Tag:

standing

Branch Desk Riser standing desk converter review

by admin June 8, 2025

Why you can trust TechRadar

We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Want the benefits of a standing desk but don’t have the space (or you love your existing desk?). Well, Branch has you covered with its new Desk Riser.

I’ve tried a lot of the best standing desk converters, some electric and some not, some good and some not, but the Branch Desk riser is one of the most beautiful ones to date, boasting the build quality and materials of a high-end standing desk in the form factor of a riser.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)

Branch Desk Riser: Pricing & Availability

The Branch Desk Riser is available for purchase for $349 on the official website by clicking here. They offer four colors and can ship within 3-5 business days at no extra cost. You can also add a shelf to the back of the riser for monitors, the look, or some small storage for an additional $100.

Branch Desk Riser: Unboxing & first impressions

One of the best aspects of adding a standing desk converter like this one to your current workstation, rather than upgrading to any of the best standing desks, is that there is no assembly required with the Desk Riser. You open up the box, cut some ties, and then you’re good to go.

Now, any space I want can become my standing-capable workstation. I can bring this to my kitchen and now have it serve as a multi-purpose space. During the workday, it’s my place to sit or stand and work on my laptop, and then at the end of the day, I can move it away and have my table back. Alternatively, I can place this on a counter, another desk I already have, or on any flat surface I’d like to stand on rather than sit or hunch over.

This is particularly important and helpful when you have a workspace that is not a traditional one, meaning the ergonomics may not be optimal. The Desk Riser can transform a boring space into the perfect ergonomic height for standing and getting things done.

The materials feel like they will last for a long time; the desktop is smooth, and the lifting system is easy to use and very smooth.

Branch Desk Riser: Design & build quality

Specs

Dimensions: 30.7″ W x 24.3″ D x 15.8″ H
Weight: 22 lbs
Weight Capacity: Supports up to 26 lbs
Material: Laminated plywood top with powder-coated steel frame
Height Adjustment: Manual, spring-assisted lift mechanism
Warranty: 3 years

The Branch Desk Riser is made of laminated plywood top and a powder-coated steel frame with a smooth spring-assisted lifting mechanism. The front edge of the desk features a softened curved edge to allow for a smooth resting area for your wrist, rather than leaning it or resting it against a 90-degree angle.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)

Branch Desk Riser: In use

Using this Desk Riser the last few months has been great. It’s a fantastic minimalist option for a smaller workspace, or a desk that is not a standing desk that you still love and don’t want to give up on quite yet.

I’ve been using this standing desk converter (admittedly) while the family and I are at the family cabin. One of the many perks of working remote is that you can work from anywhere! In a space like this, I don’t have a dedicated office or even desk. So, a standing desk converter like this is literally perfect.

I can take a game table we have downstairs and turn it into a highly usable workspace. I can easily move from standing to sitting with a simple trigger pull, I have enough room on this desk for my laptop, an iPad, a mouse if I want it, and a monitor if I wanted it, but for this setup I like to keep things simple.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future)

There’s a part of me that wishes it was an electric lifting mechanism, but I also appreciate the simplicity of not having it be electronic. Though that does bring another slight issue where I wish I had an easy way to charge my devices when I’m getting a lot of work in rather than dangling a cable down.

Branch Desk Riser: Final verdict

The Branch Desk Riser combines aesthetics and overall functionality with this lightweight and beautiful desk riser that can work on any flat workspace. It offers flexibility where you may not have had it before and it makes for a perfect accessory for those workspaces that don’t have a full dedicated desk.

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Design

Sleek and comfortable, and it looks and feels premum

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ease of use

So easy anyone can use it

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Practicality

Very practical for working at a table or traditional desk

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Price

High price

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Branch Desk Riser: Price Comparison

Source link

June 8, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Staples Union & Scale Electric Standing Desk Review: Micro Movements

by admin May 31, 2025

The desk height ranges from 25.5 to 51.1 inches, and the dual motors glide effortlessly up and down, and they’re not too loud. You’ll want to be careful when lowering it—there’s collision detection, and it successfully stopped the desk from crushing a stool after I put it underneath, but it seems to depend on where the object under the desk is. I rolled my seat in so that the arms of my chair were directly under the desktop, and when I pressed the lower height preset, the desk kept going and would have probably broken my chair arms (or toppled forward) had I not forced it to stop. Maybe had I not stopped it, the sensor would have paused the operation automatically, but it was a little too close to my liking.

I haven’t noticed much wobbling when the desk goes up and down, though if you put pressure on the front of the desk (maybe you’re leaning forward with your elbows on the surface), there’s a slight forward shift. This didn’t cause any problems.

Staples offers a seven-year warranty for the motor and legs, along with a few other parts, but the control box, cables, control panel, and desktop are only covered for five years. That’s about the same as what you’ll find on a Flexispot, though short of desks like the Branch Duo that don’t cost that much more. The nice thing about buying from Staples is that returns are always free, and you can drop it off at a nearby retail store (though you’ll still have to disassemble it).

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

Small Shift

The middle button on the control panel turns on Micro Movement mode, and at first, I thought it didn’t work, but that was because I didn’t realize how micro the movements are. Once turned on, the desk will move up 2.36 inches within five minutes, stop for two minutes, then move down the same amount in another five-minute increment. This will repeat after 48 minutes and cycle four times throughout four hours.

Staples says this will help reduce fatigue and encourage movement—subtle shifts in posture and muscle engagement—but the only reason I started noticing it was because my arms felt pinched. I set the desk up perfectly to my height and seat—my elbows sat level with the desktop without touching the surface. But for a few minutes with this feature turned on, my elbows suddenly were resting on the edge of the table, and it wasn’t pleasant. It works a little better when you’re standing, though you’ll still feel your arms resting on the table as the desk creeps upward.

I didn’t find the Micro Movements feature helpful. I didn’t feel like it encouraged movement, and I’m still fatigued from, well, everything. The best part of a standing desk is that it enables you to stand up, which will hopefully then induce some actual movement throughout your workday. The Micro Movements feel akin to the active seating hype, which has never felt particularly effective.

Thankfully, it’s an optional feature, and you can ignore it. And you probably should if budget is on your mind, because Staples has other dual-motor 55-inch desks without this feature, but they’re not cheaper. You can size down to the 48-inch standing desk, but it only has a single motor.

This Union & Scale is a solid desk for the money, with easy assembly, simple configuration, and a dual-motor system that operates smoothly. That said, Flexispot’s desks have more desktop customization options, sizes, colors, and accessories you can add on, and they cost roughly the same, if not less. I’ve had more trouble with Flexispot’s assembly process in the past, though, if that’s worth something.

Source link

May 31, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Only two cities are still standing in Helldivers 2’s battle for Super Earth, and Arrowhead’s kicked off an extra mission that might heal the player base’s biggest divide

by admin May 29, 2025

The last stage of Helldivers 2’s battle for Super Earth is coming down to the wire, as we all expected, wth just two of the planet’s seven mega cities still holding out against The Illuminate. Cue another extra major order to help the major order, and one that’ll cater to the folks who’ve spent the whole squid invasion half a galaxy away.

This comes after the divers successfully managed to get the Democracy Space Station in place by junking a bunch of Automatons while simultaneously fighting to defend those cities, with this key bit of the Galactic War really putting their murder-based multitasking skills to the test.

Manage cookie settings

Now, with Port Mercy and York Supreme having fallen during the early stages of this final phase, only Prosperity City and the wonderfully-named Equality-On-Sea are standing in the way of Super Earth being totally razed of major population centres.

Cue another 24 hour-long mini-mission as the defense of those remaining cities continues, with Arrowhead tasking the divers to defend the planet of Fort Union from an attack by the Terminids, so that its long-range satellites can be used to transmit “malware capable of disabling Illuminate technology” at the squid invasion force, further damaging it and helping save Super Earth.

Manage cookie settings

Given the long-standing feud within Helldivers 2’s player base between folks who always go and fight whichever enemy the current major order and the “bugdivers” who prefer only to battle the Terminids since they find it most fun – something that’s continued to ruffle feathers as the former faction has tried to get everyone to pitch in with this battle for Super Earth has progressed – you’ll not be surprised by the Reddit reaction to the Fort Union “strategic opportunity”.

A whole bunch of posts from major order followers telling the bugdivers that now is their time to shine and do something that’ll help keep Super Earth safe. On the one hand, you can understand their frustration given every extra hand helps – at least in theory – the Helldivers earn victory in these big missions, but on the other, badgering people for not playing a game the way you do isn’t cool.

Hey, maybe if the Fort Union defense is pulled off and The Illuminate are defeated shortly afterwards, this divide among players will be healed forever, as the order followers are forced to acknowledge the role their bug-swatting brethren played in everyone’s home planet being saved. Ok, so such a peace would probably only last five minutes before people started shouting at each other again, but we can dream.

The Terminids aren’t the only bugs Helldivers 2 players have been battling recently – as of writing, Arrowhead’s still working on a fix for a strategem input glitch.

Source link

May 29, 2025 0 comments