Well, on the one hand, it is great to have a replacement for the original controller. At a previous employer I had a Bekant with the stock controller, and those darn things are dreadfully unreliable. We had enough of those desks to get good reliability statistics... and the statistics are awful. So an open source replacement is great.
That said: Who the heck needs a motorized desk????? When it came to spending my own money, I got an IKEA Skarsta... essentially the same desk but with a hand crank, for half the price. Yes, you can buy two sit/stand hand-crank desks with a reliable mechanism for the cost of one motorized desk with a P.O.S. controller. Or you can do what I did, use the money saved to buy the most gigantic monitor I could find, which improves my productivity much more than the difference between a motorized versus hand crank desk mechanism.
EDIT to add:
In fact, I am pretty sure you can buy just the Skarsta hand crank mechanism. The next time I do a desk for myself, I will probably buy the leg mechanism and cut a custom-shape table top from some 3/4" cabinet ply.
You may want to consider getting a tall stool for the hour or so you stand and then just swap chairs. I did that for a bit because I didn't like adjusting the desk constantly, and it was nice because I could have someone sit next to me without needing to find another chair or stand. The stool didn't take up too much space either, so it was nice.
Well, I'm getting a lot of comments from the motorized desk lovers here. I'll hang my reply onto yours...
I think we have discovered how to sort sailors from power boaters :) For that matter, I use a French press instead of a Keurig.... now pardon me while I take the stairs as I step out for lunch :)
Motorized desks are for flexible working places. People need to change their desks to the right height before starting to work and they are more likely to do so if it is easier.
The biggest advantage would be the preset level buttons. I have a hand crank and it's a pain to get the desk to the level I think I want, only to sit down, get comfortable and realize I need to go up a few inches. So then I have to get up again and there is just a lot of fastidiousness sometimes.
Keep in mind that this is an accessibility issue - many people cannot use a standard desk comfortably or at all. Height-adjustable desks are a convenience for all users, but they're a necessity for wheelchair users or people with musculoskeletal disorders.
I owned the Skarstra (actually bought 2 of them because I moved and got rid of my old one). Recently, spent the money on the motorized one. It is 100% worth the $250 price difference.
The hand crank is quite annoying - and if you're like me you are cranking it up and down a few times a day. Every day. It takes 30 seconds to crank it up. If you have a lot on your desk (2-3 monitors, computer, etc.) it can be quite heavy. Eventually, it got so annoying I found myself just leaving it in a seated position.
Spend the extra money and get the motorized version.
The additional cost for the desk (about €200) is well within what a more luxurious desk from an Ikea competitor would cost[1], and I'm much more likely to push a button and stand up than to wind a crank 20 times and lose my concentration.
I prefer motorized, because it allows for fast and effortless changing between postures. I know it's not that big deal to use hand crank, but it's just enough trouble that you will not be changing between sitting and standing during the day. And if you don't feel like standing the whole day, you are back to sitting the whole day.
A motorized desk is effortless and thoughtless so it's probably a lot less likely to break your flow versus having to spend 30 seconds turning a handle.
I've had both motorized and hand-crank. I much prefer a motorized one.
I have terrible knees because of a sports injury. I get uncomfortable both sitting and standing for extended periods of time. A handcrank is a complete pain to switch between sitting and standing. If I'm adjusting, I feel compelled to be committed to a different position.
With a motorized desk, I can switch pretty much on a whim. I can sit for a while, stand up for 5 or 10 minutes, then get right back in my chair.
I also had a Skarsta, and the crank mechanism came apart within about six months. (I raised/lowered it a half-dozen times per day.) I personally found the Bekant more reliable (though I only used it for a year). YMMV, I guess.
On the other hand, my Steelcase standing desk is still performing well after 7(?) years and several moves, but it was C$1500.
Maybe i'm just lazy, but the additional work of cranking it 20 times (and the bloody noise it makes) means I either have standing weeks or sitting weeks.
Sometimes months. But standing months are rare.
I wonder if spraying some lube in the works will help with the noise... Hmmm.
it comes in two pieces. just go to Ikea and only buy the legs. It might not be possible to order it online that way, but in a physical store it should be no problem.
That said: Who the heck needs a motorized desk????? When it came to spending my own money, I got an IKEA Skarsta... essentially the same desk but with a hand crank, for half the price. Yes, you can buy two sit/stand hand-crank desks with a reliable mechanism for the cost of one motorized desk with a P.O.S. controller. Or you can do what I did, use the money saved to buy the most gigantic monitor I could find, which improves my productivity much more than the difference between a motorized versus hand crank desk mechanism.
EDIT to add:
In fact, I am pretty sure you can buy just the Skarsta hand crank mechanism. The next time I do a desk for myself, I will probably buy the leg mechanism and cut a custom-shape table top from some 3/4" cabinet ply.