Herman Miller Jarvis Bamboo vs Herman Miller Jarvis Laminate
Herman Miller
Herman Miller Jarvis Bamboo
Fits 5′4″ to 6′10″ (est.)
The Jarvis was the desk that taught the internet what a good standing desk costs, and it survived the collapse of the company that made it. Fully was folded into MillerKnoll and shut down in 2025; the Jarvis now sells only through Herman Miller and Design Within Reach, and only in bamboo and laminate. What you get is unchanged and still excellent: three-stage legs with 25.5 inches of travel, a 350 lb rating, and a solid bamboo top that is a genuinely nicer surface than the laminate most desks at this price ship. Owners are consistent that it runs quietly and moves less at standing height than the price tier would suggest, though a 72-inch bamboo top on two legs still moves. Two caveats that follow from the shutdown: the configurator is a shadow of what it was, and the seven-year warranty is now shorter than several competitors offer at half the price.
Herman Miller
Herman Miller Jarvis Laminate
Fits 5′4″ to 6′10″ (est.)
The laminate Jarvis is the cheaper of the two configurations that survived, and it is the more interesting one for fit, because Herman Miller sells it on three frames. The three-stage frame runs 25.6 to 51.1 inches with the 1-inch top; the two-stage frame starts at 30 inches, the height of an ordinary fixed desk, for $100 less; and a 3 Stage Low frame drops to 23 inches for shorter users at the cost of a 43.4-inch ceiling. That is a real choice at the point of order, and one people get wrong: pick the frame by the shortest and the tallest person who will use the desk, not by the price. The laminate comes in six finishes, a powered grommet with a socket and USB is a $50 option, and the mechanicals are identical to the bamboo model.
Where they actually differ
- The Herman Miller Jarvis Bamboo gets 0.1″ lower, which matters if anyone using the desk is short — it reaches a sitting height for people down to about 5′4″, against 5′4″ for the Herman Miller Jarvis Laminate.
- The Herman Miller Jarvis Laminate reaches 0.1″ higher, suiting standing users to about 6′10″ against 6′10″.
- The Herman Miller Jarvis Laminate is about $50 cheaper as configured — note what each price actually includes, since one may be a bare frame.
Every line above is generated from the two spec sheets, not from an opinion. Height ranges are quoted on each maker's own basis — check both desk pages before comparing the figures directly.
| Spec | Herman Miller Jarvis Bamboo | Herman Miller Jarvis Laminate |
|---|---|---|
| Approx. price | ~$1,345 | ~$1,295 |
| Height range | 25.5″–51″ | 25.6″–51.1″ |
| Travel | 25.5″ | 25.5″ |
| Fits users | 5′4″ to 6′10″ | 5′4″ to 6′10″ |
| Lift capacity | 350 lb | 350 lb |
| Leg stages | 3-stage | 3-stage |
| Motors | 2 motors | 2 motors |
| Speed | 1.5 in/s | 1.5 in/s |
| Noise | 50 dB | 50 dB |
| Memory presets | 4 | 4 |
| Anti-collision | Motor current | Motor current |
| Crossbar | No | No |
| Leg shape | Rectangular | Rectangular |
| Warranty | 7 yr frame / 7 yr electronics / 5 yr top | 7 yr frame / 7 yr electronics / 5 yr top |
| Assembly | Full DIY | Full DIY |
| Cable management | Optional | Optional |
| Desktop sizes | 48×27, 60×27, 72×30 | 48×27, 60×27, 72×30 |
| Desktop materials | Solid bamboo | Laminate |
| Type | Electric 3-stage | Electric 3-stage |
Tinted rows are the specs on which these two desks differ.