For years, the Uplift V2 Standing Desk has been our pick for the best standing desk for most people. It accommodates a wide range of heights, and it’s stable even at its tallest setting. And it has a greater variety of attractive customization options than you’ll find on any competitor.
Want a productivity and energy boost? Push a button to raise the desk so you can move a little while working. Feel like leaning back in your chair for some deep focus time? Push another button to lower the desk.
An electric, height-adjustable standing desk provides the best of both worlds.
No matter how great your office chair is, you’re not doing your body any favors by sitting in it for the whole day. But being on your feet constantly isn’t good for your comfort or health, either.
This desk works well for small spaces, and it has a height-adjustment range that’s ideal for people between 5-foot-8 and 6-foot-5. But the controls aren’t intuitive and have limited preset options.
The laminate-desktop version is made mostly from recycled wood, and it’s available in seven finishes. It has the same frame options as the other Jarvis desks.
This attractive desk is pleasant to work on, and it has a lower base price than many competitors. It’s available in small sizes, and it accommodates people under 5-foot-4 better than the Uplift V2. But it’s not as customizable.
This is the most customizable desk we’ve ever tested, and it works for a wide range of heights (people between 5-foot-4 and 7 feet).
We favored desks with 30-day refunds (at least), free return shipping, and assembly that’s no more challenging than for IKEA furniture.
Your workspace is highly personal, and that includes your desk. So we looked for models that offered lots of customization options.
Since good desks are a big investment, we think they should come with excellent, fast customer service and at least a five-year warranty.
We selected desks with frames that fit people under 5-foot-4 (the average height of US women), as well as those suited to taller people.
Of the desks we’ve tested, the Uplift V2 Standing Desk offers the best mix of performance and features. It responds quickly to control-pad input (from your choice of five keypad designs), and it produces minimal wobble, even at tall heights.
It accommodates average seated and standing heights for men and women. But if you’re under 5-foot-4, this desk likely won’t work for you if you don’t use a footrest. In that case, we recommend the Fully Jarvis Bamboo Standing Desk or the Fully Jarvis Laminate Standing Desk with the three-stage low-range frame.
We found the Uplift V2’s walnut laminate to be attractive and realistic, and panelists loved the look of the 1-inch curved bamboo desktop, as well. If you’d prefer a different style, Uplift has more than 30 desktop options, including several unusual but expensive wood tops, such as acacia and pheasantwood.
You can also choose from four frame colors, five grommet colors, and three keypad colors, as well as multiple add-on accessories.
The Fully Jarvis Bamboo Standing Desk and the Fully Jarvis Laminate Standing Desk have the same frame, with different top options to suit various preferences. These models offer everything we look for in a good adjustable-height standing desk: a wide range of heights to accommodate most people, a long warranty, and stability in line with that of most other desks we tested.
The Jarvis was our top pick for more than four years, and it’s still a great desk—one that’s become even better with frame improvements that have reduced wobbling at all heights.
This desk doesn’t have as many customization options as the Uplift V2. But when it’s equipped with its three-stage low-range frame, it works for people as short as 4-foot-9.
The laminate tops we tested look great but are prone to smudging, so if you can spend a bit more, we recommend the bamboo top.
We like that the Branch Duo Standing Desk comes with a compact, 36-by-24-inch desktop that works well for small spaces, like a home office or studio apartment.
Surprisingly for a small desk, it has a two-tier lifting column that’s ideal for people between 5-foot-8 and 6-foot-5. Most other two-tier lifting columns we’ve found accommodate narrower height ranges, such as between 5-foot-8 and 6 feet. While the Duo’s height adjustment range of 28 to 47.5 inches works best for taller people, even our 5-foot-tall panelists and a panelist in an electric wheelchair said they could adjust it to their liking. (It’s best to find your height preferences and consider your ergonomic setup before selecting a good standing desk.)
But the Branch Duo has only five laminate finishes, and it doesn’t offer nearly as many customizable features as our Uplift and Fully picks. The control paddle can also be clunky to use, and it can’t accommodate more than two presets, which may be an issue in multi-user households or offices.
With all the changes that occurred in the workplace over the last decade and especially the last few years, you may have heard the phrase “sitting is the new smoking.” This rings true because it is something a large majority of the population is doing and we aren’t all aware of its negative impacts.
Standing desks are a great way to combat this new epidemic of sitting and are a must-have for any job or activity that requires extended periods of time on the computer. They allow us to spend more of our day in a standing position which is much less harmful to the body compared to sitting.
The benefits of using a standing desk are:
To optimize these benefits the standing desk must be used correctly, it’s not just about switching from sitting all day to standing all day as that could be too fatiguing for the body. A common recommendation is something called the 20-80-2 rule, where you sit for 20 minutes, stand for 8 minutes, then move around for 2 minutes.
The 20-80-2 rule is a wonderful place to start when getting acquainted with using a standing desk. It doesn’t overwhelm the body with a drastic change and incorporates a 2-minute break every half hour which is a huge piece of keeping our body feeling good and mind able to focus.
Once you feel comfortable with the 20-8-2 schedule, you can slowly even out the sitting and standing time eventually reaching 14-14-2. If changing positions this frequently is not possible with your work you can sit for 28 minutes, take a quick movement break then stand for 28 minutes, and so on.
Best Budget Option: Azonanor Standing Desk
Best Electric Option: UPLIFT Standing Desk
Best Manual Option: VIVO Manual Height Adjustable Desk
Best Option for Small Spaces: SIDUCAL Mobile Standing Desk
Best Option with Drawers: QZMDSM Standing Desk
Best Option for Accessories: FEZIBO L Shaped Electric Standing Desk
Best Standing Desk Converter Option: SHW Standing Desk Converter
As a professional, I cannot recommend using a standing desk enough. It is a worthy investment for how you feel right now, how productive you are, and your health in the long term. Whichever standing desk you choose for yourself, know it’s a move towards a better and healthier you.
Dr. Kyle is a highly skilled chiropractor at Body Science Therapy in Mississauga with a deep understanding of how sitting can impact the body. He helps people struggling with pain and dysfunction to achieve their unique goals through world-class hands-on therapy and rehabilitation movements like stretches, mobility and strengthening.
He also knows it’s imperative to educate you on how your current habits and lifestyle have led to what you’re dealing with, and what you can change to ensure you remain healthy in the long term. If you’d like to begin you’re healing journey with Dr. Kyle you can call (905) 997-2639 or visit bodysciencetherapy.com for more information.