A Complete Guide of the Standing Desk Motor

Standing desks are excellent for your spine health and overall work performance, and they are now a must-have for office workers. Although many people use standing desks daily, not all of them know how they work. 

If you, for example, get an electric standing desk, you are purchasing a desk you can customize, lift, or lower by just pressing a button. Desks have that feature thanks to standing desk motors since they are the ones that power the whole product. Your electric desk lift motor is what makes it work and determines its quality. 

We understand if you focus on design and comfort while looking for a standing desk, but it’s essential you know how these desks work if you want to get a high-quality desk. Desk motors set the standards for the desk’s lift capacity, noise, and even programmable recline settings. 

Do you want to learn more about standing desks and standing desk motors? This is the page for you! Read on to know the basics of standing desk motors and the different things they can do for you. 

What Is a Standing Desk Motor?

Although their name is self-explanatory, standing desk motors are the motors that power electric desks. As you know, electric desks can automatically go higher or lower if you press a button, so they are easier to adjust than other options on the market.  

Naturally, you can’t make a button or control pad work if you don’t have an electric desk lift motor that powers it, and that’s when a standing desk motor kit gets to the scene. Standing desk developers can design them differently, but they all have the same goal. 

Some of them use different technologies, and therefore, have various features. However, there’s not a lot of room for creativity when talking about the features of a desk. Nonetheless, everything depends on the desk’s developer and their goal when designing it.  

Features of a Standing Desk Motor

As we mentioned before, getting a standing desk motor kit comes with many benefits and features. It’s important to know what to look for when buying a desk with an electric desk motor and what to expect after getting it. Here are some examples of features and characteristics of desks with a desk motor:  

Durability

Durability doesn’t change that much whether the desk has a desk motor or not. However, ergonomic developers often invest more money in their products than other companies, so they have access to the finest and most durable materials on the market.  

You can see that in the quality of those desks’ frames and surfaces. Other products are designed to be the sturdiest you can find, so it’s up to you to look for a desk that meets your needs. If the desk is resistant, it’s naturally more durable than others, so don’t worry about the desk losing its appeal over time. 

Lift Capacity

This is when you start seeing the benefits of a motorized standing desk kit. Electric desks often have a way higher lift capacity than standard desks since they are made to lift heavier things and more office equipment.  

More powerful motors mean stronger desks since, regardless of how much weight the desk can hold, it can't lift anything if the electric desk lift motor is not strong enough to do it. This feature is only important if you are in the look of heavy-duty equipment, though. You shouldn’t worry about this if your office equipment is not that heavy. 

Adjustment Speed

What a motorized standing desk kit sells you is a desk you can adjust in a matter of seconds without needing to put extra effort into it. This is one of the most valued functions by office workers since they want to save as much time as they can.  

You should aim to get a home office standing desk that can go up or down in one second or two. Desks that go below that time aren’t that strong, but you could get them anyway if you don’t care about those things.  

Affordability

One of the reasons people don’t like going for electric desks is they are naturally more expensive than pneumatic or traditional products. However, when you buy a standing desk, you are investing in your productivity, work quality, comfort, and spine health. Therefore, it represents a profitable investment in the long run.  

Electric desks with an electric desk motor were expensive when they first came out, but they became more affordable over time. There are now several options for people working on all kinds of budgets. Thanks to that, almost everyone can get a standing desk with a desk motor, even if it's an inexpensive one.  

Nonetheless, if you still think they are too expensive for you, you can go for an adjustable desk frame or a hand-crank standing desk. They are not the same as full desks with motors, but they get close to it.  

The Autonomous Mount-It! Standing Desk Converter is an excellent alternative for people not willing to invest that much money into office furniture.  

Environmentalism

While this has more to do with how desks are made, most electric standing desks, or at least the ones coming from Autonomous, are made of eco-friendly materials.  

Adapting to newer technologies doesn’t mean harming the environment or damaging your planet, and ergonomics companies know that, so they are usually careful with the materials they use for their products.  

Noise

One of the main issues about desks, both electric and pneumatic, is they make too much noise when you adjust them. That can be a nuisance if you work at an office or are easily distracted.  

Regardless of that, the latest desks to come to the market feature dual motors that make little to no noise when you adjust them. We recommend you go for a noiseless desk since listening to the adjustment noise all day can decrease your productivity.  

Are There Different Types of Desk Motors?

The short answer is yes; there are two types of desk motors: brushed motors and brushless motors. People often argue about which is better for each situation. 

In a nutshell, you could say brushless motors are way better than brushed ones when talking about ergonomic office desks. However, here is a brief overview of both:   

Brushed Motor

As their name suggests, brush motors include a brush in their design. They are the simplest type of motor you can find on the market, and they are thus more inexpensive than brushless motors. People who can afford brushless motors usually do so since brushed ones are slower and are loud.  

Brushless Motor

Although they don’t have a brush, brushless motors are way better for you if you want them for a standing desk. These motors are the fastest you can find out there and are often more resistant than brushed motors.  

You may ask yourself: why do people go for brushed motors then? The answer’s that brushed motors are not that good for office desks but shine under other circumstances.  

Are Motorized Standing Desks Better than Crank Standing Desks?

This is a complex question to answer since both offer different things, but, on a basic basis, motorized desks are considerably better. The only thing in which crank desks are better than electric desks is in terms of affordability. 

However, since electric desks are often better, we recommend you go for them since there are many options available for people working on a budget. If you don’t want to, you could also go for a desk converter.  

The manual vs. electric standing desk debate is not new to anyone, but we understand if you want to go for a hand-crank standing desk. They offer a warmer and more traditional appeal to your office and give you the sense of a full desk that is not that expensive.  

If you ignore that, you can see electric desks’ adjustability features and automated systems save a lot of time for you. Even if it’s just a few seconds, feeling you can do things that smoothly is priceless. Apart from that, electric desks are more compatible with newer technologies and ergonomic desks. 

Pros and Cons of Electric Standing Desks

As with every product you can get, electric desks have pros and cons. We don’t consider there’s a con big enough to shadow its pros, but that depends on your taste in office furniture. 

The list of pros is bigger than the cons one, so analyze each one of them and see if you like what these standing desk motors offer you.  

Pros of Electric Standing Desks

• They work faster than average desks
• They are more resistant 
• They allow you to work while standing 
• They have a better lift capacity
• Most of them are eco-friendly
• They often include other office accessories  

Cons of Electric Standing Desks

• Desk converters are less expensive and offer similar things 
• Some of them are noisy
• They are more expensive than traditional desks 

Characteristics of Standing Desks

Now that we learned a lot about motors and what they offer us, it’s time to study the desk they power. Standing desks offer different benefits, but things such as shape, materials, or features are equally important, so here are some of them:  

Shape

Your desk’s shape often depends on the desk you buy. Years ago, there weren’t that many options available for people, but the ergonomics industry expanded, and you can choose from a stock of different shapes and sizes.  

The most common shapes in office desks are standard desk frames with a smooth surface or an L-shaped desk that offers you more space. Large desks can start at 30’’x 60’’ and even get to 72’’. As for height, almost all of them are between 23’’ and 46’’.  

Regardless of that, you don’t have to worry about height if your desk is height-adjustable.  

Materials

As for the materials of a desk, not all of them are made of the same materials, but ergonomics developers do their best to offer eco-friendly products. Desk frames are almost always made of steel frames. Tabletops and surfaces tend to be made of wood or anti-scratch steel.

Features

Features are the strongest point of standing desk motors since they are what make these desks appealing to office workers and gamers. As it happens with ergonomic chairs, you can adjust your desk’s height any time you feel like it, which allows you to work while sitting or standing. 

This feature corrects bad posture issues and eases back pain since the standing position is the ideal one for working. However, you can’t stand all day, so standing desks allow you to work while sitting too. 

Colors

While this is not as important as other features, standing desks are available in a wide variety of colors. Everything depends on the company you buy your desks from, but some of them give you the possibility to choose from many tablets. This is a valuable benefit for people who want to design a monochromatic or specific office design.  

Some artists have worked with ergonomics companies to design tabletops for their products, so there are endless possibilities when using a custom tabletop or a colored one.  

However, most people prefer going for classic black, brown, or white products since it’s easier to get other office items to match them with your desk.  

Conclusion

Getting an electric standing desk motor is one of the best things an office worker can do, and that emphasizes if they have back or neck issues. Regardless of that, it’s better if you understand how they work to buy the best one for you. 

We also recommend you combine your standing desk with other office furniture and office accessories. Whether they are ergonomic chairs, trays, or organizers, they can all improve your overall productivity and make things easier for you.