MEGADESK! The Big B’log Web Log Pt. 5 (Exciting™? Conclusion!)

I’m happy to report megadesk is complete! Comprised of #megacart and Ergotron desk, megadesk is the cumulative solution to all my workspace aspirations!

The Ergotron Workfit-D needs only minimal description as its awesomeness should be readily apparent to all. The desktop is made of what I assume is adamantium in an elegant faux birch appointment. Its elegance belies its massiveness, and its massiveness is underscored by the fact that it weighs approximately 100lbs unladen (depending on what color you choose?). Despite its weight, it converts from sit-to-stand with nary more than a touch of its lever and gentle, one-handed coaxing. All while carrying the burden of two monitors, a couple of Ergotron LX Desk Mount LCD Arms, assorted A/V equipment (to feature in their own upcoming review), a keyboard, and a mouse. And those are just the desk’s permanent residents!

Nimble but monstrous, the Ergotron Workfit-D arrived in the following, sun-eclipsing, monolith-like box:

Assembly was a chore, mostly owing to the weight and the need for a number of tools, but was not overly difficult. Watch the Scrutiny Saturday blogs for an unboxing/review video. Until then, here is a picture of the Workfit-D in the seated position (under horrible lighting circumstances):

#Megacart required no tools and much less assembly. Thankfully, the dimensions on its product description page were accurate. The shelves were indeed 36″ inches long and 18″ deep, leaving enough room for my computers with no wasted space to spare. The cart is well engineered, allowing for maximum configurability. Thanks to the tapered plastic shims that can be clipped into place, the shelves are interchangeable and can be set at any height in one inch increments. This made it perfect for my megadesk purposes.

The one drawback is that 2 of the 3 shelves do not have lips with which to prevent placed objects from falling off. This is solved with the use of zip ties. For my Bitfenix Prodigy cases, I bought special fabric velcro zip ties to prevent scarring the “plastic” handles. The plastic handles, a feature you don’t find on most other cases, made securing the Prodigies to the cart a breeze. On the middle shelf I used regular plastic zip ties to secure network switches, KVM switches, power strips, and power bricks. The wire cart made wire (the other kind) management a simple affair. Check back here at the blogs for a list of cable management tips and tricks.

On the top shelf, which is actually a super convenient basket, I put a USB hub. The hub features both data and fast charging ports. I hesitate to recommend the hub however. Check back during Scrutiny Saturdays for a full review of the hub. The basket will allow me to place mobile items (e.g., cell phone, 3DS XL, tablet, Kindle, etc.,…) inside for charging and data transfer without fear of having them fall off. Falling to their doom would be of some concern when placing them on the Ergotron sit-stand desk. Even though it glides neatly between sit-stand positions, I can envision scenarios in which items would be knocked off none-the-less.

I was very happy with #megacart’s assembly, however, I realized there are two aspects to cable management: form and function. While ‘cart was eminently functional, its criss-cross wires add to the visual cacophony that is the cable cluster. To alleviate this in a small way, I added some (polycarbonate?) shelf lining to the basket. I hated to use a Seville Classic’s product, given the difficulties I had with definitely not-a-#megacart, but they’re seemingly the only polycarbonate shelf-lining game in town. Additionally, I replaced all the white cable ties with black cable ties so that they blended better against the mostly black equipment. Here’s the final look:

Given the sheer amount of cabling, it looks very good in the back and super clean from the front. Most importantly, its function is beyond compare to any workspace I’ve ever encountered. There’s slack enough in the wires to accommodate the Ergotron’s sit-stand positions, there’s a secure place for everything and everything is in its place, and it doubles as a charging station for a metric ton of mobile devices! Plus, it is itself mobile, what with being a cart and all!

Behold, Megadesk!!!:

As mentioned previously, check back during Scrutiny Saturdays for unboxing and review videos! Be on the look-out for cable management tips and tricks as well (most likely on a Tutorial Tuesday). And if this has helped inspire you for your own workspace ideas or helped you with a purchase decision, please heed the call to actions below! Thanks!

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Thus concludes “#MEGADESKKKK! The Big B’log Web Log” epic saga. Thank you for your patronage.

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