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Standing desk converters are becoming more and more popular, year on year with people, (myself included), looking for more intuitive ways to stay fit in an office environment. Let’s face it, doing 5000 push ups on your lunch break sucks compared to just, well… standing up. I’ve been meaning to buy one of these for a while and the true cost of a standing desk converter was surprising.
Fixed laptop standing desk converters cost between $35-$55. This would increase to $550 depending on a more bespoke standing desks with electric converters. Standing desk converters costing over $500 typically do not offer anything more then cheaper models.
So what are my recommendations? And why are there such differences in prices? Well To cut to the chase, my choice for the best standing desk converters/standing desks that fall under each category are as follows:
- Laptop Standing Desk Converters – Executive office solutions
- Fixed Height Riser – Miracle Desk
- Basic manual adjustments – Mount Adjustable Converter
- Gas or spring converters – Vivo Adjustable Converter
- Electronic converter/standing desk – Flexispot EC1S
So what are the exact costs that go into standing desk converters? And should you pay more to get exactly what you want? Keep reading to find out!
What Are The Costs Of Standing Desk Converters?
Standing desk converters typically cost anywhere between $35 – $400. The difference in pricing is mainly due to what the standing desk converters will be used for, as well as the type of standing desk converter you want to own.
Types of standing desk converters you say!?
Well, there are a few key categories that standing desk converters can be broken down into:
- Laptop Standing Desk Converters
- Fixed Height Converters (Risers)
- Basic Manual Adjustment Converters
- Gas Spring Assisted Converters
- Electric Converters Standing Desks
Quite a lot to take in right? So how much do each of these cost for a cheap, average and expensive option?
Luckily for you I’ve pulled together a couple of comparison in the table below:
|
Type |
Low Price In 2020 | Medium Price in 2020 | High Price in 2020 |
| Laptop Standing Desk Converter | $38.99 | $41.99 | $44.97 |
| Fixed Height Riser | $49.99 | $69.99 | $99.95 |
| Basic Manual Adjustment Converters | $54.99 | $89.99 | $119.95 |
| Gas Spring Adjusted converters | $99.87
|
$169.96 | $279.99 |
| Electric converters/Standing desks |
$299 |
$349.99 |
$534 |
And another table showing a few products:
| Type | Low Price In 2020 | Medium Price in 2020 | High Price in 2020 |
| Laptop Standing Desk Converter |
Executive Office Solutions Portable Adjustable Aluminium Laptop |
||
| Fixed Height Riser | |||
| Basic Manual Adjustment Converters | |||
| Gas Spring Adjusted converters | |||
| Electric converters/Standing desks |
Why the difference in pricing with standing desk converters?
Standing desk converters have a massive difference in pricing for a few key reasons. The main one however is the materials used to build them and the increased functionality they have.
A standing desk converter that is powered by an electric motor, and can hold more weight is going to cost a lot more than a standing desk converter which does not move.
It’s quite simple, the larger the difference in the type of standing desk converter you have, the more expensive it is likely to be.
What’s Right For You?
My blog is mainly focused on home office design and working from home, with a hint of remote working in there. As such I’m typically only working directly off my laptop with a few scraps of paper lying around
Now for someone like me having a huge electric standing desk converter wouldn’t be the best option as I usually work remotely. I mean taking a huge 25 kilo standing desk converter to my local coffee shop wouldn’t work ( sorry Starbucks!).
Having a smaller adjustable laptop standing desk converter with basic manual adjustment would be the perfect fit.
Now let’s say the tables were turned, and I was purely office based and was sitting on my desk programming for 10 hours straight, in this situation I would opt for something in the medium price range that focused on health as opposed to comfort. A standing desk converter with gas/spring adjustment comes out on top here.
Standing Desk Converters VS Standing Desks Costs
Before we go any further we need to be specific about what it is we are talking about. Standing desks converters are a very broad term that can cover things which might not actually be what it is you’re looking for.
As I mentioned earlier I typically break these down into the following 6 areas
- Laptop Standing Desk Converters
- Fixed Height Converters (Risers)
- Basic Manual Adjustment Converters
- Gas Spring Assisted Converters
- Electric Converters
- Standing Desks
Irregardless of any decision, according to Harvard Health Review standing desk converters and just standing in the workplace can lead to burning a whopping 210 calories per hour!
Standing Laptop Desk Converters
Standing laptop desk converters are my unabashed favourite. These typically are amongst the cheapest desk converters you can get (that’s not the only reason I like them!).
A good laptop desk converter should retail from $35-$50 but you can find some that are slightly cheaper if you are okay with cheaper plastics being used and aren’t too worried about having to replace these every few years.
Advantages:
- Portable and lightweight, meaning these are the perfect choice for people who are not based in one location like remote workers.
- Usually the cheapest option available.
- Fairly easy to maintain with only a handful of parts.
Disadvantages:
- Not the best choice if you plan on using it everyday, especially some of the cheaper options.
- There is a lot of variety and choice out there so you need to make sure whatever standing laptop desk converter you go for has the right amount of space and size for what it is you want
- Although they are potable not too many people have these around so if you do pull up in a coffee shop with one of these you might get some funny looks
My Recommendations Are:
Fixed Height Risers Standing Desk Converters
Fixed height standing desk converters are typically much larger than laptop desk converters but also come with a lot more variance than them. These typically have a very simple design and look similar to a simple box you can put on your desk.
Standing desk converters typically cost between $49 and $150 and with laminate and plastic falling on the cheaper side with stronger quality woods being more pricey.
It might be given in the name but fixed height risers are fixed meaning a lack of movement and adjust ability
Advantages:
- Great if you are staying in one location and use the same equipment every day.
- These desks force you to stay standing and so from a purely mental perspective keep you motivated to do the desired action they are intended for.
- They don’t have too many adjustments a lot of these are ready to go right out of the box.
Disadvantages:
- Fall on the pricey side and can very easily match the cost of the desks you might be putting the desk converter on.
- These are not very portable and weigh a lot, not the best choice if remote working.
- Non-adjustable meaning you have to make sure you get your measuring right.
My Recommendations Are:
Basic Manual Adjusters Converters
Now we’re talking! Although laptop converters are my personal favourite if I was office based everyday this would definitely be something i would use.
Basic manual adjustment converters typically cost between $55 – $200 and for that price you get basic adjustment that usually calibrates to your eye level whilst standing.
Advantages:
- These are probably the most common type of desk converter, as such there is a huge variety so you should be able to find what it is you want.
- Basic models are only slightly more expensive than laptop desk converters.
- Because these are adjustable if you do ever get tired of standing you can adjust them to become a normal sitting desk if need be.
Disadvantages:
- Sometimes the range of motion of the devices can be a little skewed, for example you might find an adjustment might only have two settings, flat or standing
- Although you can get many on the cheaper side the prices to start to creep up
- They are not very portable, so definitely not the best use for something that will be used in a remote working environment
My Recommendations Are:
Gas Spring Powered Standing Desk Converters
Okay what?!
Although it sounds like we are just stuffing a bunch of words together, Over the past few years there has been a sharp rise in the number of these on the market place.
I can see why. Sometimes with cheap quality adjustable standing desk converters they can get damaged or have a limited range of motion.
Gas spring powered standing desk converters can definitely help with that and are perfect if you go between sitting and standing quite a lot.
They are actually one of the fastest growing areas in the standing desk market.
These typically cost between $100 – $300
Advantages:
- A lot more adjust ability and customisation they typical standing desk converters
- Great if you move from sitting to standing several times a day
- Because they are so adjustable you are a lot more likely to have a truly ergonomic experience.
Disadvantages:
- Price – in my opinion the price for some these does begin to get a little bit extortionate
- As they are spring loaded they can get damaged if you do not take good care of them
- Some, not all, don’t come assembled directly from a box so you need to keep in mind that some assembly might be required
My Recommendations Are:
Electric powered standing desk converters/Standing desks
So you might be thinking, hang on a second Fehed, everything else has their own category, why are you grouping these together?
Honestly…
In my opinion when people are looking at electric powered standing desks converters or standing desks it is to replace what they already have… not to convert it to a standing desk.
If you can afford a standing desk or an electric powered standing desk converter then by all means go for it! I
Standing desks and electrical powered standing desk converters typically cost typically cost between $200 and $400
Advantages:
- More than any other form of standing desk these are then ones that really do ensure that you will be vertical most days of the week.
- Because there are often less moving parts these typically last a lot longer then desk converters, these can potentially be a lifetime piece of furniture.
- Very good if you don’t want a lot of adjustment, electric powered standing desk converters can take a lot of the manual pressure out of moving things around.
Disadvantages:
- They can really get up there in price especially if you go down the electric route, you have to keep in mind that these are pretty much like buying a brand new desk outright.
- These are even more bulky than standing desk converters so can’t really be used anywhere for every task.
- If you are looking for a simple converter and not an entire desk replacement this might be wasted.
My Recommendations:
Now speaking of electric desks, if you’re curious to find out what the power limits on these desks are and if the weight limits really matter you can check out this post I’ve written on the topic. It should help give a bit more insight to see if they are the right choice for you.
What are the hidden costs of standing desk converters?
So now you know roughly the pricing for desk converters are there any hidden costs that you have to consider?
The main unintended pricing will be cleaning and delivery.
Delivery costs for standing desk converters:
Delivery prices are likely to be more expensive depending on what type of desk converter you go for. If you have prime you should be okay, amazon delivery prices outside of prime should not bee to expensive however this all depends on the size and weight of your item.
If you are purchasing from a different retailer then make sure you look into how much the delivery charge will be – this is especially true for standing desks as you should treat them like any other bit of furniture
Cleaning costs for standing desk converters
The second major expense is the cleaning, unless of course you like to lie around in your own filth …. We’ve all been there no judgement here!
Now it’s not only any rags and cleaning stuff you might need.
With laptop standing desk converters they have a lot of nooks and crannies you might need to get in with small tools like brushes and cotton buds, failure to clean these are might result in clocking up any mechanism and you may find your standing desk converter might no longer be able to stand
Accessories
Whilst not vital, you can add accessories to your standing desk such as foot mats or mouse mats – be warned if you do a lot of standing desk converters don’t come with these included.
General Maintenance Costs Of Standing Desk Converters
The final expense will be maintenance cost. The major expenses you will come across here will either be parts such as screws or other maintenance tools you might use more frequently; like metal oil to keep the joints and mechanisms lubricated.
Can I Expense These Costs?
If you are self-employed or run your own business, these expenses should be allowable under office supplies.
If your workplace bought you your standing desk/standing desk converter then all cleaning materials should be allowed under allowable expenses.
The Final Say
So hopefully this article has helped with a few different variations on what it is standing desk converters cost, a few examples of additional costs as well as some of my own personal recommendations.
To summarise, laptop office desk converts are easily my favourite followed closely by Basic Adjustable Laptop desk Converts.
Gas spring powered adjusters have merit whilst electric and standing desks in my opinion are a bit too pricey where I would opt for a brand new desk if I was spending upwards of $400.
Finally a lot of people reading my blog want to know what products I recommend for a home office/remote working. You can find out my recommendations here and learn how I make money whilst working remotely on the side here.
Hope that helps guys but please leave a comment below letting me know about your own preferences and how much you think you should pay for desk converters?
Happy standing!
Fehed.
The content on this on this site has been written by Fehed Nicass who has over a decades worth of experience in sales and has worked remotely for the past 2 years.