Standing Desks & Treadmill Desks

Planning to build a sit-to-stand desk or treadmill desk with your own desktop lumber? There are some great options available. We'll take you through the pluses and minuses of each model. Understandably, DIY'ers are always looking to find the lowest cost option for any components they need to buy versus make. In the case of electric height-adjustable bases spending a little more, as a rule of thumb, is going to buy you a quieter, faster, heavier-lifting, more reliable desk base, a longer warranty period, and a longer "stroke" (total distance between top end and bottom end).

The Jarvis is popular, there is no doubt about it. Sleekly marketed and with low entry-point pricing on all-Chinese componentry, Fully generates a lot of sales. But the componentry is unspectacular, marketing claims are overwrought, and the warranty doesn't include the desktops. Once components are upgraded to better than bottom-end options the pricing is not nearly as competitive as it first seems.

The UpLift is very popular, if for no other reason than Human Solution's massive advertising campaigns. Sleekly marketed and with low entry-point pricing on all-Chinese componentry, they sell a lot of UpLift desks. But the componentry is unspectacular, marketing claims are overwrought, and the warranty doesn't include the desktops. Once components are upgraded to better than bottom-end options the pricing is not nearly as competitive as it first seems.

The IKEA Bekant desk underwhelms us. With a weak 150-lb lifting capacity, a surprisingly light frame, and only one desktop size available, this desk comes in at the low end of electrically adjustable sit/stand desks. For only $100 more you can find a desk with much stronger, quieter and faster motors, and a tabletop that'll last much longer, look much nicer, and stand up better to cuts, dings and chemicals. What exactly can you expect if you buy this desk? Short answer: a typical IKEA product strategy of cutting corners on components in order to achieve an extremely low price point. Most of us here at WorkWhileWalking are more than a little familiar with IKEA – having purchased, [...]

Ironically, while UpDesk calls its higher-end model "commercial grade," it's the corporate buyers that demand the greatest stability, need the greatest range in decor options, and have the desire to eliminate installation costs on new standing desks, which is the Pro model's exact shortfalls. With its limited size and color offerings and involved installation the UpDesk Pro seems to be more of a "premium home" unit than a true commercial-grade standing desk offering.

So how well does the First Class moniker apply to the new $498 Autonomous SmartDesk model? It doesn't, not even by domestic standards. It's more like Premium Economy—a little extra legroom, priority boarding and some free snackage. As, quite frankly, its price would imply.