Home walking desk recommendations?

November 16, 2021 8:01 AM

My wife and I are looking for a complete walking desk solution (i.e., both treadmill and desk) for home use. Do you have one you like? Our specific requirements are inside, but we don't know anything about these things and any trade offs we need to consider.

We want a total solution. We don't want to hack this; we will also be buying new. Call the budget $2500 (hopefully including shipping).

Here's what we need:

• unit will be a stand-alone workstation and not be in either of our offices; it needs to have its own desk (though need not be an integrated unit, provided that the pieces fit in the space it will be used--see below)
• would be great--though not a requirement--if the desktop had power for a laptop/monitor
• we both expect to use it daily; we want a desk unit that has a powered lift to raise/lower to suit our different heights
• I've seen that some units are rated for different runtime; it's certainly possible that we could be using all day between the two of us
• the space where it will sit is 43" by 65"
• I'm the heavier of us, and about 200lbs; we don't need a machine rated for higher weight users
• we expect to just walk on this thing--maybe even walk fast--but it doesn't need to multitask for running or anything
• I don't know whether this is a special consideration, but it would be great just to stand (not walk) as neither of us have a standing desk
• auto stop and electronic controls, or user mileage tracking would be great
• we live in the US

I've been looking at Lifespan walking desks, but I don't know them from any other maker. Do you have a walking desk? What features should I be looking for? Anything to avoid?

Also noted above, how do the hour ratings work? I saw one of the Lifespans is rated for 6 hours and another for 9 hours daily. If I were to use 4 hours in the morning and my wife were to use for 4 hours in the afternoon, would that mean we need a 9 hour model? Or is the time rating just for continuous use, so that a lunch break in the middle "resets" the time?

posted by Admiral Haddock to Health & Fitness (5 answers total)

I have a lot of opinions about this, as I transitioned to a walking desk setup this summer and love it. I started with a slightly sketchy Amazon treadmill (Go Youth) but recently upgraded to the LifeSpan 1200 treadmill base. It’s the model rated for 6 hours use, and I had the same question as you about needing the more expensive model or not. Seeing as I don’t use it on the weekend very much (sometimes I’ll walk for an hour while watching Netflix), I figured any 6+ hour workdays would even out over the span of the week. The step/mileage/time counter on this model is great - it stores info for as long as you want it to (I reset mine every day and track my mileage in a spreadsheet because I am a nerd without a fancy fitness tracker watch). The more expensive 5000 model seems to be more for real multi-user office environments where nobody can be trusted to lube the belt on a regular basis. I lube mine every 50-ish hours (every 1.5-2 weeks), and it takes 5 minutes.

Anyway, I 100% recommend jumping straight to a LifeSpan model rather than trying sketchier options first. It is so much more solid than my first treadmill, the weight limits are REAL for the sketchy Amazon ones, and there is actual warranty/replaceable parts/support for the LifeSpan models. Full disclosure: my treadmill started making a moderate rattling noise toward the end of the day last month, so I sent a video to the LifeSpan support people asking if it was normal. They said maybe but also sent me a brand new $680 motor for free. I haven’t decided if it’s worth installing yet, so I guess I have a backup motor now?

I have a super basic manual crank standing desk that I got from IKEA, and it is OK. If I were to do it again, I’d get one used off Craigslist/Nextdoor - a lot of people are selling fancier ones for cheap now that they are heading back to the office.

One last aside: transitioning to my walking desk did result in a fair amount of extra expenditures. I had to get better socks for walking all day (Darn Tough wool running socks are so much better than the basic athletic socks I started with). I ended up getting new sneakers and special insoles for said sneakers. I also ended up buying some new walking-compatible pants, as I didn’t like walking in jeans or swishy fabric hiking pants.

Let me know if you have any questions!
posted by Maarika at 8:44 AM on November 16, 2021 [2 favorites]

My co-worker has a walking pad and he loves it. Not sure it ticks all your boxes. I see him walking during our Zoom meetings.
posted by shoesietart at 9:34 AM on November 16, 2021

I've been enjoying my Treadly -- but it looks like they no longer offer a desk + treadmill combo. I considered LifeSpan and it is probably the superior option, but I needed something smaller because of tiny space constraints. I don't use mine to the limits of its hour rating anymore (it used to be my chief cardio when gyms were closed; now it is just a backup used during the workday occasionally to get me off my butt). When I did, I definitely noticed that the motor was warm at the end of a full day and it probably would not have been great to go over that.

If you have the budget to go with the higher hour rating and otherwise kind of tricked-out option, do it! The extra cost may motivate you to use it more ;)
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 10:02 AM on November 16, 2021

I have the LifeSpan TR 800 under a jarvis desk. I've had it for about 6.5 years now. My main complaint is that it's heavy when I want to move it but maybe the newer ones are smaller/have a shorter footprint, I didn't compare. I've never pushed the hour rating I never use it for more than an hour or two. It's under my main work desk so I do stand or sit (on a stool) on it for most the working day and it's been fine. The thin plastic around the treadmill part (sort of like the gutter around it?) has broken and I'm going to need to fix it, but I don't know that that is from wear from walking or rather abuse from standing all day on it/having a stool etc. It's 6 years old so I'm not really upset about it.
posted by snowymorninblues at 11:53 AM on November 16, 2021

I love my Lifespan model. It does everything on your list so I would say thumbs up - go for it.

I don't always walk on mine; I find I get motion sick when I'm walking in a meeting and somebody else is ALSO walking in the meeting and we're going up and down in different speeds and patterns. So I would say at least half the time I'm just standing there on the treadmill, and it doesn't seem to do it (or me) any harm.
posted by invincible summer at 8:06 PM on November 16, 2021