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If you’re looking for a method to save space whilst ensuring that you maintain a comfortable posture while sitting at a desk, then a keyboard tray is for you!
Sitting at a desk for hours at a time can be hard on your body, and it is essential that you invest in proper support. A lack of support can be damaging and, in turn, increases your risk of developing repetitive strain injuries such as carpal tunnel. A keyboard tray can help you combat this.
We’ve collected the top five best keyboard trays for your convenience. We’ve also written a handy buyer’s guide as well as answered some frequently asked questions that you might have thought of.
Protect yourself against aches and pains with your new keyboard tray!
The adjustable unit features 3 height adjustments to suit your preferred work position and moves the keyboard and mouse off the desktop to save workspace.
A keyboard stopper holds the keyboard securely in place while you work, while ball-bearing glide tracks ensure the drawer slides smoothly back and forth.
Pros:
The attractive sleek look and color work to blend with any office décor, making this keyboard tray the perfect addition to your desk.
This keyboard tray can help you save space effectively!
The Fellowes keyboard tray is made out of 100% recycled materials.
Cons:
A few customers claimed that they struggled with the screws of this particular keyboard tray.
Work can feel stressful enough without a cluttered workspace. Win back valuable desk space by adding a lower-tier surface for your keyboard!
Pros:
Easy to set up! All the necessary hardware and instructions are provided for assembly, and mounting your keyboard tray to the desk is an easy process with adjustable clamps.
This keyboard tray features anti-skid padding for scratch resistance.
3-year manufacturer warranty, so you don’t need to worry about feeling dissatisfied with your purchase!
Cons:
One customer claimed that the assembly of this particular keyboard tray was harder than they were expecting.
The Defy Desk Clamp-On Keyboard Tray is designed to relieve the pain caused by bad posture and the back pain and stress you might feel working long hours at a desk.
With the sturdy C-clamps, solid wooden tray, and premium stainless steel side rails, you can make sure that your tray will slide in and out smoothly!
The Defy desk keyboard tray is versatile! Designed to fit the majority of desks that are wider than 32 inches.
Pros:
Now you can reduce clutter by tucking your bulky keyboard and mouse, freeing up space on the top of your desk so that your office doesn’t feel cluttered.
Defy Desk products are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so should you feel dissatisfied with your product you will receive your money back!
Sturdy keyboard tray that’s easy and convenient to install!
Cons:
One customer noted that when they lift their hands from the keyboard, the tray withdraws back a few inches.
The 3M Keyboard Tray is designed to improve your productivity and comfort!
The sturdy all-in-one engineered wood platform minimizes bounce while you’re typing.
This keyboard tray includes an easy to clean leatherette covered gel wrist rest and a precise mouse pad with a battery-saving design that positions right or left.
Pros:
Lifetime warranty on keyboard arm, five years on keyboard platform, and one year on gel wrist rest.
The platform swivels left and right 360° and stows completely under the desk when not in use which makes this keyboard tray a great space saver!
Contains 70% pre-consumer recycled content.
Cons:
One customer noted that they struggled with the screws setting this particular keyboard tray up.
The HUANUO Keyboard Tray is the perfect addition to organize your desk.
This keyboard tray encourages a proper height for comfortable typing posture, minimizing the risk of injury!
When your keyboard is out of use, just slide in the keyboard tray under the desktop instead of placing it on the desk, saving up valuable space on your workstation.
Pros:
Easy Installation - Attach clamps to any desktop surface up to 1.57" in thickness, with no tools required.
Full-size keyboard drawer with a 27.5” x 12.25” surface fits all sizes of keyboard mouse combo.
Easily slide the tray in and out for convenient keyboard placement.
Cons:
A couple of customers claimed that they had trouble pulling this keyboard tray out.
Best Keyboard Tray Buying Guide
There are a few factors to take into consideration when purchasing a keyboard tray, but it mainly comes back to the keyboard tray being easy to install, its adjustability, and its dimensions.
You want to ensure that your keyboard tray is of high quality and easily adjustable.
You might find that cheaper keyboard trays are more likely to become jammed over time and can be less seamless as a result. Make sure that you invest in one that makes your life easier, not harder!
Check out the factors below before purchasing a keyboard tray.
Installation
Another important factor to consider when purchasing the right keyboard tray for you is how easy it is to install.
Generally speaking, installing a tray is relatively straightforward. That being said, you’ll want to find a keyboard tray that isn’t too tricky to install yourself, as you won’t want to have to hire help as this is just an extra hassle and cost!
A lot of keyboard trays are suitable to use with the majority of desks and attach using an assortment of screws. However, you’ll need to measure your desk carefully to figure out the right dimensions that are best for your keyboard tray.
Adjustability
You’ll need to consider the adjustability of a keyboard tray before you purchase it.
Clearance is arguably the most important thing to consider, as you’ll want to make sure there’s enough space left for your legs to fit under the desk once the tray has been installed.
This can be tricky if you’re on the taller side so be mindful when doing your research! Lots of keyboard trays use low-profile designs in the interest of ensuring knee clearance.
Be sure to measure under your desk to get a rough idea of how much space is between you and the desk when you’re seated.
You’ll need to think about height adjustments, also. Some tracks will help you better adjust their tilt and height to accommodate a large range of sitting positions and postures of your choosing to find the most comfortable working position for you. This is particularly helpful as it is healthy to switch up your position throughout the day.
You may also find keyboard trays that swing side-to-side in addition to sliding forward and backward are beneficial, depending on the range of adjustability that you’d prefer.
Dimensions
An important factor to take into account when purchasing a keyboard tray is its dimensions.
If you don’t do this, you could end up with a track that’s too long for your desk, and it will awkwardly stick out from your desk after it’s installed as a result.
However, you don’t want a track that can’t be pushed back far enough to fail to conceal your keyboard. The tray you select should match not only your desk but also the amount of space you need for your computer and other desk accessories.
Before you choose your keyboard tray, make sure that you’ve taken the time to measure the dimensions of your current mousepad and keyboard.
This can provide you with a better idea of how well your equipment will fit on the tray. If the tray has an independent mouse platform, you’ll want to ensure the dimensions are appropriate for your mouse pad, also.
However, you might decide that you want to look for a separate mouse tray, made to clip to the rail and slide in and out like your keyboard.
Material
When choosing the right keyboard tray for you, you’ll need to take into account the type of material that it is made out of.
Typically, the more expensive keyboard trays tend to come in sleeker materials and designs. The material that you choose is important as it could determine, or at least contribute to how durable the keyboard tray is.
A few materials that are commonly used to make keyboard trays include:
Plastic - Arguably the most common material used to make keyboard trays, plastic is durable and generally pretty inexpensive. It can add a sleek touch to your desk and comes in a variety of different colors to choose from.
Wood - Wood keyboard trays are often beautifully designed with woods such as oak, and can add a luxurious touch to any desk. However, depending on the wood that you choose, they can be on the pricier side.
Stainless steel - Stainless steel keyboard trays are durable and built to last. They are quite often marketed as scratch-resistant and as stainless steel is a remarkably resilient material to invest in.
Whichever material you choose for your keyboard tray, make sure you take into consideration your priorities and pick the right product for you accordingly.
Tilting feature
Something important to take into account when purchasing a keyboard tray is its tilting feature, as there is one thing that a keyboard placed on the surface of a desk cannot do: tilt.
Having a keyboard tray that can angle the keyboard at a negative tilt is ideal. This is because, for the majority of people, this is the most natural and comfortable position for typing and, in turn, can prevent repetitive strain and injury from occurring.
You’ll ideally want a keyboard tray that has a tilting feature allowing you to create either a positive or negative tilt to improve ergonomics.
Sitting or standing can affect the kind of angular tilt you want for your keyboard, and consequently, the tilt you want from your keyboard tray, so take this into account when making your choice.
Generally speaking, the keyboard should be able to tilt a minimum of 15 degrees, so you’ll need a keyboard tray that can accommodate this to make sure that you’re gaining all the benefits of owning one.
Wrist support
You should take the wrist support that your keyboard tray into consideration before clicking ‘buy’.
Working at a desk can place pressure on your body throughout the day, so you need to make sure that your arms and wrists are properly positioned throughout the day.
A lot of keyboard trays feature wrist pads for comfort and support. Working with its tilting feature are wrist supports for the keyboard and mouse. The job of a wrist pad is to keep your wrists in a neutral position reducing muscular tension in arms, shoulders, and backs.
If you struggle with pain in any of these areas, the wrist support a keyboard tray could provide you might be hugely beneficial! Make sure that you look for a keyboard tray with appropriate wrist support to get the most out of your purchase.
Warranty
The warranty of the keyboard tray that you choose is also important to consider, as you’ll be able to have the product replaced by the company you purchase it from.
Checking the warranty of a product is always important, as the warranty will cover you should your product be faulty or if it breaks sooner than you were expecting.
Some companies even offer a money-back guarantee, which means that you’ll be able to receive a full refund should you dislike the product or it just doesn’t work for you.
Be prepared for every eventuality by making sure that you’re happy with the warranty before purchasing your keyboard tray!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the benefits of using a keyboard tray?
There are multiple benefits of using a keyboard tray. Namely, it can be a huge space saver, especially if you have an already crowded desk area. Work can be stressful enough without your desk feeling cluttered, so a keyboard tray can help eliminate the mess that an unorganized desk can bring to your life.
More importantly, keyboard trays can be a great way of ensuring that you maintain a comfortable posture whilst working long hours at a desk and can help protect you against aches and pains. This is especially important when it comes to carpal tunnel syndrome.
Repetitive hand motion creates a strain on the median nerve in the wrist which results in carpal tunnel syndrome. A major symptom of carpal tunnel is tingling or numbness in your hand and arm caused by pinching of the median nerve in your hand. A keyboard tray can help reduce this significantly, especially when you’re working for long periods of time day in and day out.
Are keyboard trays easy to install?
The answer to this question is subject to change between keyboard trays, but generally speaking, keyboard trays are relatively simple to install.
However, if you know you’re not the best at DIY or are simply a beginner, your best bet is to try to find one that is specifically marketed as being simple to install.
You should also ensure that you choose a keyboard tray that comes with detailed instructions on how to install it to your desk or look for instructions on the manufacturer’s website.
However, if you find that you’re struggling to try to install it, there are also plenty of tutorials online that you can watch in preparation. If you’d prefer, you could even ask a friend to help you!
Are keyboard trays an office essential?
The answer to this question is largely subjective. Some people might see it as an extra expense, however, the organization and benefits of using a keyboard tray are second to none!
A keyboard tray helps keep your keyboard and mouse within your neutral reach zone - the area you can easily access when your upper arms are at rest beside your body, with your elbows bent.
As we’ve discussed, this can help prevent injury, and is a great way to save space and restore order to your desk! If you can afford a keyboard tray, why not give one a try?
