I write for a living, which means many hours sitting at a desk. Not exactly the healthiest thing to be doing. To compensate, I previously “Macgyvered” a treadmill desk, but a few years ago I moved my home office from the basement to the top floor of the house. Now I have lots of natural light, but no room for the treadmill. A standing desk would be an option, but floor space is pretty tight. DeskView reached out with the solution: the world’s first window-mounted standing desk.
Improbable as it sounded, I had to check it out. And believe it or not, it works really well.
What Is DeskView?
DeskView has several key components. From a desk perspective, there’s a horizontal work surface measuring 12 inches by 25-inches. This is available in a clear, white, or wood finish. My review unit was white (it’s a plastic of some sort). Edges are smooth and well rounded, and the surface is thick enough to have absolutely no flex.
The business end of the DeskView is a pair of large, industrial suction cups mounted to aerospace-grade aluminum brackets that support the work surface. A pair of levers on the suction cups securely fastens them to smooth, non-porous, vertical surfaces—glass (windows) being the primary use. In case you were wondering just how strong a pair of suction cups can be, DeskView says these are rated to support a 40-pound load.
Easy Install
The DeskView arrived already assembled and the company includes a bubble level in the packaging. All I had to do was remove the protective film from that glossy work surface, position it on a window, and pull down the levers.
The quick install—just a matter of seconds and only one person needed—makes it easy to set up the DeskView, take it down (even faster), take it with you, and set it up wherever it’s needed.
Is it Actually Secure?
This is the million dollar question. It just seems unlikely that this would actually work. And if it were to fail, the results could be catastrophic. But it does work. When attached to my office window, the DeskView was rock solid. Even with a laptop on it and the force of me typing, it remained solid. The longest I left it up was two days, but it seemed just as securely attached as when I first installed it. There was no damage to the windows—not even any smudges left behind by the suction cups.
How Well Does it Work as a Standing Desk?
The DeskView doesn’t offer a huge work surface, but it was certainly big enough to comfortably use a 13-inch MacBook Air and a mouse. The desktop is solid and had no flex or bounce. If you plan to have a laptop plugged in, you might want to run the power cord through as part of the initial install—there’s enough space between the work surface and the windows for a cable to pass through without being pinched, but the connector may not squeeze through. With a larger laptop, the footprint may not be an issue, but with just 12-inches of depth to work with, it’s possible you may have limited ability to tilt the display back before you hit the glass of the window.
If you have a room that lacks free wall space, the DeskView can also pull double duty as a temporary shelf…
Recommendation
If you’re looking for a way to get the health benefits of a standing desk in a portable solution that also happens to take up zero floor space, DeskView is a great option. The world’s first window-mounted standing desk proved to be very well designed, solid, and easy to install. Its attractive, minimalist look complements decor instead of looking like a hacked together afterthought. You’re not going to be able to work using your 32-inch monitor with DeskView, but for a laptop, mouse, pen, and paper, it offers a very usable standing work surface.
Prices range from $235 to $265, so as a standing desk, DeskView is also reasonably priced.
Disclosure: DeskView provided a unit for evaluation but had no input into this review.
