The best standing desks (opens in new tab) make a world of difference when working from home. The new Ergonofis Sway desk has a unique handmade wooden top sourced locally from natural materials. We were pleasantly surprised by the many options available from the embedded touch display and the technical support offered by Ergonofis.
Ergonofis Sway: Unboxing
The Sway standing desk is delivered as a two-piece set, the tabletop in one box and legs and accessories in another. Once unpacked, clear instructions in the user manual help to set up the table in nine easy steps. A torque-adjustable electric screwdriver is recommended to speed up the assembly. For a medium-size desk, a fully deployed table measures 30” x 60” x 48.38′′ and weighs almost 70lbs.
Ergonofis Sway: First impressions
It took one person about ten minutes to unpack the two boxes and another thirty minutes to assemble the desk. The 3cm thick wooden top is flipped upside down, and an iron frame connecting the feet is installed onto it. Predrilled holes in the wood help align different sections of the desk. The flat power supply is discretely located at the back, only becoming apparent once the table is fully extended.
Right away, we can feel that the table is of premium quality, with metal legs that are solid but quiet when working. Another thing that we loved was the touch display. It works out of the box and provides some familiarity based on the same display technology as our smartphones.
Ergonofis Sway: Design and build quality
Two hydraulic legs located at the edge of the tabletop can fully deploy to a height of 48.3”, thus accommodating even the tallest person. The speed at which the legs extend or retract is 3.8cm/s with a load of 20kg. This quick height adjustment is made safe thanks to sensors located in the legs. A collision between the tabletop and its surroundings stalls the motor motion instantly, offering protection against damage and injuries.
All supplied parts except for two spare screws are used during the assembly. The table comes with a leather coaster and a cleaning cloth, making maintaining the wooden top in pristine condition a breeze. The table has been designed to support loads of up to 360lbs. The presence of a horizontal metal bar prevents the wooden top from sagging.
Natural wood comes with irregularities such as knots. Holes are filled with epoxy to give a uniform surface, and Ergonofis limits the filling to imperfections that can impact the durability and stability of the surface. Doing so reduces each desk’s environmental footprint while decreasing the table’s overall cost and weight.
The wooden top is available in maple, cherrywood, and walnut, corresponding to three shade levels. Ergonofis can add optional grommets on the table’s left, middle, or right, while the metal frame can be in either white or black color. In addition to three basic dimensions of 24” x 48”, 30” x 60”, and 30” x 72”, Ergonofis can also provide custom sizes on-demand for six to eight weeks of wait time.
Ergonofis Sway: In-use
The sway standing desk is straightforward to use. Its owner will find the interface very intuitive thanks to a built-in touch interface. Swiping motions are supported and let the user quickly lift or lower the tabletop to predefined settings. The desk’s height can also be finely adjusted by touching the up or down arrows. Every action is validated with a click sound generated by the display.
The user interface includes a soft button and a small OLED screen for the menu. They allow adding user profiles, changing the menu language, and switching the unit from millimeters to inches. The reminder option can change the desk’s height at regular intervals. This is practical for people wanting to switch from sitting to standing periodically.
The sway desk is perfect in an office by being an elegant piece of furniture. It is also very quiet, with a noise level of less than 40dB at one meter. The display and motor consume almost no electricity while being idle. This increases to 150W when raising or lowering the wooden top with a load of 44lbs. The desk is very stable and remains horizontal without wobbling, even when applying pressure on one side or when subjected to heavy typing.
The Sway desks are not for any wallet, with the 24” x 48” desk starting at $2195. The desks are currently available only in North American markets. There is a ten-year limited warranty covering the metal parts, five years for the electric motors and electronic components, and three years for the wooden top. Ergonofis has online support through chat, email, or phone lines.
Ergonofis Sway: Final verdict
We enjoyed our time working on the Ergonofis Sway standing desk. Using wood in its purest form with imperfection on the top surface feels refreshing. But the real star of the show is the well-designed user interface. It takes care of all the mundane tasks, keeping track of who uses the table and at which height. It can even remind you to change pose, from sitting to standing, in case you’ve been in that comfy chair for too long.
