.thehumansolution.com/notrax-974-ergomat-grande-
an...](http://www.thehumansolution.com/notrax-974-ergomat-grande-anti-fatigue-
mat.html)
[http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001BQR23K/](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001BQR23K/)

------
troymc
It seems like it would start wiggling side-to-side after a while. Need more
triangles! Maybe a strut from lower right to upper left, with an upwards arc
in the strut to give legroom?

------
ivankirigin
Two leg standing desks tend to wobble a lot. I'd love to see that specifically
called out and demonstrated. Maybe the two legs are wide enough to avoid it.

------
rafeed
I backed this project as an early-bird. I'm not sure why you need 4 memory
buttons for the deluxe frame. All I need is one more button (maybe two)! Just
let me set the height I want it to be at when I'm standing and sitting. If I'm
standing pick the other one, and vice versa.

I have a feeling it will get really annoying to use the two buttons on the
regular frame over and over again if you're changing the height of the desk a
lot. The desk will probably never be at the same height twice if you're
telling it when to stop instead of it automatically stopping at the desired
height.

 _Edit: The main point I 'm making is for the $399 price, it'd make a lot more
sense to include at least one or two memory buttons if a single person uses
the desk._

~~~
danudey
We have a 'quiet room'; a separated-off room with a few desks that some people
(but not typically very many) use fairly often. In this case, it would be
handy to have a few presets.

------
doktrin
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.

~~~
gamblor956
Could you elaborate more on the Dave Asprey bit?

~~~
doktrin
He's made quite a bit of money by promoting what can only charitably be called
half-truths.

As another commenter mentioned, his primary claim to fame is "bulletproof
coffee"(tm). Among other things, he promotes his own coffee beans by claiming
that all _other_ coffee is somehow riddled with mycotoxins - which his isn't,
for whatever reason. [1][2]

More subjectively, he comes across as a modern age health guru who touts all
his opinion as revelatory fact.

[1] [https://www.bulletproofexec.com/why-bad-coffee-makes-you-
wea...](https://www.bulletproofexec.com/why-bad-coffee-makes-you-weak/)

[2] [https://www.bulletproofexec.com/mycotoxins-in-
america/](https://www.bulletproofexec.com/mycotoxins-in-america/)

~~~
yebyen
And grass-fed butter. Don't forget, adding grass-fed butter to your green
coffee. That's the key ingredient.

------
TeMPOraL
> _The desk can lift up to 225 lbs. Okay, okay…it can actually lift more, but
> let’s keep things on the safe side._

255 lbs is 102kg; in other words, if I sit on this desk, I'm getting close to
the breaking point. Not good :(.

(INB4: yes, people do occasionally sit on their desks, sometimes without even
thinking about it - e.g. when full of joy, or drunk. Also there's a good
chance that someone at some point will want to stand on a desk to, say, change
a lightbulb. Consider this especially if you're buing desks for a more public
place, like e.g. your local Hackerspace.)

~~~
osman123
Simple just don't let anybody overweight/obese get on the desk. Or do it in
the morning and if it collapses it will make it easier for them to choose what
to have for lunch.

[https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/bmi_tbl.pdf](https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/bmi_tbl.pdf)

~~~
dfc
Is BMI really the same for males/females? I always assumed that what is
obese/overweight for a 5'9 woman would be different than a 5'9 man.

~~~
venomsnake
Bmi is mostly bullshit. Much better indicators for overall health is the
amount of belly fat and the fat around the internals organs. Having a lot of
fat on the butt/thighs is much less damning than lets say fatty lever.

~~~
dfc
Thanks. I am curious about "lever." Was that a typo or a english-locale
dependent noun? I am not trying to be a typo jerk, I produce them constantly,
I am just curious what the word is.

~~~
venomsnake
Its liver ...

~~~
dfc
Thanks for following up. I dont know why liver did not occur to me and I
stared at the keyboard before replying.

------
anotherevan
According to this ergonomic workspace planner[1] for my height of 1.75m (5'9")
I want a keyboard height of 660mm when sitting, and 1080mm when standing. The
StandDesk min/max is 711 to 1143mm, so the upper bound is fine, but a bit high
for me when sitting.

In fact, according to [1] a keyboard height of 710mm is only suitable if you
are at least 1.88m (6'2") so you have to be pretty tall.

The stroke of the StandDesk is 432mm, and I need 420mm so the range is okay
for my height. However if I was 1.85m (6'1") or taller the range would be too
small.

Back Designs[2] also have guidelines for adjustable work surfaces and again,
the StandDesk ranges are just a bit short.

All in all, it looks like a product with great potential, but perhaps needs
the specifications reassessed a bit more in order to be truly suitable to a
wider user base.

[1]
[http://www.computingcomfort.org/create2.asp](http://www.computingcomfort.org/create2.asp)
or [http://www.ergotron.com/tabid/305/language/en-
US/default.asp...](http://www.ergotron.com/tabid/305/language/en-
US/default.asp..).

[2] [http://www.backdesigns.com/Desk-work-surface-
height-W144.asp...](http://www.backdesigns.com/Desk-work-surface-
height-W144.asp..). towards the end of the page.

------
subdane
An ironing board is a great, cheap way to test if you like a standing desk.
Got the tip from a friend who travels a bunch and uses them in hotel rooms.

~~~
alxndr
Hotel bars work in a pinch as well.

------
sq1020
At $399, that's still pretty expensive for a desk.

~~~
baddox
Doesn't seem that bad to me. I paid $200 for a similar desk (without the
standing feature) from IKEA. Most desks, standing or not, that are designed
for office environments, are at least that expensive.

------
Shivetya
Like the idea, pricing is interesting and wholly out of line with common
desks. Still I would lean towards a glass top (black bordered glass is what I
have now) instead of laminate or bamboo. L-shape would be fun, but I guess you
could put two together, perhaps slave the controls?

~~~
coreymgilmore
As nice as glass top desks are, they get marked up and show every little
smudge mark very easily. Also, your arms tend to stick to them more through
perspiration.

------
venomsnake
It quite small. I don't see how my current 3 monitor setup will fit on it.

~~~
Gracana
You'd have to bolt an arm with VESA mounts to it.

------
gamblor956
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.

------
tylerpachal
Even though I am a software/computer person, I find it refreshing when people
come up products/companies that are not software/computer related.

------
steven2012
Does anyone know what the success rate is for Kickstarter projects to actually
deliver their products on time? After my absolutely terrible experience with
Lockitron (I know they're not a Kickstarter project, but they are similarly
funded) and some of the other horror stories I've heard, I just don't have
faith that these types of projects for goods deliver on their promises.

------
antidaily
My god, it's practically funded already. And for those saying it's expensive,
I paid $1000 for my GeekDesk.

~~~
JimmaDaRustla
People saying its too expensive obviously haven't done any research into
PROPER standing desks.

I was pricing a CRANK ModTable - it as going to be over 560 and it isn't even
motorized. Getting a motorized one would be about 630.

So for this motorized version at 399 is, as stated on their kickstarter page,
"most affordable".

Edit: All the suggestions for cheaper alternatives are really just compromises
- stacking cardboard ikea tables, or recycling bins, or used warehouse pallets
- "$37 cheaper even with the tetanus shot - so sick of kickstarter scams".

------
abjr
This one is rather interesting too ... not as fancy, but interesting company
anyway: [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/499144433/the-
cardboard...](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/499144433/the-cardboard-
standing-desk-stand-up-for-creativit)

------
edwhitesell
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.

------
gales
Confused over the country specific pledge tiers. Unless KS has changed since I
last backed, I thought you could only select a single tier. Therefore, to
purchase a standard fame/top from UK, do I just select the $99 UK tier, but
pledge $399? (or is it $99 + $399?)

~~~
bryanlarsen
The $399 tier only ships to the US. AFAICT you'd select the $99 tier, and then
they'll email you sometime in 2015 to ask for your address plus the remaining
$300 (+VAT and shipping).

------
zminjie
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/](http://www.stirworks.com/)

~~~
rok3
Touchscreen controls + reference to Apple on the home page. They're targeting
an audience who won't mind spending the extra money as long as it's for the
'coolest' thing.

I do like the built in power system.

------
pan69
What I'd like to ask here; why is there a patent application involved in this?
This is a pretty trivial concept as far as a standing desk goes and certainly
not new.

------
dexcs
My back tells me to buy one. Nice Project! Wonder if they ship to the EU.

~~~
gales
Looks like they plan to open a UK based distribution centre by 2015.

------
delgaudm
I just use a comfy stool at my standing desk when my feet get tired.

------
Void_
I'm getting so sick of Kickstarter. It's stuff like this:

> if we receive _enough_ pledges, we'll push the date _several_ months.

You guys are paying for fairy dust.

------
yannisp
Woah, their goal was hit in 38 minutes O_O

------
suyash
Guys just wait for 6 months to an year before these desks would be all over
Department Stores like OfficeMax, WalMart, IKEA for $99.00 or less.

------
sschueller
Why not just get an ikea galant?

~~~
danudey
Because the Ikea Galant doesn't raise/lower on demand. It's a significant
amount of effort to make it do so, and far more if it actually has things on
it already.

~~~
sschueller
The one I have at work has two buttons to raise and lower. Fully automated.

~~~
barake
The motorized Ikea Galant is not sold in the US, for whatever reason.

------
matt_heimer
> supports someone 6’3”

Well I'm out.

------
peterchon
it would be perfect if there was a manual way of doing it.

~~~
JimmaDaRustla
Like, a crank option? You can get a ModTable, but your price will be over
500...

