Ever since we started working from home in 2020, I knew that I needed to upgrade my workspace. Working from the couch for a few days was fine — but for not years. I’ve slowly been upgrading the corner of my apartment dedicated to office space. I got a laptop stand, a cool retro keyboard and mouse set, and an ergonomic office chair, but I could still tell that I wasn’t moving enough throughout the day. I’ll always tell myself that I’m going on a mid-day walk, but then more stories come up and meetings pop up, and suddenly it’s after 5 p.m.

For the past year, I’ve been trying to find a way to squeeze a standing desk into our apartment. My boyfriend needs a massive desk to accommodate his 3D printer and PC set-up, and standing desks are usually pretty compact (and not to mention expensive). Why replace the perfectly good industrial, steel-framed desk that we paid movers to haul up three flights of stairs a year ago? In the bedroom, we have a small nook, but most standing desks are too big to fit in that space (trust me, I’ve measured). So, I began my hunt for a standing desk converter, which is a portable stand that can raise and lower to your desired height. Most of these are surprisingly not budget-friendly, so it took me a while to find one that fit the size I was looking for and the price. I went with the VIVO 28-inch Desk Converter.

The VIVO 28-inch Desk Converter is one of the most highly rated desk converters on Amazon. I opted for the 28-inch size, which is 27.9 inches by 15.7 inches. The converter weighs 24.6 pounds, which is a little heavier than I would like, but I can move it from the bedroom to the desk with no issue. It also comes in a total of six sizes and in five different colors, so you can match your home decor style. I decided on black because it matches our countertop and current desk.

The desk comes equipped with a pneumatic handle, which you press to lift the desk. It takes no effort to get it up to the height you want. You do have to use one handle to lift the handle and the other hand to press down on the desk to lower it, however. VIVO boasts that the desk has 10,000 lift cycles.

The desk can accommodate up to 33 pounds and the keyboard ledge can accommodate up to 5 pounds, so it’s important not to lean on the keyboard desk while working in a standing position.

As far as assembly goes, the keyboard tray does need to be screwed in, rubber feet need to be added to the underside of the desk so it doesn’t scratch the surface it sits on, and cable holders can be added to the underside if desired. This assembly took about 10 minutes total and required a screwdriver.

The VIVO fulfilled all of my standing desk converter requirements. I love how easy the pneumatic handle is to use. The desk just shoots up to the height I want it to be. Some standing desk converters require more manual tinkering, and I don’t have the patience for that. It doesn’t take up much space in my small Brooklyn one-bedroom and doesn’t disrupt the existing configuration of my boyfriend’s desk. And when we’re both working from home, I put the converter on my kitchen island. It’s so portable.

I work at least three hours a day from it (and hopefully even more soon) when I’m working from home. It’s made me more focused and productive — whenever I start to hit a wall and feel drowsy, instead of getting another cup of coffee, I simply stand instead. Just one note — if you work on a laptop, you will need a laptop stand to raise your laptop to the proper height. (I recommend this one, which I own.) If you’re working with a monitor, you won’t have this issue.

What I love most is that it isn’t that expensive. I have been a shopping editor for a few years now — I don’t buy something unless I’m certain that it’s worth it and that I can get it at a discount. I will keep something in my cart for months until it goes on sale, which is why right now is a great time to buy the VIVO. It’s currently $10 off during this Labor Day weekend.