Moft® Z 5-in-1 Sit-Stand Desk

The perfect companion for remote work, babysitting and appendectomy recovery.

Unless you live under a rock, you’ll have heard – for years now – about the myriad benefits of ‘quitting the sit’. From scientific publications like New Scientist all the way to mainstream pop sites, stand-up desks are being touted as the ‘it’ office essential to improve your health, your productivity and even your social life*.

*All the cool kids stand and, I’m told, have the best water cooler chat.

However, up until very recently, this new-wave desk’s bulky designs have made it an impossibility for remote workers who travel. A massive personal bummer, as there’s nothing I love more than jumping onto a trendy zeitgeist (I’m a millennial, after all).

So you can imagine my delight when I stumbled across an intriguing and exceptionally encouraging Kickstarter ad promoting the world’s first 5-in-1 sit stand desk that utilises the art of origami, folds down to the size of an A4 magazine and weighs in at less than a kilo.

Giddy up! All of a sudden, my nomadic postural dreams were within grasp. My package arrives. It’s beautiful. It’s sleek. Its pop of bright orange sparks joy. My nieces come in… Work stops. A deluge of interested questions arrive. “What’s that? How do you use it? Can I try? Can I try, next?” I can’t blame their enthusiasm. Since moving into their house for a stint over spring, I naively introduced ‘Origami Mondays’ as a fun after-dinner activity before quickly realising that the paper-folding pastime is much more fiddly than I remember from my primary school Japanese classes. Luckily, Moft Z’s intuitive design and helpful visual aids made mastering the choices a breeze – even for a couple of overly eager five and seven-year-olds with little patience for instruction. Moft Z’s 6th and unexpected function? Childcare.

Having wrestled the Moft Z – and some semblance of calm – back into the office, I return to work. As it’s already the end of the day and dinner is approaching, ‘work’ mainly consists of me playing around with my new toy, finding my favourite set-ups and then repeating the process to the annoyance of my partner who is now begging me to, “Stand up or sit down. I don’t mind, just please pick one!”. We’re moving to Edinburgh the following morning and, remembering that I haven’t started packing, I reluctantly acquiesce and fold down my office for the day.

After spending the weekend settling into my new city abode, I’m ready to get back to work. Unfortunately, when Monday rolls around I wake up in agonising pain. An overnight stay at the Royal Infirmary and one appendix lighter, I come home with a two-week script to sit on my ass and do nothing…

Now, I pride myself on my ability to chill under any circumstances; however, having an organ removed makes it particularly uncomfortable to stay in the same position for very long. Not wanting to break up my Feel Good Netflix marathon (highly recommended watching – with or without morphine), I discover the hidden benefits of the Moft Z’s three other angles: 35°, 45° and 60°. In the office I’m on a MacBook and don’t use a separate keyboard, so the ‘24°’ and ‘Standing’ modes were my clear favourites… until now. Perfect for tablets, I shift between laying, slouching, sitting upright and pacing round the room like a lunatic without ever needing to take my eyes off the screen. Moft Z’s 7th and unexpected function? Appendectomy recovery.

Having now returned to work and properly put Moft Z through its paces, I’m very happy to report that stand-up desks definitely live up to their hype. My back and shoulders feel less strained, and my water cooler chat is already up 10 points (or so say I). But all stand-up desks aren’t created equal. Here’s a little more on the specs that won Moft Z its Red Dot award in 2020 for design and the top choice for ‘Work-From-Home essentials 2020’ in the adjustable laptop stand category:

• Versatility: Moft Z’s origami-inspired Z structure is what allows for its inimitable flexibility. Its adjustable functionality ranges from 24°, 35°, 45°, 60° and stand-up (up to a height of 10 inches). Its surface, fitted with hidden magnets and a handy security lip, makes it a suitable choice for any kind of laptop, tablet, monitor or eBook.
• Weight: Clocking in at a featherlight 890g, this desk is effortlessly transportable.
• Size: It’s minute footprint when packed down (9.4 x 11 x 0.5 inches) makes slipping it into a backpack or handbag a cinch.
• Stability: By utilising the unique strength of the triangle, Moft Z’s fiberglass body creates a solid structure that can hold up to nearly 10kg of weight, providing a surprisingly solid base for typing in the air.
• It’s sooo pretty: Choose between a vibrant orange, electric blue, cool grey or chic black to suit your style.
• Price point: As stand-up desks go, the Moft Z is incredibly competitive and available from just £59.99 at Amazon.

My verdict: The 8th and very much expected function of Moft Z? It’s the perfect companion for itchy-footed workers with a strict baggage allowance. Time to get #quitthesit trending again, now that I can finally join in on the fun.

Author Bio:

Melanie Chenoweth has spent the last decade scouring the globe for the best in food, travel and adventure. She loves writing about bold flavours, beautiful views and new experiences.

Photographs courtesy of Moft