Top Hovering Standing Desk Converters
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What kind of workers buy standing desk risers in the Hover category? Generally those who either:
- Share their screens frequently with others
- Want to easily access their desktop at any moment, or
- Want the utmost in ergonomic adjustability
Hovering standing desk risers are by far the most flexible standing desk converter type around. They are excellent for collaborating with coworkers. Want to show a coworker your screen? Just swing your Hover converter over so they can easily see it. Their design is basically that of an extra large monitor arm, with an added work surface for typing. You can have the same amount of flexibility with a Hover converter as you would a monitor arm.
Hovers are also great for those who want easy access to their desktops. If someone works with lots of papers and has the need to spread them across their desktop to work, a Hover will slide out of the way in a second, giving them clear access to their whole desktop area.
No need to buy an extra monitor arm with a Hover. The design of these standing desk risers holds your monitor(s) at a proper height for ergonomic viewing. Most models cost extra for a dual monitor setup; it requires a crossbar that runs along the monitor pole. But these devices are very ergonomically adjustable; some provide keyboard tray tilt for proper ergonomic typing at a declined angle, and most also allow easy adjustment for your monitor’s angles–tilting, panning, and rotating with ease.
Work surface stability is not the Hovers’ strong suit. So if you’re a writer or a programmer and want to type frequently while standing, it’s probably best to look at one of the other types of standing desk converters.
That being said, these products are perfect for their own niche. If you belong to that group, have a look at the best Hover standing desk converters below.
Best Stand Desk Risers (Hover) by Ranking
1. Ergotron WorkFit-A
Among Ergotron’s standing desk converters, the Workfit-A can be considered its acrobat. It’s easy to move, whether from sitting to standing or side to side. Its only footprint is the small base mounted to your desk, and it can be lifted out of the way for those times when you need adequate desk space. It does suffer more from monitor shake than either the Workfit-S or -T, and its lift capacity is weak compared to more “grounded” risers, but the Workfit-A is an ideal sit-stand workstation where space and mobility are crucial. Outside of the Ergotron-to-Ergotron comparisons, however, the Workfit-A was once a pioneering product, but now being overshadowed by even more innovative, and more ergonomically adjustable units from a burgeoning field of competitors.
Price: $524
2. QuickStand Lite
NOTE: THIS PRODUCT HAS BEEN RECALLED. PLEASE CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER WITH QUESTIONS.
In Humanscale’s typical flair for high design, the new QuickStand Lite is a looker. But the beauty is skin deep. In attempting to offer a lower priced product to compete with the massive number of new sit stand desk converters on the market, while retaining the fancy finishes that Humanscale customers expect, they left out too many of the ergonomic features one would expect at this price point. Still, this is going to be a very popular product, no doubt, because of its sleek, minimalist styling.
Price: $ 589
Discontinued Standing Desk Converters
At WorkWhileWalking we’ve been lab testing and writing reviews of ergonomic office furniture and accessories for over a decade. In that time, we have seen many of the products we reviewed fall by the wayside. This is inevitable due to the cycle of continuous improvement, with new models supplanting their predecessors. Of course in some cases products weren’t as competitive as they needed to be, or their manufacturers ran into financial challenges (which very much accelerated as a result of the post-pandemic economy).
For whatever reason, these products now fall into the discontinued category, but we will still keep their reviews published and available to read. Whether you want to know more about the desk, monitor arm, etc. that you bought years ago, need more info because someone is selling one second hand, or just want to compare current offerings with what was available in the past, these reviews will remain here for your reference.
1. Helium Junior Standing Desk Converter
We were excited to test out the Helium Junior, the latest desktop riser from Right Angle Products. Little brother to the standard Helium, this riser belongs to the ‘hover’ family, which means it floats in a 3-dimensional space over the top of your desk. We took the Junior into our labs, tested it out, and discovered the good and the bad. Overall a decent value for the money, but there are some caveats.
Price: Single Monitor: $895, Dual Monitor: $995
2. iMovR Cadence Plus Standing Desk Converter
Also a part of iMovR’s discontinued Cadence line, the Cadence Plus is a middle option between the Cadence Express and the Cadence Pro. It features a dropped keyboard like the Pro, and a sleek, lightweight MDF core like the Express.
Price: $499
3. iMovR Cadence Express Standing Desk Converter
In the realm of “hovering” sit-stand workstations the now discontinued Cadence Express broke new ground in sharp looks, durability, range of motion, and above all, stability. At nearly 50% less cost than “high design” models like the QuickStand Lite, the Cadence Express had a far more rigid arm mechanism for a better customer experience, while looking just as good. A five-year warranty backs up the top quality components used in the Cadence Express.
Price: $599 Single, $669 Dual
* Please note that Amazon prices may vary as per vendors’ discretion.
For all our sit-stand desk converter reviews, see our sit-stand converter comparison review page.
Top 3 Factors to Consider When Buying a Hover Stand Desk Riser
Keep these points in mind as you’re comparing Hover models.
Do You Use Dual Monitors?
Hover devices will charge extra for dual monitor crossbars that run alongside the monitor pole. These crossbars are one fixed length bar, so they don’t allow for adjusting the focal depth of your monitors independently from the rest of the workstation. In this sense, they offer less adjustability than some high-end dual monitor arms.
If you do buy a dual monitor crossbar for your Hover device, you’ll have to adjust the counterbalance force to make up for the added weight. Make sure you know how to do this, and if unclear, contact the manufacturer. We’ve had trouble making this adjustment properly before in some of the models we’ve reviewed.
How Noisy is the Unit?
Noise is a factor you don’t have much at all to worry about when it comes to Hovers. They use gas-assisted lift mechanisms and have no predetermined heights to latch into, like many Z-Lifts or X-Lifts do. This eliminates any potential ‘clicking noise’.
Is it Ergonomically-sound?
We’ve covered this already, but it deserves some more emphasis. Hovers are extremely adjustable in that they permit easy monitor adjustment, height adjustment, oftentimes keyboard tray adjustment, and more. However, they are not the most stable when it comes to their work surfaces. Someone who wants to type frequently while standing will likely be frustrated by some reverberation caused by their fingers hitting the keys.
If you want more items to consider when purchasing a sit-stand desk converter, see our article Top 8 Factors to Consider When Buying a Standing Desk Converter.
And to make sure you’re getting the most out of your converter, check out the iMovR Tucker Pro Cable Management Kit for standing desk converters. It’s the first kit on the market designed specifically for standing desk converters.
Looking For More Standing Desk Converter Reviews?
• Overall Best Standing Desk Converters
• Best Standing Desk Converters Under $ 350
• Best X-Lift Standing Desk Converters
• Best Z-Lift Standing Desk Converters
• Best Post-And-Base Standing Desk Converters
Frequently Bought Together With
Standing Desk Converters
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