A CR Ergonomics Expert Shows Off His Home Workspace
Paul Ritchey tests ergonomic gear for a living. Here's what he actually uses.
In the elite circles of professional sports, athletes view their gear as much more than just equipment. It’s a finely tuned extension of themselves. A ballplayer’s glove, for example, is broken in over a thousand innings, while a sprinter’s spikes are weighted to the gram.
For Paul Ritchey, in-house ergonomics expert at Consumer Reports, the proper home office setup is no less important.
A Motorized Standing Desk
Photo: Consumer Reports Photo: Consumer Reports
The foundation of Ritchey’s command center is his motorized FlexiSpot standing desk, chosen for its precision. He uses the motor primarily to find the perfect sitting height, which is often lower than what a standard desk provides. The ideal height places your forearms parallel to the floor when your hands rest on the keyboard, with your elbows bent at roughly 90 degrees and your shoulders relaxed—not hunched up toward your ears. At the end of the day, Ritchey uses this same motorized feature to “reclaim” his living room, raising the desk to its maximum height so his chair can slide completely underneath and out of the way.
Ritchey uses Flexispot’s Pro E5 Standing Desk. Here’s the manufacturer’s current model:
FlexiSpot Pro E7 Standing Desk
Price: $469.99 (with Chipboard top)
Buy at: FlexiSpot
An Adjustable Chair
Photo: Consumer Reports Photo: Consumer Reports
Ritchey’s seat of choice is the Cooler Master Ergo L, a gaming chair that doubles as a serious office workhorse. While it’s marketed to gamers, Ritchey points out that many high-level gaming chairs are essentially well-designed ergonomic office chairs with cool color accents and aesthetic details. While you’re essentially paying for style on top of substance, the substance itself is actually real.
What makes this chair stand out is its adjustability. Beyond the standard seat height adjustment, the Ergo L features armrests that can adjust down (crucial for sliding under his raised desk at day’s end), a seat pan that lets Ritchey fine-tune the seat depth to support his thighs without pressing into the backs of his knees, and adjustable lumbar support. Ritchey is quick to note, however, that no chair is a “magic bullet.” You can’t just spend $1,000 on a Herman Miller and expect everything to be fixed. A chair has to be part of a comprehensive strategy: You need to know how to adjust it, how to sit in it, and how to set up the rest of your workstation around it.
While Cooler Master’s Ergo L is no longer available, Ritchey has evaluated other gaming and office chairs for us over the past few years. Feel free to consult his reviews for help in choosing the one that’s best for you.
A Split Keyboard
Photo: Kinesis Photo: Kinesis
The literal centerpiece of Ritchey’s operation is the Kinesis Freestyle2, a split keyboard that looks less like a computer peripheral and more like something salvaged from a starship cockpit. For Ritchey, this isn’t about aesthetics; it’s about the “neutral” position. By splitting the keys into two separate wells, the device prevents the wrists from bending outward, a common flaw in standard designs that can lead to long-term strain. It is a specialized tool with a steep learning curve—Ritchey says it can take about two weeks to master—but once you get the feel for it, the space between the two keypads even becomes a perfect staging ground for Post-it notes.
Kinesis Freestyle2 Split-Adjustable Keyboard (KB800)
Price: $89-$115
Buy at: Amazon, Kinesis, Newegg, Target
Well-Positioned Monitors
Photo: BestBuy Photo: BestBuy
Ritchey’s setup is a triple-threat of screens: a primary center monitor, a laptop to the right, and a monitor on the left rotated into portrait mode. This vertical orientation is a pro-level move for data-heavy tasks, allowing him to scan long documents without constant scrolling. However, the real MVP isn’t the pixels, but the adjustable monitor arms holding them in place. Ritchey argues that the biggest mistake people make is using a monitor with a fixed stand. By using an adjustable monitor stand, he can move his screens to the exact millimeter where his eyes naturally land, ensuring his neck remains in a neutral stacked position.
Ritchey uses a monitor stand from a company called Milky Way, but you’ll find solid options at retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. Just make sure the one you choose says “VESA.” That’s the standardized mount format. Here are two options (note that we have not tested them):
Amazon Basics Single Computer Monitor Stand
Price: $27.99
Buy at: Amazon
Mount It Premium Single Monitor Desk Mount
Price: $28.99
Buy at: Best Buy
A Footrest
Photo: Amazon Photo: Amazon
While its primary job is to keep his knees at a healthy angle, Ritchey’s Eureka footrest serves a dual purpose. A footrest is particularly valuable for shorter individuals or anyone whose feet don’t rest flat on the floor when seated at the proper desk height—dangling feet can lead to pressure on the thighs and reduced circulation. Ritchey also uses the footrest as a “fidget tool,” rocking it throughout the day. This frequent motion allows the muscles in his lower legs to contract and relax, promoting blood flow and improving circulation, which is a significant upgrade over holding a static posture for hours. It’s also a reminder that the best ergonomic advice isn’t just about how you sit, but how much you move.
Eureka Ergonomic Under Desk Footrest
Price: $45.99
Buy at: Amazon, Eureka Ergonomic, Newegg, Target
Real-World Hacks
Books and Towels
And yet, Ritchey, a doctor of public health in epidemiology and environmental health, has to contend with the limitations of a New York living room. This is where the scrappy side of Ritchey’s setup emerges. When he isn’t at his primary rig, he relies on the same DIY hacks he recommends to readers on a budget. If a monitor is too low, for example, he simply reaches for a stack of books. It’s a low-tech solution, plenty effective at bringing the screen to eye level. He recommends leveraging bath or beach towels to augment an office chair: you can pad the backrest with towels if the seat is too long or roll a towel up and use it for lumbar support for your back if needed.
A Low-Cost Mouse
Photo: Amazon Photo: Amazon
Ritchey also makes a strong case for ditching the laptop trackpad. He admits he has never mastered the touchpad for speed or comfort. Instead, he swears by an external mouse—specifically, he uses a Dell MS111-P. If you envision “standard office mouse,” you’ll see this Dell. He believes even a cheap, basic mouse such as this is a massive ergonomic upgrade over a trackpad. That’s because an external mouse allows your arm and shoulder to stay in a more natural position during long work sessions.
Ritchey’s mouse is hard to find these days, but don’t worry: virtually any basic option is a better ergonomic solution than relying on your laptop’s trackpad. Here are two examples (we have not tested them):
Amazon Basics 2.4 Ghz Wireless Optical Computer Mouse
Price: $9.99
Buy at: Amazon
Logitech M185
Price: $17.99
Buy at: Best Buy
Ultimately, Ritchey’s home office is a synthesis of the ideal and the practical. It’s a space where a specialized keyboard can sit just feet away from a rolled-up towel. The lesson he offers isn’t that you need to spend thousands to save your back; it’s that you need to understand the thinking behind the system. Whether you are using a motorized desk to hide your chair or propping up a monitor with a dictionary, the goal is the same: to make the tools fit the person, rather than forcing the person to fit the tools.
As Ritchey puts it, the best setup is the one that gives you the grace to work comfortably, even when the reality of your environment is less than perfect. By focusing on the high of essential equipment and the low of clever hacks, anyone can build a setup that keeps you in the game for the long haul. It’s about having the right gear in the right place, so that when the clock starts, you can focus on the work, not the ache in your neck.
