Last updated: April 22nd, 2024
If you want to upgrade your home office with a standing desk, Ikea is a great place to start. They have a couple of options that are affordable and stylish. But are Ikea standing desks worth it?
Let me share the pros and cons of Ikea standing desks in the context of WFH – and help you decide whether they’re worth the hype, or whether you should buy a premium standing desk from UpDown or Desky.
In case you don’t know, Ikea sells two standing desk models in Australia:
- The Ikea Trotten is a basic, no-frills standing desk at a good price. It’s not electric, but with a starting price of $299, it’s hard to beat on price.
- The Ikea Bekant is a premium standing desk. Starting at $669, it features electric adjustability, a choice of 4 leg colours and no less than 6 desktop colours.
Let’s have a look at both in detail.
(Related: How To Set Up Your Standing Desk Correctly).
Is The Ikea Trotten Standing Desk Worth It?
Shown in photo: Designed for people on a tight budget, the Trotten allows you to stand while working from home, without breaking your budget.
If you’re unsure if standing desks are for you or don’t want to spend more than a few hundred dollars on your first one, the Trotten will probably be near the top of your list.
(Related: Best Corner Desks For Your Home Office).
7 Facts You Need To Know About The Ikea Trotten:
- It’s a manual standing desk, so you must rotate a crank to raise or lower it.
- The mechanism is smooth and steady, though you’ll have to do a lot of manual labour to move the desk significantly. The crank stows away neatly underneath the desk when not in use.
- Assembly is typical Ikea fare. Open the box, follow instructions, get a bit frustrated, and voila – you have a new desk. On the emotional level, it’s just like visiting a good dentist – not painful, but always a little bit unpleasant.
- Construction is good for a cheap standing desk. Instead of using the classic flimsy particleboard that we tend to associate Ikea with, Trotten uses a quite dense board, the quality of which can almost be mistaken for real wood. Almost.
- Lack of cable management is an issue. Because you’ll be raising and lowering the desk, you’ll need to leave plenty of cable slack, making your home office look messy.
- While the desktop is very dense, the finish looks thin and prone to staining. If you decide to buy this desk, I recommend you use coasters for coffee mugs and wipe any spills immediately.
- My last gripe is the 50 kg load rating. If your home office setup includes a couple of monitors, an external hard drive and accessories, you may find yourself hitting against that limit.
Pros:
- Very affordable
- You can find it in any Ikea store
- Relatively easy to assemble
Cons:
- Not electric, so you have to manually adjust the height
- Maximum load is only 50 kg
- The desktop is smaller than some other models on the market (120cm x 70cm)
- There are only two colour options (black or white)
- No cable management
- The desktop coating is delicate and may not last
Expert Tip.
You won’t be standing all day, so your home office is incomplete without a good standing desk AND an ergonomic office chair. Read my review of the best office chairs in Australia to see which one is right for you.
My Verdict About The Ikea Trotten:
If you’re looking for a cheap entry-level desk, the Trotten is a decent choice. I can see a lot of parents buying it for their teenage children, or university students using it to adorn their dorms.
As a work-from-home tool for professionals, I’m not convinced.
If I was on a tight budget, I’d stretch by another $200 and purchase the Artiss standing desk (read my review of the best standing desks in Australia here), which usually retails for about $500, is much better built, and is electronically adjustable.
Or I’d save up more money and eventually upgrade to look at premium options like UpDown (read my review of the UpDown Pro Standing Desk) or Desky.
(Related Article: How To Ask Your Employer For A Standing Desk At Work).
Is The Ikea Bekant Standing Desk Worth It?
Shown in photo: Do you want to make your home office the envy of your remote coworkers? Then the Bekant is marketed at you.
Ikea’s flagship standing desk, the Bekant comes in various colours and sizes that add up to 8 permutations. And at $699, it’s not too expensive, either.
Let’s see if it rises to the occasion.
Yep, I just said it.
Couldn’t resist.
(Related: How To Stand At A Standing Desk).
7 Facts You Need To Know About The Ikea Bekant:
- It’s an electric standing desk, which means you can press a button to raise or lower it.
- You can also program in four different height settings, so you don’t have to keep readjusting the desk every time you stand up or sit down.
- Aesthetics are OK without being great. The round columns look a bit dated and remind me of telescopes from the 1990s.
- The round design of the columns has structural implications, too. Because they enable movement in all directions, the Bekant never feels as steady as premium alternatives with square columns – especially at the tallest settings.
- The weight rating of 70 kilograms is still underwhelming (for context, my UpDown desk is rated at $150 kg), but it’s better than the 50 kilograms offered by the Trotten.
- The desktop is made from a nice birch veneer material and doesn’t feel cheap.
- I was hoping the coating would be thicker than the one in its cheaper cousin, the Trotten, but alas – it’s just as thin and lacks the quality of finish found in premium desks like UpDown and Desky.
Pros:
- Anti-collision stop function
- Decent cable management system
- 10–year warranty on all parts, including electronics
- Maximum load is 70 kg
Cons:
- Tubular construction is not as sturdy as it is in premium desks
- The desktop coating is delicate and may not last
- Not the best value for money
My Verdict About The Ikea Bekant:
For $699, it’s underwhelming. The main issue is that Bekant’s pricing puts it into an awkward pricing segment.
It costs almost $200 more than the better-built Artiss. Simultaneously, it costs only $200 less than much more premium alternatives from UpDown or Desky.
If the Bekant was $400-450, it would be outstanding value for money. At this price, I’m not convinced.
– Steven
