What is your opinion on standing desks?

[KenElevenShadows]

On my FB pages, we had some lengthy discussions about using standing desks and what our experiences were with them. What's your opinion on them? Do you use them for a workstation, work desk, work table? And did you use a floormat with this?

 

I began this discussion because I was reviewing a height-adjustable motorized standing desk for Photofocus. 

 

Review: Flexispot E7 Height Adjustable Premium Standing Desk
"Flexispot sent us their E7 Premium Standing Desk. We check it out and help determine if it might be beneficial to you."

https://photofocus.com/reviews/review-flexispot-e7-height-adjustable-premium-standing-desk/

 

[Stokely]

I've come pretty close to buying one to replace my old desk, but I'm not actually interested in standing up and using it    I like the open area underneath (I can put a midi controller on a stand if I want) and they can be set higher than other desks.  I'm tall and a lot of desks are not that comfy, especially if I want to put the instrument under.  I'm only looking at manual crank ones because it won't be changing heights--seems like everything automated/motorized we have ever bought for the home stops working sooner or later.   That said, if I was using it like it was meant to be, the hand cranking would probably get very old indeed.

Ironically I prefer standing and playing live.  I have poor leg circulation in one leg so working at my desk I try to elevate my leg (and neither sitting nor standing makes any difference with this).   This factor alone has made me hold off on getting anything, as I'm finding I can't really use a desk period for all that long anymore.

I didn't like the tops on most of them so my intention was to buy the base legs and then get a butcher block wood countertop from Lowes (or something similar).  I wanted a 30-inch-deep one for example and most desks are 24" in depth (though flip side, if you have speakers behind your desk the bigger depth may be more of an issue with sound reflection, so I was hemming and hawing over that a bit.)

[KenElevenShadows]

Getting your own top for the desk is such a great thing. The Flexispot E7 I reviewed and have in my studio now came with its own bamboo top, which I like, but being able to get something like a butcher block wood countertop from Lowes is huge.

 

The open area - the ability to easily access stuff behind or under the desk - to me is already worth the price of admission.

 

Sorry about the poor leg circulation. I don't know if alternating between standing and sitting would help that. Your doctors would know for sure.

[Notes_Norton]

My opinion? Not for md.

 

I gig, standing 3-4 hours on my feet, often without taking a break. At home and at my desk, I want to sit down. I have a nice Herman Miller Aeron desk chair, it is breathable, has back support and comfortable.

 

I'm sure standing desks are fine for those who want to stand at their desk, but I'm not one of those folks.

 

 

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

[timwat]

I use one almost daily. I purchased the frame (support, no top) from Autonomous, and used the old desktop I already had from my Scandanavian Designs desk I was using previously. 

 

Because I was having all sorts of back, hip, and wrist problems, I wanted to try standing for long portions of my work time. I also went with a vertical mouse. The combination did a quick job of resolving a lot of the physical issues - so I'm an advocate.

 

Nowadays, I probably sit 75% of the time. But I've also integrated very demanding interval training into my life (a whole other topic) so I don't feel I need to stand for long portions of my computer time. 

 

What is still very nice (as referenced above) is the completely open space under the desk, the option of adjusting the height on the fly without disturbing the setup (I use twin 35" curved monitors, no small thing to adjust), and the ability to fit any keyboard on any stand under the desk without issue.

 

All to say I'm an advocate for them. 

[RABid]

It is a nice concept, but when I retired my desk was a 3 piece L shape with 3 computers and 4 x 32" monitors. Not conducive for a motorized desk. 

[KenElevenShadows]

1 hour ago, RABid said:

It is a nice concept, but when I retired my desk was a 3 piece L shape with 3 computers and 4 x 32" monitors. Not conducive for a motorized desk. 

Wow, that's a lot of stuff!! And yeah, L-shape. To really do this, I guess you would need two standing desks? Would that even work?

[KenElevenShadows]

1 hour ago, timwat said:

I use one almost daily. I purchased the frame (support, no top) from Autonomous, and used the old desktop I already had from my Scandanavian Designs desk I was using previously. 

 

Because I was having all sorts of back, hip, and wrist problems, I wanted to try standing for long portions of my work time. I also went with a vertical mouse. The combination did a quick job of resolving a lot of the physical issues - so I'm an advocate.

 

Nowadays, I probably sit 75% of the time. But I've also integrated very demanding interval training into my life (a whole other topic) so I don't feel I need to stand for long portions of my computer time. 

 

What is still very nice (as referenced above) is the completely open space under the desk, the option of adjusting the height on the fly without disturbing the setup (I use twin 35" curved monitors, no small thing to adjust), and the ability to fit any keyboard on any stand under the desk without issue.

 

All to say I'm an advocate for them. 

 

Even if it's for 25%, you're still shifting positions, so I see that as a positive.

 

I cannot possibly exaggerate how much a vertical mouse can save one's wrist.

[timwat]

8 minutes ago, KenElevenShadows said:

 

Even if it's for 25%, you're still shifting positions, so I see that as a positive.

 

I cannot possibly exaggerate how much a vertical mouse can save one's wrist.

Yes, it wasn't until recently I read some of the data on how pernicious and damaging the "all day sitting in front of the monitor" grind is to obesity, overall health pathologies and mortality rates. 

 

And if I had not experienced the vertical mouse, I would have scarcely believed the beneficial outcomes.

[Anderton]

4 hours ago, KenElevenShadows said:

I cannot possibly exaggerate how much a vertical mouse can save one's wrist.

 

Which one do you recommend?

[timwat]

I've only used one - the Logitech MX Vertical.

 

https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/mice/mx-vertical-ergonomic-mouse.910-005447.html

 

 

[KenElevenShadows]

3 hours ago, Anderton said:

 

Which one do you recommend?

 

This one is the one I am currently using. I was using Zero Tension Mouse for a couple of decades, but they don't seem to be making those any more. I began using a vertical mouse in the late 1990s when I realized my wrist was starting to hurt.

[KenElevenShadows]

2 hours ago, timwat said:

I've only used one - the Logitech MX Vertical.

 

https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/mice/mx-vertical-ergonomic-mouse.910-005447.html

 

 

Haha! That's exactly the one I use!! I prefer Zero Tension Mouse although they are larger and more cumbersome, but they don't seem to make them any more, and mine began dying and just don't work well any more. Too bad.

[KenElevenShadows]

A vertical mouse doesn't just save your wrist. Your forearm and possibly your elbow will thank you as well.

 

Don't believe me? Do this.

 

First, hold your hand/arm out as if you are using a mouse. 

 

Now, turn your hand/arm as if you are about to shake someone's hand.

 

Feel all the tension go out of your hand and arm? If so, I don't need to explain any further.

[Notes_Norton]

12 hours ago, KenElevenShadows said:

I cannot possibly exaggerate how much a vertical mouse can save one's wrist.

I have one (Logitech – don't know the model), and it does help the wrist. The downside is to press a button, you need to involve both a finger and your thumb, which to me gets old.

 

So I alternate a few days on each. Since my mice are corded, it's just plug and play. The way I figure it is by changing hand positions every few days, the repetitive motions are slightly different. It's a non-educated wild guess.

 

Actually, I found the best thing for my joints is the Arthritis/Bursitis diet.

 

Before the diet; (1) I had inherited bursitis in my hip that was so bad I needed a stool on stage, I needed a 'blue ice' pack behind my right hip to drive. (2) Due to a high-school basketball injury, arthritis in my little finger that made me skip G# notes on my sax.

 

After a couple of months on the diet, the stool is gone, I can drive all day and no longer require the ice pack, and I can play G#s again, even trill them..

 

The diet is restrictive, but I'd rather be pain-free than eat anything I want.

 

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

 

[eric]

Back in March 2020 when the pandemic was upon us and I made a bet that working from home could last a while, I immediately researched motorized desks and settled on one that was less than $300 from Costco. Mine is a bit different, though basically this same model (mine is black and they may have changed a few things in 3.5 years):

 

https://www.costco.com/tresanti-geller-47”-adjustable-height-desk.product.4000139627.html

 

I was used to a similar desk in the office and have found this to be an amazing asset in my home office area. I often start the day standing and then sit after lunch. Mine has four "memory locations" for different heights and it is a breeze to push button 1 for my main standing position, button 2 for my seated position, and button 3 is in between to create a medium space when I want to slide my chair under the desk.

 

The desk has a roomy drawer perfect for clutter such as pens, USB drives, mints, random other tidbits.

 

It has a been a game changer for me.

[KenElevenShadows]

6 hours ago, Notes_Norton said:

I have one (Logitech – don't know the model), and it does help the wrist. The downside is to press a button, you need to involve both a finger and your thumb, which to me gets old.

 

 

 

 

I don't need to use both a finger and a thumb on the Logitech or the Zero Tension Mouse. It's just like a "regular" mouse, only it's vertical. The buttons are exactly the same.

[Notes_Norton]

5 hours ago, KenElevenShadows said:

 

I don't need to use both a finger and a thumb on the Logitech or the Zero Tension Mouse. It's just like a "regular" mouse, only it's vertical. The buttons are exactly the same.

Perhaps I have the wrong model.

 

The buttons are the same, but being vertical, if I take my thumb off, or don't tense it, clicking the buttons move the mouse instead of clicking the buttons. So I end up with more of a squeeze than a click. I can't find the model number on my vertical mouse, so I don't know if it's the Zero Tension or not.

 

Notes ♫

[bill5]

We have them at work now, you can lower or raise it with the push of a button, they're great. But I can't see spending the money on one at home. 

[KenElevenShadows]

1 hour ago, bill5 said:

We have them at work now, you can lower or raise it with the push of a button, they're great. But I can't see spending the money on one at home. 

 

If you don't spend much time on it at home, then no. If you are on it a lot, then I think it's very much worth it.

 

And again, just being able to scoot the table up to be able to get at stuff in the studio is almost worth the price alone.

[bill5]

Well for me this is a non-studio issue. If I want to stand while working at home, I'll just get up and move around, or maybe put the laptop on the mantle. 

[Greg Mein]

When I put together the latest version of home studio an adjustable desk was on the list. It's best to stand when doing vocals and great to be able to raise things for easy reach and eye level monitors. I also find it helpful when putting down some bass or guitar parts where it's also nice to stand.

[GovernorSilver]

I think I'll order that Logitech vertical mouse.  Thanks, Ken!

[GovernorSilver]

I use this with my work laptop when I want to stand.   When I want to sit again, I just take it out.  Takes less space than the cheap rolling standing desk I got from Target.

 

https://www.moft.us/products/moft-z-5-in-1-sit-stand-desk?variant=32287445155927