【Belgium】

I work the old-fashioned way: Chair below me,Belgium desk in front of me and my laptop on a platform raised high enough that I hope I don't get a permanent crick in my neck.

My co-workers, though, manage a dizzying assortment of work styles, that include couch lounging, cubby reclining and standing desks.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

That last form is easily the most popular alternative work posture, but that may change now that some of them have gotten a taste of kneeling at the $350 Edge Desk.

It's been sitting in the middle of our bullpen for almost a week after I unboxed and "assembled it" (mostly unfolding and turning a bunch of knobs and levels).

If you've never seen a kneeling desk or even a kneeling desk chair, they truly fit the description. They have a seat cushion tipped at an angle toward the desk and a pair of knee and lower leg cushions for your legs. You climb into the side, kneel and then place your bum in the seat. The result is that most office workers look like they're doing a little work-praying.

The Edge Desk adds an adjustable 30-by-20-inch plastic table top. It features a mottled white face with black edging. Around the perimeter of that edge is a channel where you can snap in accessories like cup holders and smartphone holders (those accessories won't arrive until early next year).

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At 28 pounds, the mostly-aluminum desk folds flat and is light enough to easily carry around the office. It took me about five minutes to set up and adjust the main seat, the height and angle on the table top, and the distance from me to the table top. The adjustments use a combination of levers and bicycle-style clamps; they all have handles so it's easy to tighten and loosen them by hand.

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It's important to tighten everything, otherwise the table will wobble. Overall, I was impressed with the craftsmanship.

It was, at first, a little difficult for me to find the right angle for the table. Perfectly flat -- parallel to the floor-- didn't feel quite right, but if I had a little angle to it, anything I put on top of the table -- cups, laptops -- would slowly slide off.

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One co-worker suggested a different material for the table top, perhaps something more rubbery. The top also turns 90-degrees to portrait mode, making it a decent artist's easel. Of course, it needs something at the bottom to keep all your art supplies from falling to the floor

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I found working on it with my laptop quite comfortable, but the jury is still out on whether kneeling desks are actually good for your back.

I had multiple co-workers try out the desk. One loved it and spent most of an afternoon working on it. Another loved it, but insisted that $350 is too much, especially when you can get a decent, adjustable kneeling chair for $90.

Another co-worker told me that she liked how working at the desk felt, but didn't think a kneeling desk solved the fundamental ergonomic issues surrounding laptop use on a desk.

It's true, even though I could adjust the chair and desktop into almost any position and height to suit my needs and comfort, I was still looking down at my laptop screen. In the future, it might make sense to get an attachment that lets you put a large monitor on the back edge of The Edge Desk and use a standalone keyboard with the laptop.

On the other hand, I didn't find working with a laptop on the desk uncomfortable. I know I sat up much straighter and felt considerably less discomfort after typing for a while.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Is $350 too much to pay for a fully adjustable kneeling desk? Well, how much is your back-comfort worth to you? An adjustable standing desktop costs $269. The Edge Desk fixes your desk posture andyou get a seat, all for $350. Seems like a bargain to me.

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The Edge Desk

The Good

• Well-built

• Fully-adjustable

• Makes you sit up straight and feel good about it

• Comfortable

The Bad

• Things slip off if the desktop isn't perfectly flat

• Expensive

The Bottom Line

Kneeling at work now makes sense to me.

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