These you can tell by the wind up handle. To make the desk go up it winds clockwise and winding anti-clockwise brings it down. Clearly with no motor in them they are the cheapest option if you want a full desk. We really like these products. No electrics mean a more reliable product and even if not used as a standing desk they allow sitting at the correct height. Main things to check are has it been tested to BIFMA standards and also is the handle fold away. Also double check how long it will take for the desk to go from bottom to top height. You do not want to be winding all day.

On a single motor desk there is only one motor driving both legs. The two legs are mechanically coupled to the single motor via a drive rod as they would be on a manual desk, The downside of this is that you get more noise and vibration than in a dual motor desk. Single motor desks are cheaper than dual motor desks so you need to look closely at the number of motors you are getting for your spend. In our opinion these are desks which are manufactured to achieve a certain price point and under heavy use the satisfaction with the desk may be lower than a dual motor desk. We would advise any purchaser to ask themselves the question if it is better buying a single motor desk for economic reasons or upgrading to a dual motor desk given the incremental cost of moving to a dual motor desk is not hugely significant.

With dual motor desks there is a motor which is built into each leg. The legs are coupled by means of an electronic control box which regulates and maintains the same identical leg height. These desks are more expensive than single motor but are also considered to be more robust. Most commercial companies buy these as their desks are used 40 hours per week. They are the most refined in terms of noise and vibration of the three options available. We would recommend that if you can afford the extra cost they are well worth the extra spend.

On top of the refinement and quiet function these desks also have improved diagnostics built into them and they can be interrogated remotely if something does go wrong to check if a repair is needed.

On this type of desk design there are only two sections making up the leg actuator. This means the desk is cheaper to manufacture than a three section leg desk and should cost less. Fewer components. It also means that the desk will rise and fall marginally more slowly than a three section leg desk, so 32mm/s instead of 38mm/s. Unless you are going from sitting to standing or vice-versa multiple times a day the compromise of speed vs price might well work for you.

Generally two section desks do not go up as high as three section desks either. It would be typical to see a top height on a two section desk at 1180mm and on a three section desk 1280mm. If you are a corporate buyer you should consider that two section desks will only meet the needs of staff between 5'3" and 6'2" approximately. So if you have a greater range of staff heights it would be safer to use three section leg desks.

On the plus side two section leg desks are every bit as stable as three section leg desks

On this type of desk design there is an extra segment in the leg which extends the height range and increases the moving speed of the desk when .ompared to a two section leg desk. The result is that the desk rises and falls at 38mm/s vs 32mm/s for a two section leg desk and the range of the desk is much increased to 680mm to 1280mm approx. This means the desk will service pretty much anyone except perhaps those whose height is above 6'10".

We would noramlly recommend three section legs over two section legs as they give much more flexibilty for users and as they are heavier and have thicker legs give a more sturdy aesthetic.

This type of controller just has a simple up and down button. They work well however you will not be able to return to the optimal seated or standing height each time without some adjustment. This is very much a cost reduction item on a desk. A four position memory controller is more expensive to put on a desk.

These have a lot more technology built in. There is a digital display to tell you what height your desk is set at. Four memory locations so you can return to the same seated or standing height every time. There is also access to diagnostic functionality in the control box and if there is an error on the desk or it needs reset the controller will let you know. We believe these are well worth having however some companies sell them as an add on and not with the desk. They can cost as much as £50 to add on. All our desks have them as standard with either 3 or 4 memory positions.