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Finding the perfect standing desk chair is essential for anyone who spends a lot of time working from home. After all, you want to be comfortable while you’re working – and a good chair can make all the difference. But with so many different chairs and stools on the market, it can be hard to know which one is right for you.
The good news is that I’ve literally tried them all: almost every standing desk stool, standing chair, and everything in between. We tried it (or thoroughly researched it) to find the best chair.
Want the too long, didn’t read? Check out our LeanRite Elite Review, our top pick.
Why should you trust us?
I’ve been working at a standing desk for over 15 years (before it was even cool) because I read that it would increase my productivity and make me live longer.
So, I decided to give it a shot. I’ll explain what I’ve tried, what I loved, what I hated, and what was just so-so, that still might be right for you. After reading this round-up of the best standing desk chairs, you’ll know exactly which is right for you.
Why a standing desk in the first place?
Are you feeling tired at the end of the day? Do you have trouble focusing on your work? You may be surprised to know that it could be because of how you’re sitting. Sitting for long periods of time can have some serious effects on your health and productivity. Fortunately, a standing desk is an easy solution to this problem. Let’s look at how a standing desk can improve your physical and mental well-being.
The Physical Benefits of Standing Desks
The health benefits of standing desks are undeniable. Many doctors have referred to extended sitting as the “sitting disease” due to its negative side effects – chronic back pain, metabolic syndrome, fatigue, poor posture and difficulty concentrating.
Using a standing desk has been associated with a variety of positive benefits, such as weight management and improved blood circulation. Standing regularly throughout the day helps keep your body in motion and reduces strain on your neck and back muscles that can be caused by prolonged sitting.
In addition, an increased metabolism helps to burn more calories than if you were sitting down all day – so in addition to reducing the negative impacts of the “sitting disease,” it can also help maintain a healthy weight.
The Mental Benefits of Standing Desks
In addition to physical benefits, standing desks can also help improve your mental performance. Not only do they prevent fatigue caused by sitting in one position all day, but they can also help increase focus and productivity because you feel more alert when you’re not slumped in a chair.
With regular breaks from sitting—whether walking around or simply standing up to stretch—you’ll be able to think more clearly and perform better throughout the day.
Why you need a standing desk
A standing desk is an excellent way to improve physical and mental health while working at home or in the office. It encourages movement throughout the day, preventing stiffness caused by prolonged periods of sitting in one position and helping with weight management.
Additionally, regular breaks from sitting can boost focus and productivity too! So if you’re looking for ways to stay healthy while still getting work done, consider investing in a standing desk today!
There's not much not to like about the Fully Jarvis Standing desk. While you can find other cheaper standing desks, you won't find one that is better made and just as sturdy. This desk is an incredible value for something you spend 8+ hours a day at.
We recommend getting the Fully Jarvis Standing Desk. It’s a great option that has everything you need. Read our full Jarvis Standing Desk Review.
Which is better for a standing desk, a stool or a chair?
When it comes to standing desks, the best option is a combination of both a stool and chair. Stools can be used for shorter periods of time when you want to lean into your work, while chairs are best for longer stints at your desk as they provide more back support.
As you’ll see, the LeanRite Elite is an excellent choice because it includes both sitting and standing positions that offer posture-supporting options. Plus, its high-quality materials make it durable and easy to clean – perfect for any workspace!
How standing desk chairs work
Standing desk chairs work – or at least are supposed to work, by being the ergonomic chair that you can switch between standing and sitting and leaning.
Everyone knows an office chair should be ergonomic and offer height adjustment, but this is much more complicated than meets the eye.
Now on to all the products that we tried, but didn’t love.
What standing desk chairs we’ve tried… and didn’t love
We’ve tried almost every standing desk product. Seriously.
We’ve tried everything from the “rocker” chairs to the balance boards to a plain drafting chair.
The problem with any “active sitting” environment is really simple: adaptability. It’s impossible to be “active sitting” (why do I hate this phrase?!) and maintain a proper posture for any extended period of time.
If you stand, literally, all day, you will feel tired. You will feel muscle strain.
It’s not realistic to expect anyone to sit – or stand – for 8+ hours a day without adjustment.
Luna Standing Desk Stool
Honestly, I thought this would be the perfect solution to my standing desk needs. But, the Luna Standing Desk Stool fell short in a few areas.
This Standing Desk stool will keep you moving... which is great, but it also doesn't provide much rest when you need it.
Sure, it’s got a padded seat and is designed to be a sit-stand chair. It’s got an adjustable height selector that works well to make the perfect height adjustments.
But that’s about where the goodness ends for this office chair replacement.
Why we didn’t love it
For one, it’s really hard to “lean” in a relaxed position and feel supported.
So many of the leaning standing desk stools are designed around the premise that you’ll be able to relax and lean backward.
After using something like the Luna Stool, you appreciate how much effort it takes to make your own body weight feel like it’s being supported. It’s super hard to get at the right angle AND feel supported AND feel like you don’t have to be super engaged.
For something like the Luna Standing Stool (and the countless Amazon intimidators), this standing stool simply doesn’t offer the stability to be something you can lean on without moving around. In other words, you never get to “relax” and relieve your body weight.
It’s a constant battle to find the right way to stand/lean with it, and even after using it for months, I never found a good standing option.
The Tic Toc Chair
Many of Fully’s Customers have purchased the Tic Toc Chair to use with their Jarvis Standing Desk as an office chair replacement. It offers a unique swiveling and side-to-side rocking motion, allowing you to keep your body moving while aligning your back, helping you feel more engaged and energized. It can be used as a dining or living room chair, for sewing or guitar playing stools, meditation seats, and even baby rockers!
We love using the Tic Toc Chair with our Fully Jarvis Standing Desk in addition to a balance board. It provides relief at the end of the day when you are tired of standing.
But we were most interested in how it worked when I needed a “break.” In short, it was simply too much movement to be enjoyable, and wasn’t relaxed enough.
Why we didn’t love it
The Tic Toc Chair required me to lower the desk to a lower height every single time I wanted to use it. That wasn’t a deal breaker in and of itself, but it did make using it less likely.
While we are keeping the Tic Toc Chair for our kids’ homework and other activities, we aren’t keeping it for the standing desk.
SONGMICS Standing Desk Chair
We are nearly there! The SOGMICS Standing Desk Chair is a robust and ergonomic chair designed to be the perfect fit for any workspace. With its versatility, you can easily adjust your desk setup in order to find the best posture for yourself so that you can work comfortably all day long.
This is one of the standing desk chairs that I was almost certain would be the best standing chair for standing desks that I came across.
It’s an adjustable standing desk chair, like the others on the list, but it also allows you to lean, like the Luna Stool, but has a large base, so the standing desk chair doesn’t move when you lean on it.
Why we didn’t love it
This is super great in theory, but the base actually gets in the way. Sometimes I stand with my back right against the stool, and you can’t do that with the SOGMICS Standing Desk Chair.
I’ve also tried the Vari Active Seat, and others like it. They all suffer from the same problem: the base makes it so you can not put your back (or booty) against the seat cushion while standing up.
While, sure, they look like the standing chair to beat, the base is just a deal killer and make these 100% NOT ergonomic office chairs.
Standard Drafting Chairs
Standing Desk chairs are supposed to be just like other ergonomic office chairs. They typically have adjustable lumbar support, and adjustable armrests and overall ergonomic chairs that are synonymous with office furniture.
These ergonomic seats are heavy on the seat, and less on the active side. However, in early 2022, I was tired of active sitting, and needed a break from all the “Active sitting” I was doing.
You see, in early 2022, my kids went back to school without masks for the first time in a couple of years. As a result, my wife and I got every known respiratory disease known to man… ever.
This left me feeling drained and unable to find an ideal solution to let me sit while still using my standing desk. There were days I needed to work, but I also just needed to sit and do nothing, too!
This is the standing drafting chair we use. We try not to use it, or else we'll get lazy and sit more often than we should.
After trying out the TicToc chair and Luna Stool with little success, I was searching for something better – searching through options like best-standing desk chairs and stools.
Why we didn’t love it
I found a decent drafting table chair from Amazon, and to be honest it was great… for sitting. And obviously, if the temptation is there to sit, you will probably sit. This left me sitting longer than I wanted and not standing enough. You buy a standing desk to, well, stand. The drafting chair was comfortable and tall enough, but I ended up sitting way more often than I should – even when I felt better.
The drafting chair was comfortable enough, but it also presented a challenge in terms of sitting too often rather than standing more often – even when I felt better. It was tall enough to allow me to sit while using my standing desk, but the temptation to sit rather than stand kept coming up.
Don’t you get a standing desk to stand? Of course, for that reason, I searched for best-standing desk chairs and stools again until I found the perfect option – the LeanRite Stool.
Meet The LeanRite
Enter the LeanRite Stool. I give a hats-off approval to this company because I was served an advertisement on Instagram for the LeanRite Standing Desk Chair.
Like you, I get so many ads on Instagram that I roll my eyes when I see them.
While more expensive than the other options, this LeanRite is PERFECT for anyone with a standing desk. Unless you're Superman and can stand all day without a break, you need this standing desk companion.
Why I wanted to test LeanRite
After striking out with the SONGMICS Active Chair and the Vari Active Chair, along with the Tic Toc and Luna Stool, I almost just gave up, to be honest with you.
I still thought there had to be a good solution to standing, while also giving yourself a break.
I couldn’t be more impressed. Have you ever tried a product for the first time and thought to yourself, “Wow… they thought of everything?” That’s exactly the feeling I had.
I’m working on my full LeanRite Chair Review, but I wanted to give you the best adjustable height desk option for sitting and standing I’ve found.
It’s the most ergonomic… actually.
It’s really easy to write off the LeanRite as not an ergonomic chair. But sadly, I think we tend to put the word “ergonomic” as something that lets you sit in it for hours on end.
To me, at least, the word “ergonomic” makes it seem like a standing chair shouldn’t be active. But I don’t agree with that at all. I think any office chair or standing stool should be super active.
What is the LeanRite Chair?
It’d be unfair to call the LeanRite a Chair… or even a stool. It’s not really any of those. Instead, is the best combination of them all.
The LeanRite is a standing desk chair that offers a wide variety of posture supporting positions from leaning (or “perching”) to sitting and standing. It’s made of aircraft-grade aluminum and durable polyurethane, making it easy to clean and maintain.
The LeanRite also comes with an anti-fatigue mat for extra comfort (and stability), making sure your feet don’t get tired over time.
Unlike other stools or chairs, the LeanRite offers a stable base that won’t tip over or roll when used as directed. With its sleek design, you can easily adjust the chair height according to your desk’s height comfortably and quickly.
How to use the LeanRite Chair
The best way to understand the LeanRite Chair is to see it in action. It has five main ways to be used.
1: As an anti-fatigue mat
The easiest way to use the LeanRite is simply to use it as an anti-fatigue mat. Obviously, you can get much cheaper options for a Fatigue mat, but the other ways to use the chair is where it really shines.
2: Full Sitting Stool
You can also use the LeanRite as a standard sitting stool for your standing desk. This is also pretty straightforward.
3: As a Perching Stool
This is one of my favorite ways to use the LeanRite: perching. Otherwise known as leaning, perching is supposed to be really good for your back.
4: Leaning against it
This is another game-changing feature. Not because it’s the only “leaning” stool you can get, but this one simply works!
If you want extra support, simply fold the seat down and lean against it. If you want less support, make the seat parallel to the ground and rest your back against it.
The best news is there is simply no wrong way to use the LeanRite.
You can also stand straight against it, unlike the issues I had with the SONGMICS Active Chair.
Listen to your body, but don’t be lazy. Try standing, perching, sitting, leaning against it – and find what works best for you.
Overall, I’m definitely impressed with the LeanRite Stool and consider it the VERY best standing desk chair and stool out there. It offers posture support from every angle and can easily be adjusted depending on your preference. Plus, it’s made from durable materials so you won’t have to worry about replacing it anytime soon!
Other things we’ve tried with varying success
It’s not just ergonomic office chair designs that we’ve tried with minimal sucess. We’ve tried things that are NOT standing desk chairs that we have an opinion on.
Anti-fatigue mats
We've gone through several of these anti-fatigue mats, this model in particular. We even use it under our Balance Board, in case we want to jump off it.
I do swear by these for folks that are using standing desk chairs and want to stand a decent amount. These work pretty well overall. If you are using sit stand chairs to move from sitting to standing a lot, the anti-fatigue mats can do wonders.
Wobble Boards
Our favorite balance board to use with a standing desk. It's sturdy and allows you to be more active or more passive in standing. Plus, we love the exra unique pressure points.
I’ve tried countless wobble boards as a complement and replacement for a standing chair with varying success. It wasn’t until I found the StrongTek wobble board WITH an anti-fatigue mat that I found a really good solution.
This board not only has a slight wobble to it, it also comes with an anti-fatigue built into the board. The StrongTek board is also slightly textured with different bumps built into the board.
The board also has just the right amount of wobble. I’ve tired some wobble boards that make it feel like you’re almost falling over, while this one has just enough give to get the best balance between stability and movement.
It’s definitely worth checking out if you want something more than a standing desk chair but don’t want to take any chances with your posture.
Don’t forget a place to relax
I know I’ve talked about things like ergonomic chairs and lumbar support and all that jazz in this write-up.
But don’t forget to have a great place to relax.
For me (and the dog, that lazy bum), we love our Moon Pod in the office. It’s the ultimate in ergonomically designed seating comfort.
That’s because it uses the concept of zero gravity to make you feel the most comfortable ever. Forget lumbar support in zero gravity, you don’t need it.
Of course, I can’t take Zoom Calls on the Moon Pod, but it’s a great place to relax and take a short break after extended periods of standing. Read our full Moon Pod Review.
Final Thoughts on The Best Standing Desk Chair
While more expensive than the other options, this LeanRite is PERFECT for anyone with a standing desk. Unless you're Superman and can stand all day without a break, you need this standing desk companion.
At the end of the day, the LeanRite Elite is the best standing desk chair out there. It offers posture support from every angle and can easily be adjusted depending on your preference. Plus, you get an anti-fatigue mat for extra comfort (and stability), making sure your feet don’t get tired over time. It’s also made from durable materials so you won’t have to worry about replacing it anytime
The LeanRite is undoubtedly one of the best standing desk chairs out there. We’ll post our full LeanRite Review, but we’re glad to get rid of the standard office chairs and switch to a best standing desk chair.
FAQs
What is the best chair for stand up desk?
The best chair for a stand up desk is the LeanRite Elite. It is recommended by Drs. of Orthopedic Surgery and Physical Therapy and offers a wide variety of posture-supporting positions from leaning (or “perching”) to sitting & standing. It is made of aircraft-grade aluminum and durable polyurethane that’s easy to clean, and includes an anti-fatigue mat for extra comfort. The LeanRite Is Designed to increase productivity and enhance posture, providing a stable base that won’t tip over or roll when used as directed.
Is it worth getting a sit/stand desk?
Yes, it is worth getting a sit/stand desk. A sit/stand desk allows you to alternate between sitting and standing while working, which can help reduce fatigue and improve posture. It also creates the opportunity to move more during the work day, which can have positive effects on overall health. The best way to optimize your setup is to pair a sit/stand desk with an ergonomically designed chair or stool like the LeanRite Elite. This best-in-class chair offers support from multiple positions and includes an anti-fatigue mat for extra comfort. Rest assured that with this combination of products, you won’t be disappointed in your results!
Are standing chairs worth it?
Yes, standing chairs are worth it. Standing chairs provide a great alternative to traditional office seating, allowing you to alternate between sitting and standing while still having the support you need for your back and posture. A best-in-class chair like the LeanRite Elite is designed with ergonomics in mind and offers multiple positions of posture support as well as an anti-fatigue mat for extra comfort. With the LeanRite Elite, you can maximize your productivity while maintaining good posture throughout your work day!
Do stand up desks really work?
Yes, stand up desks do work. Stand up desks provide the opportunity to alternate between sitting and standing while still having the support you need for your back and posture. A best-in-class chair like the LeanRite Elite is designed with ergonomics in mind and offers multiple positions of posture support as well as an anti-fatigue mat for extra comfort. With the LeanRite Elite, you can maximize your productivity while maintaining good posture throughout your work day!
FAQS
Are standing chairs worth it?
Do stand up desks really work?