Ikea Bekant Review

Ryan Fiorenzi - Updated on July 12th, 2023

We don't recommend this desk because:

  • Many reports of having to return the desk within a few months because the desk isn't working anymore.
  • If you don't live close to an Ikea, shipping can be really expensive!
  • Outside of color of the desktop and base, there are few customizations available.
  • It has a low lift capacity, and it's wobbly at taller heights.

For a couple hundred dollars more, you could get a Jarvis, which is an amazing desk.

If you want to see for yourself and look at reviews, especially on amazon, make sure you're looking at "Ikea Bekant Desk sit/stand," not just "Ikea Bekant Desk." The sit/stand version is height adjustable with an electric motor, the other is not.

Our research is supported by our readers. We may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site, but this in no ways increases the price of the products - advertiser disclosure

Overall Score:
0
out of 100

Based on 12 key areas of evaluation listed below.

Shipping
50%
Assembly
80%
Stability
55%
Speed of switching from sitting to standing
75%
Noise level
95%
Overall Feel
60%
Surface area
100%
Overall look
45%
Lift Capacity
40%
Warranty
55%
Ergonomics
75%
Overall Value
35%

Ikea Bekant Full Review

If you've ever owned multiple Ikea products before, you may have noticed that some of their products look nice but aren't built well, and other products are built very well. With this desk you get what you pay for: it's one of the cheapest sit to stand adjustable desks, but the lack of quality is noticable, especially when you've tried out so many other standing desks like we have.

Size & Color Options

The desk comes in only one size: 63" x 31.5" (most standing desk companies offer several tabletop sizes). There are a few color combinations of the top with the legs:

  • birch veneer/black
  • birch veneer/white
  • black-brown/black
  • black-brown/white
  • grey/black
  • grey/white
  • white
  • white/black

The height of the desk ranges from 22" to 48", which should accomodate most users.

Adjusting the Desk & Controls

Adjusting the desk from sitting to standing is done via simple controls with an up and down button. It's missing a digital display and preset buttons so you can save your settings, which are really convenient. This is one place where Ikea cut the costs of their desk and one of the several reasons we gave this desk a lower score.

The motor is relatively quiet compared to other standing desks we've tested, and the speed is about average.

We did notice it's a little wobbly at the higher heights.

Warranty & Tabletop

This desk has a 10-year limited warranty. If you want to read it yourself, follow this link to their warranty.

What you need to know is if there's an issue with the motor (which seems to be quite common), you'll have to take the desk apart and send it or drive it back to Ikea. They will then look at the desk and see if they can repair it. A definite pain.

The tabletop is not scratch resistant, as you can see in this photo of the table top.

Ikeas Bekant sit stand desk tabletop

You may also notice that the edge of the desk is protected by plastic. The wood is particleboard with a veneer finish, which is definitely a low quality, not going to look good long term finish. I remember years ago buying a bed frame from Ikea, and I was really happy that it looked so good and cost so little. The day after I bought it I was vacuuming and I bumped the edge of the bed frame and the veneer started ripping off. You get what you pay for.

Shipping & Assembly

If you don't live close to an Ikea, shipping can be costly. I live about 5 miles away and the cost to ship the desk would have been $79. But I put in an address about 4 hours away and the shipping cost went up to $349! For that cost you could get a way nicer desk.

If you've assembled Ikea products before you know that the directions aren't always that clear, but this isn't difficult to put together,

Customer Service

Ikea is pretty good overall with customer service, just make sure you save your receipt.

Should you buy this desk?

Because of the large number of complaints we've heard and read about issues with the motor, and the low quality if the tabletop, we don't recommend this desk. And if you live far from an Ikea, the shipping could make this desk way too expensive.

For around the same price, or a little bit more, there are several good alternatives:

Jarvis standing desk (starts at $470)

Uptown (starts at $719)

Upsilon (starts at $668 and is great for small spaces)