I have chronic lower back pain from disc herniations. I also have a desk job which requires me to…read moresit at a desk for 8+ hours a day, 5 days a week. Disc herniations or not, sitting for long periods of time is not healthy for anyone. I discovered my back felt a lot better when I stood up to do my work. I created a makeshift standing desk using boxes and it helped my back significantly.
Eventually, my employer supplied me with a Kangaroo Pro ($499) adjustable height sitting-standing desk from Ergo Desktop. I've mostly been pleased with the results.
I love having the flexibility to switch between sitting and standing positions. When I get tired of standing, I can sit. When I get tired of sitting (and my back starts to hurt), I can stand. I've read that it's good to regularly switch between both positions, which is what I do each work day.
The Kangaroo Pro itself is sturdy. It's "minimally invasive" and sits directly atop my desk. There aren't a whole lot of parts. Some assembly is required. It's a well made product, but some aspects of it give off a homemade or "amateur" feeling, which I will elaborate upon.
There are two hydraulic gas springs down the "spine" of the Kangaroo. These springs make it easy to lift the base, where the keyboard and mouse are located, and the monitor. The monitor is mounted directly to the Kangaroo stand via a standard VESA bracket. The monitor has the ability to easily swivel from left to right. The monitor's height is adjustable. This is separate from the adjustable height of the base.
The monitor can also tilt (forwards and backwards) and rotate, but not very easily. I sometimes have to loosen a screw to make those types of movements easier. So it's not as easy to move the monitor around like it is on a typical computer monitor stand. I also cannot adjust the distance of the monitor to my eyes unless I move the entire base, which includes the keyboard and mouse. This means, for example, if I move the monitor away from me, the keyboard and mouse go with it and I have to stretch out my arms further to reach them.
There is felt padding on the bottom of the entire unit, which makes it easy to slide in any direction on a smooth surface desk.
When the Kangaroo is in standing mode, a small support stand should be placed underneath the working space where the keyboard and mouse are located. If this support stand didn't exist, then each time one types, the unit wobbles. The minimum height of this support stand is about 10 inches, which means the minimum standing-mode height of the keyboard and mouse is about 10 inches from the desk top. The minimum height should be lower. It could pose problems for those with tall desks.
One of the first things I noticed when using the Kangaroo was there was not enough work space in standing mode. The default work space only provided enough room for a keyboard and mouse. I like to have my keyboard centered to the monitor, so that didn't leave enough room for my mouse. Therefore, I had to get the detachable side work surfaces ($29 each). I got one for each side.
These work surfaces feel like add-ons that weren't really considered in the design of the Kangaroo from the beginning. The work surfaces are cantilevers that "hang" on either side of the main work surface. They droop down at an angle.
Due to the parts on the side work surfaces, the entire work surface, when assembled, is not completely smooth across. Instead, there are elevated metal brackets between the main work surface and the side work surfaces, making it difficult for one to slide a mouse over the combined surfaces even with a mouse pad. It would be nice if the combined work surface was completely smooth and level.
Unlike the base and main work surface, the side work surfaces are *not* sturdy. I have to be quite gentle when standing and writing on the side work surfaces. They are fine for holding papers to look at and small items, but not much more than that.
Within two weeks of using the side work surfaces, I noticed the gel padding glued to the metal brackets started peeling off. Not good. Also, the support stand feels a little cheap with felt pads glued to it like the ones you'd find at Home Depot.
Finally, when in sitting mode, the keyboard and mouse are still on the Kangaroo's work surface(s), which is about 4/5 of an inch above the desk surface. This means the keyboard and mouse are higher off the desk than they used to be. I find this to be my most major concern with this product. It feels uncomfortable to have an elevated keyboard and mouse while in the seated position. I feel like this could pose ergonomic problems for some people depending on their desk and chair. I use gel wrist rests for both the keyboard and mouse to help alleviate some of the discomfort I experience while in sitting mode.
Overall, the Kangaroo is functional and does its intended job. However, there are limitations as described above.
