Let it not be said there are no downsides to living in the Bahamas (though if you’ll permit a little boasting, a shortage of fantastic venues if you’re lucky enough to be in a band is not one of them).

The desk where I work is too high, plain and simple. So much so that I’ve recently abandoned my Kinesis keyboard because it is not what you might consider “low form factor”. I’ve started feeling some twinges in my lower forearm that my unscientific diagnosis is attributing to the height of my hands while I type. Dumping the Kinesis has helped but it has also led to the return of stress in other areas of my hands. And no amount of raccoon skinning seems to alleviate the pain.

Getting a lower desk is easy enough but I’d actually like to do a little experimenting with two alternatives. Alas, neither are easily done in the Bahamas. The underlying problem is availability. The desks/equipment I want to test are not available here so I would have to order them in. Which means both shipping charges and import duties, the latter of which is a major source of income for the Bahamian government to offset the fact that there is no income tax. So returning said equipment is just not practical if it doesn’t work out. Nor is there much of a reseller market.

So I’m hoping I can get some comments from people who have done something similar.

Adjustable height desk

These are, of courses, desks where you can adjust the height easily. I like the idea of these for two reasons:

  • They can be set low
  • They can be set high

I’ve never tried a desk that you stand at but I’ve always wanted to. Working on my own, I tend to get up and wander a lot while I’m thinking. I also pace when I’m on the phone with someone for any length of time so it would be more convenient to walk up to the computer during the conversation should the need arise. (“You want to know the right pattern of plaid for a first date with your second cousin? Let me look that up.”)

I went desk-shopping over the weekend and the closest thing I saw was in an office supply store. And it wasn’t on the showroom floor. Off in the corner of the store were the employee desks. They were all essentially plywood based, laminated desktops all mounted in warehouse style shelving frames. They sat on brackets in the frame which means you could set the height to whatever you want. It wasn’t something you could easily adjust on the fly and my wife wasn’t too thrilled at the industrial look so it was a fleeting idea at best.

Command centrecomputer workstation furniture MYPCE Computer Workstation Furniture

This is an idea I’ve had ruminating in my head for a while now. I would get rid of the desk altogether in favour of a comfortable command-centre style or gaming chair. In front of it it, I’d mount my monitors on a couple of flexible arms somehow, possibly on the armrests or on stands on either side of the chair. The important thing is that I can slide the monitors out of my way when I want to get out of the chair, and slide them back in when I sit down.

The keyboard would rest either on my lap or on some flat surface on my lap. Or maybe go with a split keyboard (though one without a wire between the two) and have one piece mounted on each armrest. Haven’t quite worked out how the mouse would fit in though. A trackball on some little platform on the side makes sense but I’ve got one now and it doesn’t feel as productive as just a regular mouse.

I feel like this would be more comfortable and would reduce much of the muscle stress that seems to have become more prominent since hitting 40 earlier this year. All of this kind of makes sense in my head but the logistics of getting the stuff here is such that I don’t want to make the investment unless I’ve had a chance to try it out at least for a few days. There’s a chance my tendency to get up and wander might make this impractical. Or maybe cord management would be an ongoing problem.

The device shown at right, which I discovered while researching this article, is essentially what I’ve described. It’s some US$2750. Duty would add about 50% and shipping would likely bring the total price above five large. There’s another potential hurdle in that it may not be available anymore given the company’s domain seems to point to a parking spot. But even building my custom version will cost enough in non-refundable cash dollars for me not to head over eBay.

Instead, I hunt for a standard desk about four to six inches lower than the one I’ve got. Not as exciting, possibly not as ergonomic, but easier to replace.

So my question to you, my honorary hillbillies, for anecdotal evidence. Have you tried either of these devices? What’s good and bad? Good return for the money or does it sit in the garage next to the Bowflex you bought in a fit of New Year’s anxiety?

Kyle the Unreturnable