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Standing desks with drawers: the tradeoffs
Updated
A standing desk with a built-in drawer is handy, but the drawer hangs below the top, right where your legs go when you sit. Check the height range first, then the knee room, then the weight limit. The pick with a drawer on this site is the SHW 55 x 28, which also has hooks and a cable tray.
Why drawers are rare on standing desks
A normal desk hides storage in side pedestals that sit on the floor. A standing desk cannot do that, because everything attached to the top has to go up and down with it. So storage on a standing desk is either a shallow drawer under the top, a shelf on the top, or a separate cabinet next to the desk.
What to check
- Knee room when you sit. A drawer lowers the underside of the desk in the spot where it is mounted. If you already sit with the desk at its lowest setting, a drawer in front of you can touch your thighs. Look at the listing photos for where the drawer sits, and think about where your chair goes.
- Short users have it hardest. The SHW bottoms out at 28 inches, a sitting fit for someone about 6 ft 3 in. If you are shorter, you will raise your chair to reach the top, which brings your legs closer to the drawer. A keyboard tray may not fit in the same spot as a drawer, so you may have to choose one.
- The drawer counts as load. The maker lists 110 pounds for the SHW, the lowest of our picks. Whatever you put in the drawer comes out of that number. Keep it to pens, cables and a notebook.
- Things that slide. The drawer moves with the desk. Do not store open drinks or anything that tips.
The pick with a drawer
SHW 55 x 28. It lists 28 to 45 inches, a 55 by 28 inch top, 4 memory presets, a drawer, headphone hooks, a cable tray, grommets and adjustable floor levelers. Owners call it well designed and easy to put together. The caveats are real. It tops out at 45 inches, which suits people up to about 6 ft 1 in. And owner reports on the lift are mixed, with some saying it stopped working or got stuck in the up position. Run it through its full range in the return window.
Check your own fit with the calculator. Type 28 and 45 into the two desk boxes.
If the SHW does not fit you
Pick the desk that fits your height, then add storage.
- A rolling cabinet beside the desk, not under it. Under the desk it blocks the top from coming down and takes your leg room. If you do want it under, measure the clear height under the frame at the desk's lowest setting first.
- An add-on drawer that screws or clamps under the top. Check the top thickness first. The tops on our picks run from 0.5 to 1.1 inches thick, and short screws matter on a thin top.
- Hooks and a cable tray. The HUANUO 59 x 30 3-Stage listing includes two hooks, and it has the widest height range here. It has no drawer.
Tall users who want storage should look at the VIVO 60 x 30, which reaches 48.4 inches, plus a side cabinet. All seven desks are compared on the best standing desks page. Weight limits here are maker claims from the listings.