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Shobai wrote:

derFunkenstein wrote:

The frame is here. Heavy sum bitch. Probably won't at it up until the weekend.

Well, now that it's necro'd: how did it go? Did you get it set up? And if so, are you still using it?

I was right about one thing: if I had to crank this thing up and down every time I wanted an adjustment, I'd never use it. I've taken to standing about 2 to 2.5 hours a day. Half in the morning and half in the evening. So nearly 18 months later it's paying dividends. Plus a year and a half later, it still works as well as it did day one.

Nice! I'm glad to hear it's still useful.

My office supply person bought a few Varidesk ProPlus 36 units for us. Not sure how much these cost but seems well built, sturdy and it was a snap to set up. Just unpack, clear enough desktop space and unfold. It is working well for me but my setup is a bit different. I sit at a notebook docking station and I placed the Varidesk just to the side and keep it upright with an extra monitor and keyboard connected to the docking station. That way I can shift back and forth easily. As others mentioned the alternations bewtween sitting and standing is the benefit for most.

G8torbyte wrote:

My office supply person bought a few Varidesk ProPlus 36 units for us. Not sure how much these cost but seems well built, sturdy and it was a snap to set up. Just unpack, clear enough desktop space and unfold. It is working well for me but my setup is a bit different. I sit at a notebook docking station and I placed the Varidesk just to the side and keep it upright with an extra monitor and keyboard connected to the docking station. That way I can shift back and forth easily. As others mentioned the alternations bewtween sitting and standing is the benefit for most.

I looked at stuff like that when I got my standing frame, and it's just not cost effective. $400 for that or $240 for the frame and my whole desk rises.

We have many at work in the cube farms. You can put them on top of existing cubicle furniture without having to change to free-standing desks.

I bought a used lift up table few years ago. And it was HUGE! It's motorized and has 4 height presets. Works well.
But when it comes to me using it...I haven't used it in months. Mostly because I completely forget about it.
But while I was using it, I've noticed that I'm less sluggish. If want something from the other room, I immediately go and get it, no delays.
As for the health benefits... you should definitely not stand for prolonged periods of time much like you shouldn't sit for as long.
The idea is to break the monotony of either position until the clock runs out.

When they re-did our offices a couple of years back everyone got a sit/stand desk.

just brew it! wrote:

When they re-did our offices a couple of years back everyone got a sit/stand desk.

How would you gauge their use these days? Did anyone use them in the beginning? Does anyone use them now?

Shobai wrote:

just brew it! wrote:

When they re-did our offices a couple of years back everyone got a sit/stand desk.

How would you gauge their use these days? Did anyone use them in the beginning? Does anyone use them now?

I haven't done a scientific analysis, but I'd guesstimate that somewhere around 1/4 of people actually make use of the stand function. This has been fairly consistent since the start.

Thanks JBI

Standing for extra long periods can be rough too. Long stretches of standing can compress the hip and knee joints, and if you don't move around and get the circulation going once in awhile, you'll feel it by the end of the day.

I see a similar usage rate to JBI...about 1/4 use it regularly. About 1/3 uses it regularly-to-infrequently. About 1/2 use it regularly-to-rarely.

I'm still thinking about getting a Varidesk for home.

BIF wrote:

Standing for extra long periods can be rough too. Long stretches of standing can compress the hip and knee joints, and if you don't move around and get the circulation going once in awhile, you'll feel it by the end of the day.

My biggest issue is that my feet start to hurt if I stand for significant periods of time. I keep meaning to bring in some sort of padding to put on the floor by my desk, as I believe this would mitigate the issue. Standing for at least part of the day would probably be good for my health.

I also have one bad knee, so I suppose I'd need to evaluate the effects on that as well.

As it is, I've never used the stand mode of my desk at the office.

just brew it! wrote:

BIF wrote:

Standing for extra long periods can be rough too. Long stretches of standing can compress the hip and knee joints, and if you don't move around and get the circulation going once in awhile, you'll feel it by the end of the day.

I keep meaning to bring in some sort of padding to put on the floor by my desk

Definitely do this. Standing desks aren't nearly as nice to use if your feet are hurting. I've had one of these mats for ... wow, four years now, and it works great for making standing at my desk for an hour or two comfortable.

just brew it! wrote:

My biggest issue is that my feet start to hurt if I stand for significant periods of time. I keep meaning to bring in some sort of padding to put on the floor by my desk, as I believe this would mitigate the issue. Standing for at least part of the day would probably be good for my health.

I also have one bad knee, so I suppose I'd need to evaluate the effects on that as well.

As it is, I've never used the stand mode of my desk at the office.

My feet were also my biggest problem. I got one of these standing mats and it has helped a bit. Not as much as I would have liked, but enough that my feet aren't a distraction.

I have one at work, most of us do. I use it every day, probably half the day sitting and half standing. But a couple of days a week I’ll have it standing all day.

And that’s in heels.

Whoa... howdy, stranger! Long time, no post!

just brew it! wrote:

Whoa... howdy, stranger! Long time, no post!

Gotta check in on all my trouble makers from time to time

At work most of the newer cubicle/office setups come with a hand-crank adjustable desk. It cranks up just high enough that someone short like me can use it as a standing desk. I've seen taller people use it that way as well, but they end up having to prop up their monitors on risers.

Personally, I love it and have been challenging myself to stand as much as possible in 2017. I got through all of January and part of February before cranking it down on and off due to a change in medical condition that leaves me tired. I am one of those people who can never sit still, si I fidget, transfer weight from one foot to another, and generally move around a lot. I think this prevents me from having the issue of locking my knees that others have mentioned. On days when I don't run/go to the gym, I feel better at the end of the day since I at least didn't spend the whole day sitting.

Eratel wrote:

At work most of the newer cubicle/office setups come with a hand-crank adjustable desk. It cranks up just high enough that someone short like me can use it as a standing desk. I've seen taller people use it that way as well, but they end up having to prop up their monitors on risers.

Personally, I love it and have been challenging myself to stand as much as possible in 2017. I got through all of January and part of February before cranking it down on and off due to a change in medical condition that leaves me tired. I am one of those people who can never sit still, si I fidget, transfer weight from one foot to another, and generally move around a lot. I think this prevents me from having the issue of locking my knees that others have mentioned. On days when I don't run/go to the gym, I feel better at the end of the day since I at least didn't spend the whole day sitting.

Yeah being fidgety probably helps. Not moving for a long time isn't going to be comfortable or healthy whether you are standing or sitting.

My height is a major problem looking at standing desks though, especially combined with the cost. Most standing desks would probably be even worse for my posture than sitting because their maximum heights are just too low. Having my neck cranked down and wrists at a sharp angle all day doesn't really seem ideal. I already have a cell phone for damaging my neck!

travbrad wrote:

My height is a major problem looking at standing desks though, especially combined with the cost. Most standing desks would probably be even worse for my posture than sitting because their maximum heights are just too low. Having my neck cranked down and wrists at a sharp angle all day doesn't really seem ideal. I already have a cell phone for damaging my neck!

There's more to it than just the desk, no matter your height. You really need a combination of a tall desk (this VIVO frame gets to 48") and a tall monitor mount (I bought this one). I'm only 5'9" and I still need my Dell monitor higher than it is on the height-adjustable stand it came with.

I actually have four identical mounts. Two for my work setup (monitor and laptop) and two for my personal one (monitor and MBP). For the laptops I have two of this VESA-compatible tray.

I buy all VIVO because they're built locally in Goodfield, IL. I'm sure a lot of it is sourced from overseas, but I'm doing my part to support the local economy best I can. But there are plenty of other brands if you want to try something else.

Eratel wrote:

At work most of the newer cubicle/office setups come with a hand-crank adjustable desk. It cranks up just high enough that someone short like me can use it as a standing desk. I've seen taller people use it that way as well, but they end up having to prop up their monitors on risers.

I'm relatively tall (6'4"/193 cm), and I find that the only way to use a standing desk is with a monitor arm, so that the height of the monitor can be raised when I'm standing up. I bought a good monitor arm, an Ergotech, off Amazon four years ago, and it makes a huge difference in comfort to be able to easily shift my screen height when I need to.

As I stood at my desk playing Battletech I had an epiphany: this thing is perfect for one of those big X-Arcade dual joystick setups. In case someone was wondering what to get me for Christmas.

Delete

derFunkenstein wrote:

I was wondering if any Gerbils have standing desks. I work at home and I'm tired of sitting all day, so I ordered myself <snip>
There are motorized ones, too, and of course Monoprice has a bunch, so there's a lot of DIY options out there. What say you guys?

At work we recently moved to a new office and about 15% of people were given motorized standing desks (thanks Blackberry for abandoning some much nice stuff).
People who use them love it. Caveat - I did not get one, but am going to use a spare station behind me to try it out soon.
To get maximum benefit you have to change up and down. most do 1/2 day of each.

I'm with Autonomous all the way on this one. They got a great DIY standing desk kit that can seriously handle some weight.

One of my colleague has one since last year. He actively used it when a novelty, not anymore. Spare the money for a better seat and/or monitor setup, IMHO.

I've had it for two years now, and I hope that means it's past the "novelty" phase. While I don't use it quite as religiously as I did to start, I still get up for a couple hours a day 3-4 days a week. I also like to play BattleTech on the PC standing up for some reason.

Anyone with standing desks that would be able to share pictures? I'm thinking I may line up a summer project making one and am curious how commercial units handing the lifting mechanism.

It’ll take some time until you feel more comfortable working by standing. But it definitely worth it! I have been using Sierra electric sit-stand desk.

I have some pain in my back after sitting for some hours, so I adjust the height and feel relief for my back and neck. Now the balance is like 60% sitting / 40% standing. So it’s very handy to have an adjustable standing desk, so you could easily change between standing/sitting positions.