2nd hand office desk. Indestructible, will pay itself back a hundred times over, and much more so than any IKEA tabletop. You also get: cable routing (it usually will even fit a socket box if you want to), much better stability, height adjustable (either with or without motor) and did I mention indestructible?
About 200-250 bucks should get you there easily. I got mine NEW for that price, L shape is also highly recommended; do take into account whether you are left or right handed. Its a real perk having an extended table at your mouse arm-side. Do get a
rounded L shape on the inside and not two straight tables stuck together, it seems a minor thing, but that straight corner and the gap will annoy the crap out of you in due time, its also a structural weakness.
Had my share of IKEA 'wood' furniture but in terms of durability its like glorified cardboard. In some cases it really is.
What struck me in the OP is 'I cheaped out on desks my entire life'... and then opting for a 45 dollar slab of wood with fixed legs. Euhm...
I'm also seeing the eternal mess of glass/metal/shiny bullshit... please, stay far away if you care about ergonomics or comfortable use. Its form over function, that. Glass is the biggest no-no... not scratch resistant, any damage is forever visible, can't mouse on it, attracts fingerprints... there is actually not a single redeeming quality.
Just do yourself a favour and get the height adjustable legs. I've had a table with each type of legs and the height adjustable ones are much better.
Sure, they're a bit more expensive, but it's not crazy money.
OLOV Leg, adjustable, white. Mix and match your choice of table top and legs. By buying them separately, you can create a combination with a design and size that fits perfectly into your available space.
www.ikea.com
Also, IKEA is supposedly opening up all their warehouses globally any time now.
Familiar legs, those
There is a small problem if you want to use them for a heavy desk top with lots of gear on it. Any skewed movement will cause damage as the screws cut into the top (or just straight rip it up). Those feet are just a couple of screws planted in (usually) extremely weak tabletop material. One firm push... your whole desk can come crashing down. Any good desk has an 'H' (or T) structure as support, to prevent that.
I literally IKEA"d my way through my 20s... but you do get what you pay for. A few years down the line, you'll be thinking of replacements.
I have a mid century secretary desk. Will last forever and you can find them very reasonable if you look for it. It's large enough to add a 32 inch monitor, a xerox 8570 color cube printer and of course the case. I have an industrial keyboard holder, ergonomic keyboard and foot rest and have everything else ergonomically set for me. Was diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel with both wrists back in 95, Save my hands and saved my career.
Unfortunately a majority of you will get repetitive stress syndrome because of your keyboard and your ergonomics. The same flat style that has not changed in 40+ years. When you get older you are going to feel it.
Yep
I have an Ikea Gerton top on some old steel folding legs. Nice and minimalist. The work surface is 30" deep. The alex drawer units are heavy as hell and kind of low quality, I have one. I'd recommend just buying the legs elsewhere from a hardware store, not from Ikea.
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not sure where to find quality legs, with some much low quality crap out there. The ones I am using I got from my dad, they might be 30-40 years old.
That could work though. Just the top and solid wood is always good
