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New Zealand, Wellington
1 Level
718 Review
49 Karma

Review on AlleYoop Bamboo Rocker Board - Enhance Posture And Stability At Your Standing Desk With 360° Omni-Directional Movement - Medium Size by Robert Layne

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Alley-OOP brings movement to standing desks

Standing desks are not new and it seems to have gotten quiet after an initial hype. Turns out that standing all day is not good for you and not for tasks that require fine-motoric motion. However, it is beneficial to intermittently stand and so it should a good idea to also move (a little). Teeter boards (based on springs or curves) are not new, albeit typically for exercise since the instability makes certain task harder or even impossible on the computer. That's where ALLEY-OOP thinks they found a compromise.The Wood Rocker Board is simply a 2" plywood board with a flat top and a curved bottom. It is significantly more stable that some other teetering boards due to the much less severe curvature and you really don't have to worry about getting on or falling off. The bottom has an elastomeric applique (sticker) to prevent sliding on hard floors. On thicker carpet it's likely to render the curvature of the board inefficient and arrest motion significantly. Standard office floors should be mostly workable though.The board is made of solid wood (or layers as plywood goes), hence it weighs accordingly and is not the most portable if that matters. The elastomeric sticker on the bottom seems well placed and robust. The top surface may be a preproduction issue, but the coating shows a few flaws (like the one in the picture) and irregular finish (which was difficult to capture in a picture.Overall, the board is of a solid build with a maximum load capacity of up to 300 lb. It is naturally difficult to store when not in use but that is to be expected from a solid material. The included instructions recommend to start with 1 hr of standing and that is consistent with other recommendations. Keeping all the concerns about sitting or standing too much in mind, this board does appears to improve standing desks. Whether that's worth a $100 investment . my exposure is short so far and I will update after some time with the Alley-OOP.

Pros
  • Lowers the risk of injury or falls by training the body to maintain balance and stability
Cons
  • May not work well for all types of work tasks