Standing Upright: the Ergo Desktop Kangaroo Pro

Early this year (2014) I decided to give a standing desk a try, based on its suggested health benefits. Joan had already launched into upright posture, having purchased a classy looking stand for her book reading. When I mentioned this to our friend Rickey, he mentioned an old saying, "The best way to kill your husband is to keep him sitting down. It's not rest and it's not exercise." 

After doing the usual Web research, I saw that an add-on to my small desk would be much more economical than buying an entirely new one, and that most new ones were too wide for my space. I ordered an Ergo Desktop Kangaroo Pro and received it in early March. It came as one large, heavy box,

with components and smaller boxes packed inside.

I unwrapped the base and lifter and put them onto a small table for assembly. The base is very heavy, as it needs to be for stability.

After bolting the lifter to the base, I attached the work surface to the lifter.

After loosening the main brake (one of the black knobs on the lifter) you can adjust the height of the work surface. It neither shoots towards the top nor crashes down when the brake is released; its natural tendency is to stay put because the mechanism includes oil dampened springs! You pull or push to change the height of the work surface, which is a good thing.

The work surface can be raised up to 15 inches. On a 30-inch-tall desk this accommodates users up to 6'2" tall, according to the manufacturer. The work surface can be raised up to 16.5" by adjusting a stopping bolt on the tower, but this raises it into the oil dampening zone of the spring, making it a little harder to lower the unit.

A VESA mount is included for attaching your monitor to the tower. In this photo I've attached it to the back of mine.

The mount fits into a receiver on the tower. The height of the monitor can be adjusted independently of the work surface after releasing the monitor brake. Swinging the monitor from side to side is easy, but changing the tilt is more work. A screw must be loosened, the tilt adjusted, and then the screw re-tightened before your grip on the monitor weakens. Or, if you are lucky, you can adjust the screw into the narrow sweet spot where it's tight enough to maintain the tilt but loose enough to allow you to change it when gripping the monitor with both hands.

Here is a photo of the end result. Both the work surface and the monitor are deployed at the standard maximum height because I'm 6'3" tall.

Note how much more desk space I have -- it's a computer townhouse! My little computer, Juno, fits nicely under the work surface. Ergo Desktop also includes an adjustable stabilizer leg, visible in the photo. Have another look.

How does it feel to stand at the computer? For short periods was fine, after I got the monitor tilt where I wanted it. But after an hour my back would start to ache, and although I've toughened up, my back still needs a break after 90 minutes or so. For an extended work session the solution would be a tall stool so that I could take a sit-break without adjusting and re-adjusting the setup. I expect to get around to that.

I'm pleased with my purchase of the Kangaroo Pro.

To round out this post, here's a photo of Joan's reading stand.