As with any new piece of furniture, you’ll want to take a little time to balance your needs with the space and budget you have for it.
What is your budget?
Prices range widely for standing desks, but you can find a great one to suit your needs at almost any budget. As noted above, the Ikea Trotten Standing Desk was my favorite option under $350.
How much space do you have?
Make sure you have enough space for your standing desk before you make your purchase. Don’t just consider the room it’s going in, either. Also think about the doors, stairwells and other places the box must pass through. It might fit in your planned office space, but if you can’t get it up your third-floor walk-up, you’ll be in trouble.
How tall do you want to go?
All height-adjustable desks have a low and a high range for sitting and standing, but the height adjustment ranges aren’t universal across different styles and brands. If you’re on the shorter or taller end, certain models might not be comfortable for you, so check the specs beforehand to determine if you’ll be comfortable using the desk, both sitting and standing.
Electric or manual?
An electric standing desk will cost more than a manual standing desk, so your budget will absolutely come into play here, but there’s more to consider. Manual desks, which have pneumatic pedals, hand cranks or other manual controls, are lighter and quieter because there’s no heavy, noise-making motor mounted under your desk. Manual desks also don’t require proximity to an outlet to work. Electric standing desks allow for easy raising and lowering with the press of a button. Some even have digital height readouts so that you can always return your desk to the exact same sitting or standing height settings.
