Is an Electric Standing Desk Better Than a Crank Desk?
Summary
It depends on how often you will change height. A sit-stand desk only helps while you keep moving it, and CCOHS notes that some users drift back to sitting most of the time after the initial trial period. An electric lift turns each change into a button press, while a crank asks for some effort every time. If you plan to switch several times a day, an electric desk makes that habit easier to keep.
How often is "often"?
There is no agreed schedule. CCOHS says recommendations "vary from sitting for 1 hour and standing for 5 minutes, to switching between sitting and standing for 20, 30, 45, or 60 minutes."
Take the middle of that range. Switching every 30 minutes across an eight-hour day comes to about 15 height changes. With a button, that is 15 short waits. With a crank, it is 15 rounds of turning a handle, with the monitors, computer and everything else on the desk riding along.
CCOHS also reports that "some users tend to return to sitting for the majority of the time after the initial trial period of time." A desk that takes effort to adjust gives you one more reason to leave it where it is.
The two mechanisms side by side
| Electric | Manual crank | |
|---|---|---|
| How it moves | A motor, driven from a switch or keypad | A handle you turn by hand |
| Power | Needs an outlet and a cord that reaches the top position | None |
| Each change | Hold a button until it stops | Turn the handle through the full distance |
| Features to confirm on the model | Stored height presets, a stop if the desk meets an obstacle, a control lock | Where the crank sits and whether it folds or stows |
The features in the last row vary from model to model, so the spec sheet for the exact desk is the place to confirm them.
If you plan to set a standing height and a sitting height and change between them once or twice a day, a crank does that without a motor, a control box or a power cord.
What stays the same
The lift mechanism does not change which heights you need, so the height range, top depth and legroom checks in our standing desk buying guide apply to either type. OSHA's purchasing guide asks that "Adjustment mechanisms should raise and lower easily and smoothly" and puts standing keyboard height at 36 to 46.5 inches.
Sources
We have not tested these products. Specs and guidance are as published on these pages on the date above and can change; the manufacturer's page for your model has the current details.