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| Underneath an Ikea BEKANT Desk with Electric Height Adjustment |
Note: I didn't check every single product page out and definitely didn't review the ones I did in detail. This is just a summary of the ones I did check and my general impressions of what I found. And, once again, I had not had any firsthand experience with any BEKANT products when I wrote this piece.Excitement and anything new?
Availability
When I visited the Ikea sites on Thursday afternoon (October 2), I wasn't able to buy any of the BEKANT desks or parts (i.e. frames and desktops) that I looked at online. However, checking the stock levels in Canadian stores showed that certain full-desks (i.e. not individual parts) were available at particular stores on the west and east coasts. The stock levels didn't appear very high and were mostly in the single digits though -- among the models and stores that I checked.
On the American side, I also wasn't able to find any full-desks or parts that could be purchased online. Using the stock checker on a few full-desk models, I found some that were "most likely in stock" in at least one store in the country. Sorry, there were a lot more stores in the United States and I wasn't in the mood to check many.
Update (October 11, 2014): I found the "buy online" option available for some BEKANT desktops and underframes available on the Canada and United States websites, but only separately. An option to buy the predefined combinations was still not available when I checked.
Electric Height Adjustment
I found the BEKANT desks with electric height adjustment available on both sides of the border. The BEKANT "corner desk right sit/stand" in "birch veneer/black" (article #: 290.224.88) was CAD$ 699 and US$ 599 on each respective website. With the exchange rate sitting at about ~US$ 0.90 for CAD$ 1, this appeared typical in terms of price variation between the two countries.
Cheapest Desk Available
One great thing about seeing these available in North America was that I finally understood the prices -- I didn't know what a Pound Sterling or Euro got me. The cheapest desk that I found on both websites was the same model: "desk, white, black" (article # 590.063.21). It was CAD$ 169 and US$ 129 on the respective sites. Good old white, it's usually the cheapest option among various products at Ikea. According to the product descriptions, this was for a 120 cm x 80 cm desk. Maximum load listed on both product pages was "100 kg" or "220 lb 7 oz." Also listed was the height range of the legs: 25 5/8" to 33 1/2".
Desk Screen
This is one item that I don't think I've ever commented on. I found a few desk configurations available with a screen included. Specifically, they were rectangular desks facing one another with a black divider wall between them. These screens appeared to be available in a full and short sizes: one to just divide above the desks, the other to divide both above and below. However, I was only able to find the shorter size available under the "Accessories" category on the United States website. The product description noted that the screens were made primarily from recycled PET plastic and PET plastic.
Frames
I've probably commented on this before, but the frames I found came with both the legs and the desktop support. This was in contrast with the GALANT system where every part appeared to be available separately (i.e. legs, desktop frame, and desktop).
Desktop Colors and Shapes
A number of desktop sizes, colors, and shapes were found. Not sure which tops worked with which frames though.
Et al.
Conference tables and other tables with straight legs, not T-legs, showed up in my search as well.
Conclusion
So that was the release of the Ikea BEKANT desk. It should now be available in at least parts of Europe and North America. Pretty interesting looking desk, but I am slightly bothered by the fact that the system feels less modular than the GALANT line. Everything I know at this point suggests that expanding existing tables or mix and matching parts isn't a feature anymore. On the other hand, I've never expanded any of my GALANT tables -- I'm up to three now. Not sure if I'll pick one up, but will definitely go and check them out in person soon.
<<< Ikea BEKANT: Part 2, In the UK
Related
Alternatives to Ikea BEKANT Desk
Alternatives to Ikea GALANT Desk
IKEA GALANT Desk A-Leg Review / Disassembled
IKEA GALANT Desk A-Legs and T-Legs Review
IKEA GALANT Desk Review
IKEA GALANT Desk T-Leg Review / Disassembled
Some stores have a little stock in Canada. For those who would like to know, you can buy just the frame and put Galant desk on them. Obivously the holes won't line up but a few wood screws and you can get a nice sit/stand desk using existing table top if that's what you are looking for.
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