I Didn't See the Appeal of a Standing Desk Until I Tested One Myself
There are a lot of cool things out there that make us wonder — do they really work? In our I Tried It series, we set out to use them in the real world and have determined that, in fact, they really do.
On Trial: Humanscale QuickStand Eco Standing Desk Converter
The Tester: Brandon Carte, who spends the majority of his workday sitting
The Brief: Years of poor posture and slouching at my desk has finally caught up to me. At just 28 years old, I end my workdays with a sore lower back, neck pain, or a combination of the two. I’ve always been intrigued by standing desks — studies have shown they boost productivity — something we all could use a little more of, especially during these times.
We’ve all seen the news articles preaching about the dangers of sitting too much. Some doctors even say prolonged periods of sitting may increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.
But I’m not here to tell you that sitting is the new smoking — I’m just a guy who had a poor home office setup that wasn’t the slightest bit ergonomic, and my aches and pains were clearly the results of it. So, I did something about it.
I’ve been using the QuickStand Eco by Humanscale for just under a month now. It’s a standing desk converter, meaning that it lets you alternate between sitting and standing while working at your computer. It’s basically a standing desk without the commitment of getting one, since you still have the liberty to sit when you want.
All you have to do to set it up is put the converter on top of your existing desk, set your monitor on top of it, and then raise or lower the attached platform where you’ll place your keyboard and mouse.
The QuickStand Eco seamlessly switches from standing or sitting modes and offers users roughly 19 inches of adjustability. I’m 5-foot-10 and there’re still a couple of inches of clearance to accommodate even taller users. I personally found that standing in the morning has helped me wake up faster, and after I eat my lunch, it helps me feel less drowsy.
The desk riser is available in white or black with configurations suited for a laptop, single monitor, or dual monitor setups. I have a 34-inch ultra wide monitor and it supports it without a hitch.
This QuickStand Eco desk converter uses a robust counterbalance mechanism to keep it stable when you’re standing. When setting it up, you have to manually tighten it to ensure that the desk not only can support the weight of your monitor, keyboard, and mouse but also the force and weight of your wrists while typing.
It took me a few days to find that sweet spot where the counterbalance mechanism was set properly so I could raise the platform easily but still type without accidentally lowering it. The platform does have some minor bounce to it when you’re pounding away on your keyboard, but it wasn’t too annoying or distracting.
My biggest complaint is there’s no simple way to adjust how high or low your monitor is, and the apparatus does take up the majority of the space on my existing desk. I barely have enough room for a notebook, my small succulent, a water bottle, and my docked laptop. That’s because the converter has a large 30-inch-wide and 18-inch-deep work surface. For context, that’s 25% bigger than other converters I researched.
Also, I learned the hard way that if you’re going to go the standing desk route, a standing desk mat is a must-buy. I can’t stress this enough. To eliminate fatigue from sitting and standing all day, I got myself the Ergodriven Topo standing desk mat — it encourages leg movement but makes standing easier and more comfortable whether you're in shoes or socks. I highly recommend pairing a mat like this with your new standing desk workstation.
Closing Argument: I found QuickStand Eco desk converter to be an excellent product to incorporate more standing into my workday. It’s stylish, ultra durable, and definitely helped me improve the ergonomics of my home office. And best of all, it helped alleviate my lower back pain, too.
Read More:
We Tested Ergonomic Mice for 4 Weeks to Find the Absolute Best
These Ergonomic Keyboards Pair Wonderfully With Standing Desks
Our Favorite Work-From-Home Essentials Our Editors Swear By
Follow BestProducts.com on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest!
You Might Also Like
