Articulating Keyboard Trays - a cheap list

[nowsharing]

I was considering a handful of nice keyboard trays on ebay, all with articulating arms, until I won a nice one yesterday for $5. They are a great investment if you want to prevent RSI, or just as a desk usability improvement. While they are very expensive to buy new, on ebay a few can be had for relatively cheap.

Here are the auctions I had bookmarked during my search. They are all considerably under priced IMHO.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=360155229406
This one looks really solid (wood w/rubber coating), and slides back & forth on a ball bearing track. It also has slide-out 8" mouse trays on each side of the board.
$31.50 + shipping!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=120413739488
Same as above but without the mouse mounts. The tray is 21" and an M is 19", so it would be a nice fit, and the colors match.
$35 + shipping

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=360154155963
Humanscale brand--very expensive new and from what I understand, the best. Auction ends in 4 hours, if you set a smart snipe you could probably get a steal on this.  $25 + cheap shipping right now

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=280346894203
Same as above, but used.
$50 OBO + shipping

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=150230921254
Weber Knapp Easy Riser Tray. This is basically what I bought. This has a 30" tray, so you wouldn't need a separate mouse mount. This guy offered me exact shipping, so be sure to ask for that as well.
$40 OBO + shipping

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=350192941698
Same as above, but without the mouse mount.
$30 + cheap shipping!



I hope someone finds these useful, they really seem like steals if you're in the market.

[rdjack21]

Thanks allot. I've been thinking I need to get one of these. I've upgraded my desk to a dinning room table (lot more room) but of course the table is a little high.

[pmyshkin]

So why the articulating arms rather than sliding returns?

[MANISH7]

So why the articulating arms rather than sliding returns?

if i understand your question correctly then: articulating has more degrees of freedom so you can give it negative tilt and swivel it based on your needs. the negative tilt is especially recommended as it makes it easier for you to keep your wrists in neutral position.

 i've done a lot of research on this and the best retail deal i've seen for price & quality is from versatables for $100 w/ free shipping. the features & warranty are great and i like the choice of colors. in the past before seeing versatables i got a $200 tray + shipping from kare products. they were a good company and i was happy with the product but after seeing versatables sell something similar for less than half the price & with nice colors - i did have a little bit of buyer's remorse.

http://www.versatables.com/pages/products/options/bka.php

[nowsharing]

So why the articulating arms rather than sliding returns?

The reason that I started looking for an articulating tray was because of the different heights that my wife and I prefer, and because my desk's sliding keyboard tray is unstable. When using the mouse or typing hard it flops around a bit.

i've done a lot of research on this and the best retail deal i've seen for price & quality is from versatables

Those do look nice; I hadn't seen them before. The ball bearing track is classy and a lifetime warranty is ideal, as these trays could be bent or wear out over time. A great value for someone wanting something new.

[nowsharing]

Could also convince your wife to adjust height of chair to match tray

That's not an option unfortunately, without buying a new chair. With our rather short chair all the way up, I still have to incline my wrists to reach the board. I considered reinstalling the tray at the medium level of where we both like it, but then I'd still be stuck with this tray.

These are some great deals but I do hope your friend in the US receiving all these packages is NOT married.

Luckily we're good friends and his wife too. I did start having things shipped to a family member's house, probably because of your constructive criticism, ripster. That picture is what I fear their basement was starting to look like.

[Manyak]

Just tell her, "WOMAN, get your own goddamn desk!" :peep:

But don't hold me responsible for any divorce costs



Ok seriously though, I had a similar problem before we moved a few months ago. My girlfriend just couldn't get used to the big monitors. I don't get it, who doesn't like big monitors when they have the room for them? But now in the new place there's space for an actual desk for her, so I got her one. Now we even get the added benefit of using our computers at the same time . If you've got the room for it in the house, you should consider it.

[nowsharing]

Just tell her, "WOMAN, get your own goddamn desk!"

I better try that before the Ms arrive here, otherwise it's severe brain damage and/or death for yours truly. :fish:


We're on a one desktop & one laptop setup. I couldn't imagine a world where a couple shares one computer, except during their vacations. Our real work, writing and calculating, happens on the desktop for the most, so I'd like it to be the perfect space for such tasks.