Buying a sit stand desk? Follow these tips:

You will agree with us that it is not easy to make the right choice from the wide range of sitting and standing desks on the market. It's probably not surprising that mis-buying is often due to the fact that people are too seduced by what they like. Usually it is also a question of insufficient knowledge. And that is exactly what we can help you with.

In this article we list the advantages and disadvantages of the most commonly used technologies and offer you some quick checkpoints that you can easily go through yourself without being a specialist. You will know better what to look out for and what to ask the seller in the showroom.

From our broad experience with office furniture and more specifically with height-adjustable office desks, we have identified two criteria to help you make the right choice:

1. Stability
2. Adaptability

Interested in our tips?

Then please read on or watch our video below.
You will learn how to test he stability and adaptability of each model in the showroom with a few simple tests.

4 factors tat determine the stability

Only a stable desk offers the most comfort. I'm sure you'll agree with us on that. It shouldn't wobble or move at the slightest push. And certainly not in the highest position. The question is of course: how do you recognise a stable, height-adjustable desk?

In our opinion, there are four important technical aspects:

1. The position of the support point
2. The strenght of the frame
3. The number of parts of the leg
4. The placement or orientation of the thickest part of the leg

We are happy to explain to you how to recognise and assess these four technical elements, so that you can visit a showroom well prepared.

What are the most common errors against stability?

Stability seems to be a matter of course, but in practice it is not. Below we show you where things go wrong and what the better solution is.

1. Positionof the support point:

NOT GOOD

At this desk, the leg is not in the middle. This means that the weight on the table is never properly distributed, which makes the table less stable.

BEST SOLUTION

Here the leg is positioned in the middle of the table. This central point of support guarantees optimum weight distribution and excellent stability.

2.The strength of the frame

NOT GOOD

Often a lighter metal frame is chosen because of the price. However, a lighter frame will not support the tabletop as well.

BEST SOLUTION

This is a logical story: a heavier metal frame will support the desk more and thus provide more stability.

3.The number of parts of the leg

NOT GOOD

2-piece table leg: consists of only 2 pieces that slide in and out of each other. 

In order to reach the same height, both pieces have to be longer and therefore a 2-piece table leg is more unstable. Especially when working standing up.

BEST SOLUTION

3-piece table leg: consists of 3 pieces that slide in and out of each other. 

To reach the same height, the 3 pieces may be shorter. This makes a 3-piece table leg more stable.

4.The placement or orientation of the thickest part of the leg

NOT GOOD

With this desk, the leg consists of extendable parts with the thickest part at the top. This makes the leg top-heavy, which leads to instability.

BEST SOLUTION

This leg has the thickest element at the bottom. This provides a stable base for the table.

A stable standing desk has 3-piece table legs with the thickest part at te bottom. In addition, the two legs are on the short side in the middle of the table. This means that the support point is centrally located on the foot, which optimally distributes the weight on the table. In addition, our seating and standing desks are equipped with a strong frame for which an extra lot of metal was used. This, of course, also improves the stability.

Check it yourself with our simple stability test

All this theory is nice, but of course you want to check it yourself. With this simple test you can test every sit-stand desk in the showroom for its stability:

Take a glass and fill it up to about 2 centimetres from the edge. Put that glass somewhere on the tabletop. Now you give the short side a few pushes against the table. If the table is unstable, water will spill out of the glass. A stable table will keep all the water neatly in the glass. Repeat the exercise on the long side of the table. Watch this video for a short demonstration.

Enjoy your adjustable desk to the fullest thanks to its adaptability

You will understand that the speed and comfort with which the table can be adjusted in height detemines to a large extent how often you will effectively adjust the table in height. We should not faint, if the adjustement is too slow or too difficult, then in practice you will do little or even not do it. And then, of course, it's a pity about your investment. We would like to list the advantages and disadvantages of the different systems on the market for you. This way, you will know exactly which system is the best solution for you.

We will take a closer look at three of them:

• the handle
• the gas pump
• the electric motor

We also demonstrate the three systems in this video

ELECTRIC MOTOR

• effortlessly adjustable in height
• works independently of the weight on the table
• small electric motors are concealed in the frame
• intuitive operation via display with memory function provides certainty about the correct working height

HANDLE

• manual height adjustment is intensive, depending on weight and speed
• cheaper solution
• no electricity connection required
• difficult to estimate the correct working height

GAS PUMP

• proper operation strongly depends on the correct setting in relation to the weight on the table
• adjustement according to weight possible, but not practical
• cheaper solution
• no electricity connection required
• difficult to estimate the correct working height

The handle: cheap, but manual and slow

THe handle is a popular and inexpensive tool to adjust the height of the table. The pendulum is operated by hand and that's where the main disadvantage lies: the slow speed with which the height is adjusted.

You can quicky count on half a minute to a full minute to adjust a table from sitting to standing height.

That's long, very long... and the main reason why in practice you quicky give up on adjusting the height each time.

The gas pump: watch out for weight changes

The gas pump or gas spring is a second technique to adjust the height of desk. A gas pump works fine as long as the weight on the table does not change. The fact is that the gas pump is adjusted to a certain weight during installation. If that weight changes, the gas pump will no longer function properly.

Adjusting screw and gauge under the desktop

The electric drive: fast and with perfect control

Both the handle and the gas pump have their disadvantages.

We use an electric drive for out height-adjustable desks. This allows you to infinitely adjust the height of the table regardless of the load. Thanks to the electric motors, you can adjust the height of the table many times faster than with the crank system. Also the disadvantage of the weight-dependence of the gas pump system is not possible with an electric drive.

Be sure to watch our video in which we illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of the handle, the gas pump and the electric drive.

The display: indispensable tool for the correct use of your sit stand desk

How can you be 100% sure that your table is always set to the right height?

That's an important question, because the usefulness of the sit stand furniture depends exactly on the correct working height. A few centimetres more or less makes the difference between working comfortably and working with back and neck complaints. Moreover, the working height is different for each individual. So it should be clear that you like to know exactly at what height you set the table. Always adjust the worktop to the correct working height with the display. 

With a handle or a gas pump, it's always a bit of a gamble.

There is also a solution for this. Height-adjustable desks with electrid drive are often equipped with a digital display so that you can always see perfectly at what height the worktop is located. You can even program a number of working heights thanks to the memory function. This is very useful when, for example, different people are working on the same workstation.

You are always welcome in our showrooms

In our showroom we would like to explain all the advantages and disadvantages of the various systems and you can convince yourself of the quality of our height-adjustable desks.