IKEA standing desks

MITTZON is IKEA's newer office range and the sit/stand version is the value pick of the two IKEA desks here. It takes the IDÅSEN's approach — dual motors, collision detection that reverses by an inch or two, a 24.4-inch minimum — adds 22 lb of capacity, includes the cable tray that IDÅSEN charges for, and offers five sizes including two shallow 23.6-inch-deep options that suit a narrow room. It gives up a little perceived solidity and the IDÅSEN's slightly higher build quality. For most people the extra sizes and the included tray matter more. As with every IKEA desk the electronics carry two years against ten on the structure, and the controller is proprietary.

Best for: A narrow room or a tight budget where a 23.6-inch-deep surface solves the problem.

The IDÅSEN is the one IKEA desk in this catalog that competes on engineering rather than price. Two-stage legs give it a 25-inch travel span from a low 24.75 inches, the collision sensor reverses an inch or two rather than just stopping, and the build is closer to an office product than a flat-pack one: IKEA rates it contract grade, to ANSI/BIFMA. Two things pull it back. The 154 lb capacity is very low: a heavy monitor arm, a large panel and a laptop dock gets you uncomfortably close to it, and it rules out mounting a tower. And it is a genuine hour and a half of assembly, sometimes with a second person, on particle board with a veneer over it. The 10-year frame cover and 2-year electronics cover is the usual IKEA split. Note the controller is proprietary, so third-party keypads and desk-automation hardware do not work with it.

Best for: A good-looking desk at a mid price, for a light setup and someone who does not mind an evening of assembly.

IKEA's US store no longer lists the TROTTEN sit/stand — the TROTTEN desks it sells now are fixed-height — so this is a reference for anyone weighing a used one. It is a hand crank that folds away under the top, with no motor, no controller, no power lead and nothing in it that can fail electronically. At $249 it cost a fraction of a powered desk, and for a desk that gets raised once or twice a day that is a reasonable trade. What it costs you is range and load. It starts at 27.5 inches, which is close to a standard fixed desk and too high for a short user to sit at properly, tops out at 47.25, and is rated for 110 lb. The frame has a crossbar, which helps the rigidity. As a used buy it is a cheap way to find out whether you will actually use a standing desk, or a zero-electronics desk that will still work in fifteen years.

Best for: Weighing a used TROTTEN crank desk, or anyone who needs a desk that works without power.