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While you may not have much say in what happens in your office workspace, one of the huge benefits of having a home office is that you can take complete ownership of it. This is true whether you’ve just created a home office or have been using one for years, because almost anything you install in your workspace can be upgraded at any time.
That might not seem like it right now, as a global RAM crisis is driving up prices for things like desktops, laptops, and even mobile devices. RAM prices have gotten so high that a YouTuber is making his own. But there’s no need to be so dramatic, because there are still plenty of affordable and useful products that can be a quality upgrade to your home workspace.
Whether you work from home part-time or use a home office to run a business full-time, we’ve selected several products that can make your workday a little better in one way or another. With more obvious things like computers and peripheral equipment aside for the moment, we focused on physical and mental comfort, cleanliness, everyday usefulness, and pricing relative to similar products on the market.
Sweetcrispy executive chair
Some of the best ergonomic chairs would be a nice office upgrade, but they can be a bit expensive and there are much more affordable options. One of them is the Sweetcrispy executive chair, which has a regular price of just $53 on Amazon. It will definitely offer an ergonomic improvement over some other budget office chairs on the market, as it is designed to reduce spinal strain with lumbar support, and its fixed armrests can relieve arm, shoulder, and neck fatigue throughout the day.
At such a competitive price, one would expect the Sweetcrispy executive chair to be made from cheap, flimsy plastic. And although heavier plastic is used for part of the chair’s construction, the base is metal and the gas lift is SGS certified and supports up to 250 pounds. This office chair is also very convenient, as it is designed to be fully assembled in just 10-15 minutes and comes with all the tools needed to put it together.
Many other home office workers looking for an upgrade have stumbled upon the Sweetcrispy executive chair, leaving us with plenty of Amazon reviews to back it up. It has received over 2,200 reviews and has an overall rating of 4.5 stars out of 5. Some reviewers say the chair is too small and others speak negatively about its comfort. But it will depend on your body type, and 95% of Amazon customers give this office chair a favorable review.
Durbester desk fan
Office gadgets are another way to improve your home office setup. And while something like an external hard drive or a new keyboard might improve the way you interact with your computer, here’s an option to improve the way you interact with your work overall. The Durbester Desk Fan could find a place in any home office as summer temperatures set in. Even during the colder months, a desk fan can be helpful in keeping air circulating around your workspace.
Priced at $30, the Durbester Desk Fan comes in black and white color options. The overall design of the fan is modern and professional, and when it comes to using it, the Durbester desk fan offers plenty of features. It has 100 adjustable speeds and a 115-degree tilt that should allow you to place it almost anywhere on your desk. It also incorporates some technology, including a smart LED digital display that shows what speed level you have the fan set to.
One thing to note about this fan, however, is that its battery may not last very long. At 100% fan speed, it will only last two hours before needing to be recharged. You’ll get more life out of it at lower speeds, with the fan capable of running for a full workday at 20% of its power. Customers on Amazon have given the Durbester Desk Fan an overall rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, with 82% giving it a favorable rating.
Edifier Retro Bluetooth Speaker
Adding a way to listen to your favorite music throughout the day can be a welcome improvement to your home office. Most of the best Bluetooth speakers can reach well beyond the $100 mark, and setting up a desktop audio system would cost a lot more. But the Edifier Retro Bluetooth Speaker costs $100 on Amazon, and it’s regularly discounted there, too. It comes in brown and white color options, both of which should blend seamlessly into any home office.
This speaker uses Bluetooth 5.0, which transmits audio quickly, uses less power, and is less susceptible to interference from other Bluetooth devices you might have in your office. You can keep this speaker plugged in via USB cable, but it also offers up to nine hours of playback on its battery. This would allow you to use it elsewhere on days when you want to make the back patio your home office, or want the option to listen to music out loud while traveling.
Looking at the dimensions of the speaker, it is smaller than some of its product photos would suggest. This is good for portability, but it could also mean that the speaker has some limitations in terms of playback volume and audio quality. But 94% of Amazon customer reviews are favorable, with several specifically commenting on the audio quality of the Edifier Retro Bluetooth Speaker. A larger version is also available if you have any doubts.
TechOrbits Standing Desk Converter
There are many ways to prevent neck and back pain while you’re at the office, but if it’s a problem you experience frequently throughout the day, you can always consider standing up while you work. Standing desks can be incredibly expensive, but the TechOrbits Standing Desk Converter lets you stand at the desk you already use. It can accommodate a desktop or laptop, or a dual monitor setup. There is also space reserved for a keyboard and mouse.
Priced at $130, the TechOrbits Standing Desk Converter may seem expensive at first glance. But it’s much cheaper than most standing desks, and even compared to some other standing desk converters from TechOrbits, this one is cheap. This is the 32-inch version, with the 42-inch version costing $70 more. This uses gas springs and easily changes height by pressing a handle and lifting the workstation. It is capable of adding 20 inches of height to your desk.
This is another incredibly popular home office upgrade on Amazon. It has received over 7,000 reviews, with 96% of reviewers giving it a favorable rating. Standing throughout the workday may not seem like a home office upgrade to some, but for those looking to add a little variety to the home office, the TechOrbits Standing Desk Converter is an affordable place to start.
Alestor 12 outlet surge protector
A surge protector is far from the flashiest upgrade you can make for your home office, but if your surge protector has broken or you have more items to plug in than outlets available, its practicality can be a major upgrade. The Alestor 12 Outlet Surge Protector is one of the best-reviewed options we could find on Amazon. It has over 50,000 reviews, 99% of which give it a favorable rating. This equates to an overall rating of 4.8 stars out of 5.
This model of surge protectors from Alestor starts at $22, and that’s for 12 outlets and a 6-foot cord. It’s available in black for this price and in gray or white for just $1 more. It is also available with 10 or 20 foot cables, which will increase the price significantly. But the 12-outlet, 6-foot-cable version will probably be enough for most people. It includes 10 standard-spaced outlets, two widely spaced outlets for devices using a brick power cable, and four USB charging ports that feature a USB-C port.
A surge protector like this could be placed above a shared office setup for home workers who share their workspace with a spouse or who have employees drop by from time to time. It could also be stored behind a desk for more traditional use. With built-in USB ports, it lets you organize your cables, getting rid of device chargers and the clutter that can come with them.
How We Selected These Cheap But Useful Home Office Improvements
With prices rising across much of the digital device world, we wanted to keep affordability in mind when putting together this list. However, we didn’t just choose the cheapest items, but instead focused on the items that can be really useful in a home office. We then searched for well-priced products in these categories. To review each selection, we relied heavily on Amazon customer reviews for convenience and feedback, prioritizing products with large numbers of reviews and high ratings.
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