Other Standing Desks to Consider
Beflo Tenon Premium Photograph: Henri Robbins
Beflo Tenon Premium for $3,998: While incredibly expensive (and heavy!), this hardwood smart desk is both sturdy and well designed. Assembly was straightforward, and once the desk was up and running, I found all of the features (touchscreen controls, a built-in power strip, audio passthrough, and LED lighting) to work well, and in convenient locations. The touchscreen controls are intuitive (iOS-like), and features like a sit/stand timer and phone connectivity provide additional functionality. The desk supports over 200 pounds of stuff even when moving, and the height-adjustment motors will temporarily disable if they overheat, instead of risking damage to the desk. The table also looks fantastic, and a multitude of first-party accessories let you customize the desk to your specific needs. My largest issue with this table is the noise. While in no way loud, it was certainly more audible than the “whisper-quiet” descriptor Beflo uses in its marketing. Besides that, the lighting color adjustment had some difficulties creating specific colors using the built-in touchscreen, and the audio cable was too short to reach a desktop computer on the floor, even at the lowest height. However, the Tenon is still a great, if pricey, option to consider. —Henri Robbins
Herman Miller Spout Sit-to-Stand Table for $3,000: Herman Miller's Spout Sit-To-Stand Table is lovely to look at. Like the Branch Four-Legged Desk, it looks like a normal desk with four legs, giving it a luxe look. Those motors in the legs rise smoothly, and it’s easy to raise and lower the desktop to my preferences with the button on the right. The motor does have a high hum to it, and is loud enough that I’d hesitate to use it when my husband is on a call in the same room, but not so loud it would disturb my son if he were sleeping a room away. Bizarrely, it doesn’t have memory presets, but I found it pretty easy to just adjust the desk to my preferred sitting and standing heights each time. You can add a cable tray underneath the desk to organize cords, but it costs extra. The only other item built into the desk is a single slim center drawer perfect for pens and notebooks. It comes in three desktop sizes and three finishes: laminate white, veneer walnut, and veneer ash. You can also customize the base color, with seven different colors ranging from your classic black and white to a gentle blue and olive green. While it’s gorgeous to look at and works well, it is disappointing that such a high-priced desk doesn’t have presets and uses veneers rather than real wood. —Nena Farrell
Flexispot E7 Pro for $400+: Standing desks can get pricey, but Flexispot routinely offers similar functionality at a lower price. At first glance, the E7 Pro looks much like the Herman Miller Jarvis, but look closer, and you discover the entry-level option has a shallow 23-inch desktop, the control unit feels a bit cheap, and it emits a high-pitched whine in operation. I also had some issues fitting larger power adapters in the cable tidy, and it can get wobbly when fully extended. But, even when fully configured, the E7 Pro is cheaper than many rivals. Minor flaws aside, it is a perfectly decent standing desk. —Simon Hill
Charcoal Standing Desk for $1,199: This desk is meant to remind you when to take breaks from work, so you have the mental focus to make it through your pile during the day. It uses your health and sleep data in an app, plus lights and haptic feedback, to track and tell you when to take a little rest. At first, this feature seemed interesting, but its function is not much better than a timer on your phone reminding you to get up and walk around. The build quality of the Swedish-made desk frame is excellent, with a smooth, quiet operation that goes nearly to the floor, which is perfect for those of us who like to sit on the ground and work sometimes. It has dual motors with three-stage columns and piezo sensors, so it won't crush children. I like the rounded edges of the white rectangular top, which never accidentally nicks my hips when I walk by the desk, and the white plastic surface coating is easy to clean. At nearly double the price of a similar standing desk, I'm not sure it's worth it—don't buy it for the company's “supercharging” claims—but you won't be disappointed with the desktop. —Parker Hall
Ergonofis Sway Standing Desk for $1,495: Here's another pleasant-looking solid-wood standing desk from Canadian brand Ergonofis. Like the Grovemade, there was so much packaging I was left with after I unboxed the desk that it was a little overwhelming. There were also a lot of parts, and the assembly was just plain weird. (I had to step on a part with my feet, which meant I had to put on shoes to finish the assembly.) It's a gorgeous desk, but I also found the company's control panel confusing to operate, and the desk wasn't always responsive when I touched the panel to move it up or down.
Inbox Zero 47-inch Adjustable Electric Standing Desk for $180: This desk has every feature I need for just about $200. There are rolling casters so you can not only move the desk up and down, but also shake it all around. It has electric controls that have presets but also allow you to fine-tune the height—my actual use-case for standing desks, as I don't like standing to work as much as I should, but I do like to adjust the height to accommodate changes in my posture when I'm typing versus Zooming. The split top that makes it easier and cheaper to ship doesn't hurt the performance, but is less pleasant visually, and the little motor works audibly hard (tshunk, tschunk, tshunk) while raising the desktop. After three months of testing, I'd recommend it to someone who needs a budget standing desk with casters, but if you can spend a little more, you'll probably be happier with something else. —Martin Cizmar
Standing Desk Accessories
Branch Clamp-on Power Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
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