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geekhack Community => Ergonomics => Topic started by: Demesnenyx on Mon, 30 March 2015, 17:44:43

Title: Desk Recommendations
Post by: Demesnenyx on Mon, 30 March 2015, 17:44:43
Does anyone have a cheap desk recommendation? Well, I honestly don't have money right now and probably can get by with the desk I have at the moment, but I feel like this desk is too high even with the pull-out tray. Maybe a low table would work, my monitor's max adjustment height is pretty high...

Another annoying issue with this desk's pull-out tray is that it's too small orz.
Title: Re: Desk Recommendations
Post by: ghostjuggernaut on Mon, 30 March 2015, 18:07:41
I like the IKEA jerker and galant. They are both discontinued, and can be hard to find though. If you were closer to me, I'd sell you my jerker for cheap. Its just collecting dust.
Title: Re: Desk Recommendations
Post by: Air tree on Mon, 30 March 2015, 22:46:42
I like the IKEA jerker and galant. They are both discontinued, and can be hard to find though. If you were closer to me, I'd sell you my jerker for cheap. Its just collecting dust.
Seems to still be on their website... Galant, at least.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S19852113/

As far as standard just table tops, there the KLIMPEN, that  looks like a rebranded galant.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40293162/
Title: Re: Desk Recommendations
Post by: ghostjuggernaut on Mon, 30 March 2015, 22:54:58
I like the IKEA jerker and galant. They are both discontinued, and can be hard to find though. If you were closer to me, I'd sell you my jerker for cheap. Its just collecting dust.
Seems to still be on their website... Galant, at least.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S19852113/

As far as standard just table tops, there the KLIMPEN, that  looks like a rebranded galant.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40293162/
The galant is still available in limited stock, and mainly in white. They did replace it with the Bekant, but he had talked about affordable options. That's why I went with those two, since you can usually find them used for a decent price. Plus they are great desks.
Title: Re: Desk Recommendations
Post by: nightdriver on Mon, 30 March 2015, 23:22:52
get a jerker if you can.  they show up on craigslist for free surprisingly often!
Title: Re: Desk Recommendations
Post by: jacobolus on Tue, 31 March 2015, 16:29:47
Does anyone have a cheap desk recommendation?
What’s your budget? If you need something new, go look around at IKEA.

Otherwise, I’d recommend hitting up your local thrift stores, checking on craigslist, etc.

Since this is the ergonomics subforum, are you looking for an adjustable-height desk, or some kind of DIY sit–stand thing? Or just a regular low desk? I find a tall desk is okay if I have the right type of chair to go with it (specifically, one that lets me rotate my pelvis forward a bit, and sit with a more open hip angle). I really appreciate having an adjustable–height desk: the precise right height for typing is a bit different than the best height for writing, and I like to switch sitting positions from time to time, and occasionally stand; each position works best with a different desk height.

If you want your setup to be “ergonomic”, I’d recommend finding a chair you like as the first step, and then matching the height of your desk to the chair.  Personally I don’t much like standard office chairs, even the fancy Herman Miller, Steelcase, etc. ones; I prefer either a tall stool / saddle seat, or a simple unpadded wooden chair. Unfortunately, most of the stools and chairs I like cost $500+, making them impractical for people on a budget.

If you have a desk that’s too tall for your current chair, as an alternative to getting a new desk, I think these “balance seat” things (http://www.ergodepot.com/HumanTool_Balance_Seat_p/ht-balance.htm) can be fairly handy, though they’re a bit pricey for what they are. (Like all niche products, they need to sell at much higher margins than a mass-market thing, and something that seems like it should be $40 ends up costing $180.)

I sometimes take one with me when I go work at a coffee shop where I can’t control the table height.

Sure, it looks a little goofy, and I get some questions about it, but I find it’s much more comfortable than trying to type with a very low chair and very high table.
(http://www.badbacks.com.au/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/b/a/balance-01.jpg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_ObwC5-eOA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdP7tIkDzlg

One more thing: you may not need to raise your monitor up too much, even if you use a low desk. See https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=63234

Some experts recommend a setup that looks like the “low condition” in the picture below:
(http://i.imgur.com/bkDcCl2.png)
Title: Re: Desk Recommendations
Post by: Demesnenyx on Sat, 04 April 2015, 03:41:24

What’s your budget? If you need something new, go look around at IKEA.


Probably around $200 at the most, but preferably around $100! You're exactly right about typing and writing, I get in odd positions swapping between typing and writing on the desk I'm currently using. Adjustability is a plus, but I'm really just looking for a low desk for typing/using the mouse (Although the Galant seems perfect so far, measured the min/max heights and the price is just right). I think my chair is fine, so I'm good in that regard. I will check out the balance seat because I do have issues sitting in places aside from my own desk and this could potentially fix that problem. Also, I'm really surprised by that angle. Didn't think that could be ergonomic. I'll just test both angles out and see which I like better I guess.

Thanks for the recommendations everyone! I'm probably going with the Galant.