16 Deals to Help Deck Out Your Home Office
Working from home is great. But if you do it full-time, you probably need more than a laptop and a kitchen table. Thankfully, most of us on the WIRED Gear team have been working from home for years, testing a ton of products along the way. If you’re in need of anything, a bunch of our favorite gear is discounted right now.
For more recommendations, check out our full guide to home office gear, plus our guides to laptop stands, webcams, mice, keyboards, and paper planners.
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Laptop Stand and Desk Deals
ObVus Solutions Laptop Tower Stand
Photograph: ObVus SolutionsThis has been our reigning laptop stand champ for the last year. It often goes on sale for around $70, but if you click the on-page coupon button, you can save an extra $5. This stand is just plain good. It keeps your laptop raised to a range of heights and tilts, so you should be able to sit or stand during the day. I’ve used it for a year and it hasn’t lost an ounce of sturdiness. Considering how expensive laptop stands can get, this one is a steal.
As laptops get faster and thinner each year, they also seem to come with fewer ports. For that, we need a good docking station. This one doubles as a small stand, giving your laptop a slight lift that you can pair with a better laptop stand if you have one. It includes ports for HDMI, VGA, DisplayPort, SD (and MicroSD) cards, USB-C, USB A, Ethernet, and 3.5mm headphone cords.
The ObVus tower is great, but if you like to stand for most of the day with a laptop, monitor, and separate keyboard and mouse, you need something bigger. The FlexiSpot EN1 is a good option. The instructions can be a little frustrating, but if you can build it without losing your mind, it’s cheaper than most good standing desks (before the discount!). It rises from 28 to 48 inches high and there are three height presets you can save for quick switching. There’s also a version without presets for $70 less.
This standard desk is not the cheapest it’s been, but it’s still cheaper than its $130 price last year, and a good value. It opts for particleboard instead of the highest-quality materials, but it isn’t lacking in function or sturdiness. The minimalist design allows it to fit into your existing setup too, instead of sticking out.
Monitor and Mount Deals
Vissles Portable Monitor
Photograph: VisslesWe recommend getting yourself a separate monitor, as a small laptop gets hard to navigate once several windows are open. But if you like to switch it up and work from an office (home or otherwise), the coffee shop down the street, or your dining table, this portable monitor is a better option. We loved it (9/10, WIRED Recommends), and all you need is a single cable to set it up. This version doesn’t have the touchscreen that we liked, but it’s still good if you don’t need touch.
If you already have a (non-portable) monitor that you like, consider mounting it. This one is pretty minimal so it isn’t an eyesore, plus it holds up to 20 pounds. Just make sure your monitor uses the VESA mounting standard.
Webcam Deals
Razer Kiyo
Photograph: RazerWe all stare at ourselves on Zoom meetings. Do yourself a favor and improve your lighting so you don’t look like you haven’t slept all week. With the Razer Kiyo, our favorite webcam, you get great lighting and a good HD (1080p) camera. The 82-degree field of view is slightly wider than most webcams.
The price for this camera has doubled since the pandemic hit, but it’s a good webcam with an HD 1080p resolution and a 78-degree field of view. It doesn’t have a light built into it like the Kiyo, but it will work nicely in anything but low light. It has a couple downsides. We didn’t love that the microphone records in mono not stereo, and it has a short cord that makes it difficult for using with a desktop (laptops are fine, though).
Even at a discount, this is a more expensive webcam, but it’s a good camera by Anker and it’s in stock, which we can’t say for a lot of webcams.
Mechanical Keyboard Deals
SteelSeries Apex Pro
Photograph: SteelseriesMechanical keyboards are often sold as “gaming” keyboards, but they are very nice to type on for us nine-to-fivers. This color keyboard comes with all the bells and whistles, plus a little LED display that shows your system alerts and volume. Each key can be customized to your switch liking.
If you love the loudest and clicky-clackiest of keyboards, this is the one to get. The switches are responsive and tactile, great for gaming and working. Plus, the keys are designed to really put the switches—and RBG lighting—on display.
If you never use arrow keys or a number pad, a 60-percent keyboard might be good for you. They take up less space and usually cost a bit less, so your desk can maintain some semblance of order. This is WIRED writer Jess Grey’s favorite of 60-percents because it’s just as responsive as your typical full-size keyboard.
Mouse Deals
SteelSeries Prime
Photograph: SteelSeriesJust like we said above for gaming keyboards, gaming mice can be just as nice for regular computer work. And if you do game after work, you don’t have to switch your setups completely. This SteelSeries Prime Wireless mouse is our favorite of the gaming mice we tried. It should fit a bunch of hand sizes and it’s quick and responsive. For people who work from different areas of the house, it has a good range too if you’re connected to a PC tower.
The price of this mouse fluctuates, but it does jump to $150 so it’s a good time to buy if you need a top-of-the-line gaming mouse. It has optical switches and response times lower than 0.2 milliseconds, plus it’s intuitive to use and ambidextrous.
Paper Planner Deals
A good planner will keep your work-from-home life together. We don’t have one favorite because everyone has their preferences, but we think pen and paper are just better. Erin Condren is a major player in the planner world, and right now the whole site is 25 percent off. WIRED writer Louryn Strampe calls the Weekly LifePlanner “the Rolex of paper planners.” It has three layout options (horizontal, vertical, or hourly) that you choose before checkout and you can personalize your planner further with monogrammed covers.
I love this planner. It has spacious vertical weekly layouts so I can jot down everything I need to do that week and per day, Plus, it has beautiful artwork based around astrology and gives me helpful information on moon phases and planetary events.
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