Why the best standing desk converter easily beats an upright desk

Why the best standing desk converter easily beats an upright desk

If you spend long hours working at your computer from home, consider investing in a standing desk. Reports show that standing instead of sitting can have a big impact on your heath. Unfortunately, most standing desks are grossly overpriced. A good and cheaper alternative is a converter. Here we will take a look at the best standing desk converter according to different categories of needs.

Benefits of a standing desk converter

Sitting at your desk for long periods of time isn’t just a minor health issue. According to Dr. James Levine at the Mayo Clinic, sitting for more than four hours a day can more than double your risk of heart disease and increase your risk of death by 50%. What’s more scary is that exercising can’t overcome the bad effects of sitting. You have to avoid sitting for too long. There’s no way around it.

That’s where standing desks come in. Standing desks let you do office work like writing or programming but without sitting. Not only that, they boost productivity. Problem solved? Sort of. There are a lot of practical reasons that standing desks are still hardly used in most homes or offices.

First, they are much more expensive than regular desks of the same size. A cheap regular desk can work fine, but for taller desks, a little bit of wobble amplifies a lot. That means there are plenty of cheap standing desks that just don’t work. A decent standing desk can cost over $500. This is for just a simple bare bones standing desk. Professional grade lecterns cost over $4000!

The second downside, particularly for a home, is that no one has space for one more large piece of furniture. Where will you put it? What do you do with the old desk?

Finally, what if it is too tiring and you can’t adjust to a standing desk? You don’t want to spend a hefty sum only to find put you made a mistake. It’s no surprise, then, that few have made the switch to a standing desk so far. That’s where a standing desk converter comes in.

A standing desk converter is usually cheaper than a full standing desk because it makes use of a pre-existing desk that you already own. This solves the problem of figuring out where to put your old and new desk. Finally, some standing desk converters are dirt cheap, which makes it easy to try out without much inconvenience.

Now that you understand what makes standing desk converters so great, let’s take a look at the best standing desk converters for you.

Best High-End Standing Desk Converter

The well-known Varidesk Standing Desk Converter (Amazon link) is a premium product that comes with a premium price tag. While it the most expensive standing desk converter in this group, it is also the best reviewed option with full features.

The average Amazon review is practically a full five stars, and that’s with over a thousand reviews in total. Customer satisfaction is guaranteed, but what makes the Varidesk so great?

The Varidesk has a two-tiered design that gives you plenty of room for both your keyboard and monitor. Everything is also optimally set to the right height. The upper level of the Varidesk is also quite roomy, with space for two monitors or a monitor and a laptop.

The Varidesk is easy to setup with no complicated installation unlike your typical Ikea furniture. The height is also easy to adjust, even under the weight of a monitor. In standard setups, the Varidesk should comfortably accomodate tall people up to at least six feet and a few inches.

Unlike cheaper alternatives, the Varidesk is quite durable. It’s also very stable and doesn’t wobble at all. If you really start hammering your keyboard, there can be some very minor shake, but most users won’t notice.

Best affordable standing desk converter

If you are cash-strapped and can’t go all-out for the Varidesk, a much cheaper alternative is the Stand Steady Standing Desk (Amazon link). Stand Steady made the first patented standing desk converter and has been covered in national features like the Washington Post. At around $100, the Stand Steady is a good affordable alternative to the Varidesk.

The original model comfortably holds a desktop computer, and Stand Steady also makes extra large models if you want multiple monitors or extra desk space. Using the Stand Steady is a breeze. You just put the Stand Steady on top of your existing sitting desk, and you can adjust the height if necessary. There’s not much else; it just works.

You’ll notice many Amazon reviewers complaining about the high price. When the Stand Steady first came out several years ago, it retailed for nearly $200.  Now it sells for half the price and is definitely a good deal. Nothing else has changed in the meantime, so you get the same great product at a bargain price.

Special mention: a dirt cheap option

If you want to try out a standing desk converter for the lowest price without caring about looks, consider ErgoDriven’s Spark Standing Desk, which is about the price of a large pizza! The catch is that this standing desk converter is made out of folded cardboard.

You might be skeptical whether cardboard can hold up a computer monitor, but apparently it can. The desk is also fairly stable during regular use and feels quite durable. ErgoDriven has great Amazon customer reviews, and some people buy more than one.

To set up the desk, you need follow video instructions, as there’s a bit of origami-like assembly involved. You only have to do this once, though.

The downside to ErgoDriven’s standing desk is that it, well, looks cheap. But at about $20, there’s not much risk to just trying it out. Who knows, maybe you’ll end up loving it.

Best standing desk converter: conclusions

We’ve given you a couple of options for a standing desk converter, from premium options to a bare-bones almost DIY cardboard version. With your health on the line, there’s no reason not to at least try the super cheap version to see if it works for you.

Further reading

A wall-mounted desk is another option to save space and adjust to any height, including standing. Or you can stick with classic yet new desk designs, if you decide to go the sitting route. Just be sure to take frequent breaks. Pacing is good!

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