Steelcase Migration SE vs Steelcase Solo Sit-To-Stand
Steelcase
Steelcase Migration SE
Fits 4′9″ to 6′7″ (est.)
Migration SE is the desk that gets specified when a company buys two hundred of them, and it shows in the things that are not on the spec sheet: parts availability, a dealer network, and a design meant to survive a decade of shared use and three office moves. The extended range covers 22.6 to 48.7 inches against the BIFMA G1 guideline, which reaches both a very low sitting height and a proper standing one. Obstruction detection is standard. The choices at order time matter: the base control is a soft-touch paddle with no memory positions at all, and the four-preset switch with a digital readout is an upgrade, so a Migration SE without presets is a real product you can accidentally end up with. Capacity is a modest 250 lb, and home buyers face the usual contract-channel friction of dealer quotes rather than a price tag.
Steelcase
Steelcase Solo Sit-To-Stand
Fits 4′9″ to 6′7″ (est.)
Solo is Steelcase's simplified home-office desk: the same twelve-year backing and contract-grade construction as the Migration SE, in a smaller range of sizes, with a soft-touch paddle and no memory presets at all. That last point is the one to understand before buying. A desk with no presets means finding your sitting and standing heights by eye every time, and the practical consequence is that people stop bothering — the preset button is the single feature most responsible for a standing desk actually getting used. The range is not the compromise: 22.6 to 48.7 inches, the same window as the Migration SE's extended frame, which by the elbow-height rule suits users from roughly 4 ft 9 in to 6 ft 7 in, and the frame is rated for 350 lb. It is a well-made desk with a genuinely good warranty, sold direct at a published price.
Where they actually differ
- The Steelcase Solo Sit-To-Stand is rated for 100 lb more lift, though most home setups stay well under either figure.
- The Steelcase Solo Sit-To-Stand is about $351 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 | Steelcase Migration SE | Steelcase Solo Sit-To-Stand |
|---|---|---|
| Approx. price | ~$1,250 | ~$899 |
| Height range | 22.6″–48.7″ | 22.6″–48.7″ |
| Travel | 26.1″ | 26.1″ |
| Fits users | 4′9″ to 6′7″ | 4′9″ to 6′7″ |
| Lift capacity | 250 lb | 350 lb |
| Leg stages | 2-stage | 2-stage |
| Motors | 2 motors | 2 motors |
| Speed | not published | not published |
| Noise | not published | not published |
| Memory presets | 4 | none |
| Anti-collision | Motor current | Motor current |
| Crossbar | No | No |
| Leg shape | Rectangular | Rectangular |
| Warranty | 12 yr frame / 5 yr electronics / 12 yr top | 12 yr frame / 12 yr electronics / 12 yr top |
| Assembly | Full DIY | Full DIY |
| Cable management | Optional | Optional |
| Desktop sizes | 48×30, 60×30, 72×30 | 48×24, 60×30 |
| Desktop materials | Laminate | Laminate |
| Type | Electric 2-stage | Electric 2-stage |
Tinted rows are the specs on which these two desks differ.