A friend has a Steelcase Walkstation that was delivered in September 2013. This is the narrow version that is just barely wider than the treadmill underneath. I tried it out for 30 minutes.
The integration of the controls is nice, especially how they can slide out from underneath the desk surface. However, the controls always protrude to at least some extent.
The treadmill is manufactured by True, a leading brand, and it seems to work reasonably well. The belt was slipping a bit, which my friend attributed to his have over-lubricated the belt recently. The 2 mph maximum speed is a serious limitation for the home user who wants the option to go faster while watching a movie, for example. (The competitive LifeSpan under-desk treadmill goes up to 4 mph; I haven’t found one that goes up to 11.) The treadmill is quiet but not any quieter than any other treadmill that I have used at a low speed. The treadmill is 18″ wide, which turns out to be slightly too narrow for my size-13 feet. A standard treadmill belt width seems to be 20″ and that is what the LifeSpan (above) and NordicTrack (below) products have.
If you’ve been spoiled by the bomb-proof Steelcase desks of the 1960s and 70s, the Walkstation will seem rickety despite the cross-member. There is a long lever arm between the floor and the surface. The work surface is supported with only two legs rather than the conventional four. Those two factors combined make it easy to set the work surface in motion. A $200 table from IKEA is more stable. As this is not the “Sit-to-Walkstation” and there is just one user, my friend basically never adjusts the height. When we tried to adjust it, one of the lifting columns was jammed and thus we succeeded only in tilting the work surface. (i.e., it may not be any more durable than lower-priced competition)
Conclusion: If you want something like this and you’re 5’9″ tall or shorter (see the reviews), the NordicTrack Desk Treadmill is probably a better device. It costs one third as much. The treadmill can be cranked up to 10 mph. Unlike the under-desk treadmills, the treadmill can be inclined as well. Too bad the NordicTrack folks did not include sufficient height for taller consumers.
My research into home office ergonomics continues in the following areas:
- Swopper chair (recommended by a physician)
- height-adjustable desk that is wide enough to be used either sitting or standing (Uplift perhaps? Or Evodesk? Or NextDesk Terra Pro which can also hold an aquarium!) so as to create the equivalent of the Steelcase Sit-to-Walkstation but with (a) faster treadmill option, (b) natural wood finish, (c) sturdier.
If readers have experience with any of the above I would be grateful to hear about it.
Related:
- Tom O’Donnell in New Yorker on his standing desk: “sitting has been called the new smoking. The only difference is that smoking looks cool and is a great way to meet people and isn’t actually that bad for you. (I smoke.) Sitting, on the other hand, looks ridiculous and shameful—like you’re afraid to admit exactly how tall you are—and is terrible for you. … Won’t I look strange if I’m the only one in my office standing up to work? Not as strange as you’ll look when you keel over dead at your computer from a lethal combination of sciatica and weak calves. “
I picked up the VARIDESK Pro which I found from SkyMall. This has the advantage of working with my current flat-surface desk. Not a solution for integrating with a treadmill, but it works for me.
It actually works quite nicely, allowing me to add the ability to raise/lower my monitor and laptop+docking station. The Pro is rated for 35 pounds, and I have at over 30 pounds on mine with no problems raising/lowering.
product page is at hhttp://www.varidesk.com/varidesk-pro
Seriously, like I said the last time you posted on this, build or have built a tabletop that sits on the arms of a NordicTrack or Precor or whatever. If you’re the only user it need to be height adjustable, and it sounds like you’re more interested in a mutli-use treadmill than desk. My wife uses the one I built all the time, and then once finished working she pops it off and starts a serious run. Feel free to email me directly if you’d like pictures.
In our office we have dozens of users, including me, of products from Varidesk. They make convertible standing desks wide enough to have double monitors. I really like it solely for the variety. I am skeptical of the health benefits (won’t be long before a study is out contradicting the anti-sitting and/or pro-standing research). We just find it is nice to move around a bit. I also like that people popping into my office are less likely to stick around if I am standing (and therefore they don’t feel comfortable sitting).
Was the physician sitting in a Swopper chair when the recommendation was made?
Nice Spinal Tap reference: I haven’t found one that goes up to 11.
Ben: Thanks for the offer. I don’t want a “treadmill-only” desk, though. I want something that I can use on the treadmill, while standing, while sitting on a chair, or while sitting on a Swopper. So I think that means the desk surface needs to be fairly wide and adjustable to at least four heights.
Jdh: The doc who likes Swopper uses it for all of his computer work.
I’ve had good experience with the GeekDesk, as described at the link; it also appears to be much less expensive than many alternatives.
Inspired by the web, I made a $8 sit-stand desk, by adding an Ikea side table on top of my regular desk (I really like that NordicTrack Tread Desk, though):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/josecamoessilva/16592159861/
Additionally, I get an extra side table for other uses.
Cheers,
JCS
Hi Phil, I enjoyed using a Swopper several years ago as a demo from our office interior decorator. It was sturdy—essentially a bouncy, comfy stool. I admit I sometimes felt like a pre-toddler in a jolly jumper—it really was fun to sit on.
I looked into buying one but couldn’t justify the price, especially considering I had just bought a Steelcase Leap (which I love when I’m not at my standing desk).
I’m also not certain of the health benefits of the Swopper over, say, a big exercise ball or something like that. I haven’t found any studies that indicate that bouncy stools or exercise balls are better than reclined sitting (but there may be some). Good luck! I enjoy your writing.
Scott
Take chair advice with a grain of salt. A happy day of my life was when I acquired an Aeron chair. An even happier day was when I sold it 30 days later after it started the process of wrecking my low back.
After about 3 days in my old $75 OfficeMax chair I felt like new again.
If you want to put an engine block on your desk and then move the desktop up and down an IAC 950 will be stronger than the NextDesk (and about half the price).
If you just want an adjustable height desk that is decent, over 10 years ago most of the engineers at the Danish design center I visited had sit/stand desks that they bought from Ikea that could go from .65m to ~1.25m. They now have them in the US link, with a corner desk form factor which might go well with what you are trying to do.
I use an architectural drafting table that I bought off craigslist for about $200. It has a big work surface, about three feet by five feet, and is very adjustable, both in height and angle. The monitors are mounted on articulating arms so that tilting the table does not cause them to fall. I’m very happy with the setup.