Friska Stockholm Permanent Office: Two-minute review
If you’re in the market for a standing desk, you’ll likely have looked at stores like Ikea to find yourself a cheap bargain, which is definitely not a bad idea if you’re on a tight budget. If you are looking for a more premium and customizable display though there is another Swedish manufacturer of desk that should be on your radar.
Friska has a great selection of electric sit/stand desks to choose from to suit your needs, with the Stockholm collection making up the bulk of their designs. On the surface, this might not seem like something to shout about at home, at least if you’re familiar with the traditional style of standing desks, but what it lacks in unique aesthetics, it more than makes up for in customization options.
The ability to design the office to your exact requirements makes a Friska Stockholm permanent office more affordable than you might assume, which is great news for those who want the many health benefits of a permanent desk, without it costing the earth.
Likewise, this also means that you can make the desk as luxurious as you like, with the option to include different frame and top trim colors and additional specifications or accessories such as cable port slots and upgraded controls.
Even budget-friendly standing desks are a big buy, and both are something you’ll want to jump into buying blindly. With Friska’s wide variety of configurations, it’s very easy to select options that fit your needs without breaking the bank, and the build quality is robust and reliable enough to ensure your purchase will last for many years.
Friska Stockholm Permanent Office: Prices and Availability
Pricing for the Friska Stockhold desk starts at £749 (around $920 / AU$1,300), shipping to the UK is free and exceptionally fast, and offers next-day delivery if you place your order before 2pm. The price doesn’t change if you select any of the different color options available for the frame or top, so if aesthetics is your only concern, you can make modifications to the desk to suit your environment at no additional cost.
The size of the top can also be adjusted if you want a deeper or longer surface area for your gear, although it is these types of adjustments that will raise the price. For example, switching from 1200mm x 700mm to the larger 1800mm x 800mm will cost you an extra £50 (about $60 / AU$90), which sounds like a reasonable price.
You can also include some optional extras like a cable management tray, cable port slots, in-desk power sockets and more premium operational controls with a memory switch if you wish to fulfill your order.
Unfortunately, one of the biggest issues with the Friska range is shipping, as it’s no surprise that shipping such a large product abroad can be rather expensive. Friska’s target market is obviously the UK mainland due to its free shipping, although other regions are available at an additional cost.
Shipping to the US takes an estimated 1-2 weeks and costs a flat rate of £498 ($610), but other regions like Australia are completely excluded. Fortunately, most of Europe is included, but while the Friska website does provide an option to switch from quoting in GBP to EUR, this does not appear to be working correctly at the time of writing.
Healthy permanent office Stockholm: design
Friska Stockholm can be configured in a range of different sizes as the frame can be adjusted to accommodate different hats. The basic kit is usually the same, with all parts arriving well protected in cardboard and polystyrene, although any optional extras will be shipped in a separate box.
If you are Act Include any extras like an upgraded control switch or a built in power socket, it’s important to remember to open the smallest boxes first before you start building as this will contain the instructions for your configuration.
Unfortunately, all desks are shipped with a set of general desk building instructions and hardware, which can address some confusion as the manual may not provide the correct instructions for assembling your specific desk. This also extends to decks and accessories as we’ve found that some of these configurations will require different assembly requirements, so if you follow the set of instructions shipped with the head office, you might later discover the actual assembly guide you should have followed after most of the desk was built.
If you select any options that require additional holes or larger capacity spaces for accessories, they all come pre-drilled, and assembly instructions are marked on the tops to make installing the frame to the worktop as painless as possible.
The standard control axis is a direct two-button relationship with up and down arrows to determine the direction of movement of the desk. These are coated in silicone for the grip and have a satisfying clicking feel, but don’t come with any option to save height presets for easy adjustments. If that functionality is required, Friska has an upgrade available for an additional £99 (about $120 / AU$170), although you’ll still get the standard control knob included with delivery, which can leave you feeling lost.
Friska Stockholm features dual motors that allow the entire desk to be lowered up to 62cm or raised up to 130cm (if measured from the desktop), and the desk can carry a maximum weight of 264.4 lbs (120 kg). These stats aren’t something to sniff at, and the weight limit is enough to not support the weight of a large desktop computer and all your other office equipment, but it’s also stable enough for a full grown adult to stand up to if necessary (although we certainly wouldn’t suggest doing this regularly).
The top itself comes in a selection of different patterns, such as black, white, and a variety of wood and granite-inspired hues, although all of these are faux vinyl wrapped around engineered wood, so if you want a hardwood option, they’re available. You have to look elsewhere.
Healthy permanent office Stockholm: features
If you don’t include any of the optional upgrades, Friska Stockholm is completely bare, but you get all the essential features that make it a good investment. The up/down controls are rudimentary, but with a travel speed of 42mm per second, adjustments are easy to make with none of the gear placed on its surface dislodged.
A criticism if you choose the upgraded memory switch is that you still need to hold down the control buttons while the desk is moving, even if you select one of the two available buttons that allow you to save a certain height (a useful feature if you want to switch between ideal sitting and standing positions) . It would be nicer instead to see a one-touch adjustment of saved height profiles, but it works as intended otherwise.
The desk itself will be shipped in two or three boxes: the top, frame and internal mechanisms, then a smaller box with optional extras, specific assembly instructions, and mounting straps suitable for desks that require it.
As mentioned, the main frame shipping box will also contain general instructions for assembling the desk which can cause some confusion, but providing to open the smaller box first shouldn’t be an issue. The packaging does a great job of protecting all parts of the desk, and nothing has arrived with any damage. Friska recommends laying a blanket or using a desk box to protect it during assembly. This is true of other standing desks, and it’s also very easy to scratch your desktop or even the floor when you put one together.
Assembling Friska Stockholm was a simple affair. The instructions are clear, well illustrated and written in fluent English, and while it recommends that two people assemble the desk due to its heavy weight upon completion, one individual can complete most of the assembly on their own provided there is someone able to help turn the desk over. The desk is in the correct position when the frame is attached to the top.
From here, it’s just a matter of connecting the desk’s drive to the power adapter at the back of it and plugging in the power cable before flipping over the finished desk. This is also a great time to use the included cable clips to tidy up some cables so they don’t droop and look out of place once the desk is flipped. These are provided inside the box as a freebie, although unlike the screw holes, there are no clues as to where to put them so you can use as many or as few as you like to keep the underside of the desk neat.
Should I Buy Permanent Desk Friska Stockholm?
Buy it if:
Do not buy it if:
First revision: May 2022