Pros and cons of having a standing desk and a general fixed height desk.

There are plenty of adjustable standing desks and fixed height desks out there. But what are the pros and cons of each and which desk should you get? Well, it really depends on many different factors. In this blog post, we will go through the pros and cons of a standing desk and a standard fixed height desk. In particular, we will be using a dual motor standing desk as an example to make it easier as all of our Deskbird signature adjustable standing desks are dual motor. This may make it easier if you are thinking about whether one of our standing desks will be right for you. We won’t be going into too much detail about the differences, but an overview and the main points to cover all the bases. All of the points are in no particular order. 

Fixed Height Desks:

Pros 

1. More variation and design options: One very good thing about fixed height desks is that they have a wide range of designs and options to suit your needs for your office or room. This is a great way to match your desk to the theme of your room or office; interior office designs will have a lot more options.
   
   
2. Price: In most cases, a general fixed height desk will be more affordable compared to electrical motor powered standing desks. There are non motorised standing desks which are more affordable available in the market but won’t be as nice to use. 
   
   
3. Lighter: Adjustable standing desks are heavy and because of that they can be quite hard to move around when moving offices or rooms. On the other hand, fixed height desks are usually made mainly out of wood and are lighter. 

Cons - 

1. Quality: With such a large range of desks available at different stores, it is hard to know the quality of the desk. Many of the stores in New Zealand have flat pack desks but we have found that the quality varies, with particle board being the main material used to manufacture flat pack desks.
    
2. Fixed position: The obvious difference between a standing desk and normal fixed height desk is that it only has a fixed height. Whereas a standing desk is adjustable. 
   
   
3. Not as sturdy: Because normal fixed height desks are not usually as heavy as standing desks, they usually won’t be as sturdy and won’t be able to hold as much weight as a dual motor adjustable standing desk. Wooden frames tend to be weaker compared to metal frames. 

Adjustable standing desks:

 Pros:

1. Ability to change the height: The obvious benefit of electrical adjustable standing desks is that its height can be adjusted electronically through a push of a button. Most high end standing desks will have keypads and memory control functions that will remember your height settings that you prefer. 
2. Metal frames: Electrical Adjustable standing desks have a metal frame which provides more rigidity and strength. Allowing the desk to hold more weight. 
3. Comes in large sizes: Most adjustable standing desks have fairly large desktop options if you are after a desk that is large, it may be easier to find a large adjustable standing desk rather than a large normal fixed height desk. For example a 1.8 meter sized desk. 
4. Burning more calories: As an adjustable standing desk allows you to alternate between standing and sitting, you will be able to burn more calories compared to a standard fixed height desk. 
5. Better posture and movement ability: Having an adjustable standing desk will allow for different positions and heights which will help with better postures and better movement ability. This often helps with back pain associated with long periods of sitting down. Sitting for long periods of time often increases the tendency of bad posture. 
6. More energy and productivity: Users of adjustable standing desks have reported higher levels of energy and productivity when using a standing desk. This is mainly due to being able to alternate their working position on their desk. 

Cons: 

1. Price: If we are talking about dual motor adjustable standing desks, they are usually more expensive than standard fixed height desks.
2. Design options: Adjustable standing desks tend to have less designs and table top options compared to general fixed height desks. A certain colour that you may want for your desk may not be available in the market. For example, if you wanted a glass standing desk, it would be very hard to find and manufacture.
3. Standing desk and footwear: We recommend users of standing desks to wear good shoes and footwear that is comfortable. Why? Because if you are alternating between sitting and standing you would want to make sure that your shoes are comfortable for standing. For example, you wouldn’t really want to be standing in heels as they may be uncomfortable over time. One solution would be to remove shoes and have an ergonomic mat to help with standing. 

We hope this quick review of the pros and cons of adjustable standing desk vs fixed height desks helped you out. Feel free to let us know if we can add anything or if you have any suggestions in the contacts tab below.

Pros and cons of an adjustable standing desks and a fixed height desk. 
Blog by Deskbird NZ - trademarked Deskbird NZ.

Tags: Standing desks, standing desk, NZ standing desks, Standing desk NZ, Adjustable standing desk, electrical standing desk.