The Lunadesk Standing Desk Converter Review
- First Look
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Overview
| Review Summary |
The Lunadesk Standing Desk Converter Review is ideal for working at home if you don’t have a good desk and you’re shuttling your laptop to work in bed, on the sofa, on the floor or at a counter. This is not by any stretch an “ergonomic standing desk” in the usual sense but is the only product we’ve ever seen that works well for people who like working in various yoga poses (i.e. you need to be limber). Being made-in-the-USA is usually a good thing, but it is made from Chinese bamboo, which is anything but ecologically friendly, despite all the greenwash marketing. To be used in such places and postures the unit needs to be lightweight (10 lbs) but that also makes it structurally flimsy. The lack of warranty and the lack of market traction outside of a tiny successful Kickstarter campaign (88 units were sold) makes this one a questionable consumer value in terms of likely durability. |
|---|---|
| Best Use |
For someone who likes working in yoga poses like the Kneeling Thunderbolt rather than standing at an ergonomically-proper desk. For laptop use only, the Lunadesk Portable Laptop Workstation can accommodate a remote keyboard as well, but not an external monitor, much less an adjustable monitor arm. |
| MSRP / List Price | $499 |
| Street Price |
As of this review, it is available at $299 for pre-order, delivering August 2022. |
| Shipping |
Shipping is NOT included in the price, and varies by Zip Code. |
| Warranty |
No warranty listed |
| Lift Type |
Half-moon/full-moon circular frame rotation |
| Sizes Available |
Single size option, with trays being 10″ x 20″. OK for a small remote Mac keyboard, e.g. but if using a large keyboard like a Microsoft Natural there will be no space for a mouse. |
| Colors Available |
Single color option, bamboo sides and whiteboard work surfaces |
| Construction |
Bamboo frame, aluminum composite panels with dry erase whiteboard surfacing, and stainless steel hardware |
| Monitor Arm Mounting Options |
None |
| Adjustment Range |
The Lunadesk can raise a device anywhere from 8 to 19 inches off the ground. This is because you can place a device on either tray. In half moon, the Lunadesk’s trays are 8 inches and 13 inches above the ground, and in full moon, the trays are at 14 inches and 19 inches above the ground. |
| Weight Capacity |
Supports a laptop or tablet |
| Number of Monitors Supported |
None |
| Dimensions |
Two 10 x 20-inch trays |
| Connectivity Features |
N/A |
| Product Weight |
10 lbs |
| Typical Assembly Time |
Bit of a gamble as there is no assembly documentation, description of difficulty, or even a video of what is involved published on the website. At the time of this writing only 88 Kickstarter backers got their units so we do not yet have a sample to test in our labs. |
| NEAT™ Certified by Mayo Clinic |
No |
| Competition |
All Standing Desk Converters
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| User Reviews | |
| Where to buy |
Buy on The Lunadesk |
Rating
| Ease of Assembly | |
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| Stability | |
| Safety | |
| Reliability | |
| Customer Experience | |
| Quality and Aesthetics | |
| Ergonomics | |
| Innovation | |
| Value | |
| Positives | This Lunadesk Standing Desk Converter review shows that the workstation offers a unique and lightweight design that is ideal for using it in a variety of locations - like on floors, couches, beds, or countertops - but particularly in postures that are held with certain yoga poses, like the "kneeling thunderbolt." Made in the USA. Its adjustment mechanism can be tightened to put the platforms exactly where your arms need the keyboard, and the platforms can pivot so that it can be even comfortable for your wrists. The tray surfaces are made with dry erase whiteboard laminate so you can doodle notes right on your desk, if you're not concerned about possibly staining your clothes. |
| Negatives | It can't support anything more than a laptop, so it isn't made for more complex workstations that are needed in many offices. You cannot, for example, place an external monitor on this converter. Like many marketers of bamboo based products, the greenwashing marketing copy claiming bamboo as "stronger than oak" and "environmentally friendly" is severely overwrought, particularly for a product that features no warranty. Its price also seems a bit high for something that is so specific in use and with no electronic components. The big ergonomic negative is that while you can change the height of the keyboard tray and the top work surface, you have virtually no control over the difference between those two heights as you would with a conventional desktop converter and monitor arm combo. |
Bottom Line
This is a brief “first look” on The Lunadesk standing desk converter. Originally launched as a very small Kickstarter campaign, the company claims that it has shipped the 88 units that were sold, and is taking pre-orders at a $200 discount off the $499 “retail” price, promising shipment of those Lunadesk Portable Laptop Workstations by August 2022.
If we are able to get one of these adjustable height desk converters in our lab, we will do further testing to provide you with a more in-depth review. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up on our latest reviews and information on ergonomic office equipment like this sit-stand workstation converter.
Any Kickstarter campaign is going to have an authentic origin story, and the Lunadesk Portable Laptop Workstation is a simple case of necessity being the mother of invention. The creator of the Lunadesk was studying to be a yoga instructor and wanted to work at her laptop in a “kneeling thunderbolt” pose. After not finding anything in the market to meet such a usage profile, she and her husband created one.
Weighing only 10 lbs the Lunadesk can be easily placed on couches, floors, beds and all sorts of places that ordinary standing desk converters were never designed to go (and generally too heavy to move around like that).
The Good – Unique and Versatile
Still only available in preorders, The Lunadesk has got some people pretty excited, having raised over $24k and meeting its initial Kickstarter funding goal in about a month.
The Lunadesk standing desk converter is unlike most of the ergonomic office tools we have seen. Rather than using mechanisms that help lift the workin surface from the desk level straight up, The Lunadesk’s frame rotates on itself to adjust the levels of the two platforms it supports. While the lowest platform can only go down to 8 inches above a floor or desktop, certain workstations may still need to use the desk for the keyboard in the sitting position.
But this sit-stand converter isn’t designed just for a desktop. It is made to take wherever you may want to work, whether it is on a bed, couch, countertop, or the floor. Though those might not make for the most ergonomically healthy working positions, if that is the user’s situation, The Lunadesk may just fit the bill.
Certainly for younger users with highly flexible bodies, and especially for yoga practitioners, the lightweight Lunadesk provides several different use configurations to accommodate working in bed, on the couch, on the floor, and even sitting or standing at a desk.
The platforms also rotate, so if you are using one of them for a keyboard, it will be easier to get your wrists in a comfortable position for typing.
Also of note is that the platforms double as whiteboards, so you can write or draw on them with dry-erase markers. While a popular feature on some standing desk models these days, our concern with using your desktop as a whiteboard is the propensity to get your sleeves dirty.
The Bad – Compatibility Issues
This unique design, while versatile in its use locations, is limited in what it can handle. It is designed only for laptop or tablet device use. Regular monitors are incompatible. They don’t even have a weight capacity listed, so don’t expect to lean on any of the platforms. So this kind of height-adjustable equipment isn’t really designed to use in the office, and barely, barely squeaks by the definition of an “ergonomic desk.”
The Lunadesk Portable Laptop Workstation is made in the USA, but relies on Chinese moso bamboo for the frame structure. As many marketers of bamboo products do, the makers of Lunadesk don’t hold back on greenwashing.
Hyping it as an environmentally sensible wood (even calling it a wood, it’s really a grass converted into wood using massive amounts of chemicals, water, and energy and wreaking all sorts of environmental havoc wherever it’s grown and produced), they also claim that it’s “stronger than oak.” OK, let’s get real. The structure of this device is frail; trip into it and it will likely snap to pieces.
To learn more about the truth regarding bamboo’s true environmental attributes be sure to read our highly-researched article on the “greenwashing” of bamboo products.
Really What You Want?
Overall, The Lunadesk is made to be a “use anywhere” work surface in a more casual environment. If that is what you need, great. On the other hand, if you are actually trying to set up a sit-stand desk workstation, you’ll want something meant for that job, ideally a full standing desk.
But if you really need a converter, be sure take a look at our roundup of the all the legitimate standing desk converters we have reviewed.
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