A standing desk isn’t complete without a standing desk mat, at least not if you value your comfort. We tried out the Topo by Ergodriven Standing Desk Mat, testing it for comfort, design, and performance. We decided to test it for a few hours a day over the course of a week to see how it worked.
Design: Simply modern
At 26.2 inches by 29 inches (LW), the Topo is a fairly wide mat, giving the user lots of berth to shift around. It comes with two power wedges in the back with calf-stretching inclines in the front that end up going 2.7 inches high, though the bottom platform of the mat is much thinner. It also comes with a massage mound in the center of the mat. For the most part, we liked the mat, but placing the massage mound in the center we felt was detrimental for standing space.
Performance: Flawed, but still solid
As we previously stated, one of the features of this mat is the massage mound in the center. When we first stepped onto the mat, we really disliked how we couldn’t shift without bumping the massage mound. It’s a great feature if you want to change your ankle stances or relieve your foot pain. However, if you’re standing on the mat for extended hours at a time, your feet are stuck off to the sides and you really can’t shift around as time progresses. That said, other features of the mat are spectacular. The front wedges are designed to stretch your calves. When we used them throughout the day, they really helped to relieve the tightness from extended standing periods. Though we did feel they were a steeper incline than other mats we’ve recently tested. Another great feature is the rear power wedges. While technically it’s one large wedge, there’s a small groove you can rest your heel to change up your stretches as the day passes by. It’s steeper than other models we tested. The steeper incline was better in many ways because it gave us a more intense hamstring stretch. It was a great way to get the blood circulating. We also liked how the mat slides around on various surfaces, but it’s not too slippery. We hauled it around to various offices with tile and carpet. Each time we set it down, we could push it under the desk with ease if we needed to sit for extended lengths of time and pull it out just as easily when we wanted to stand.
Price: Pretty steep for a mat
Topo Ergodriven vs. CubeFit TerraMat
We decided to compare the Ergodriven Topo against CubeFit’s TerraMat. Price-wise, they’re very similar, retailing around $100. They also come with massage mounds and various power wedges. However, the TerraMat has more features on the mat itself, including a balance bar and plantar mounds off to the sides, as well as a massage mound in the front. None of the actual features are located in the TerraMat’s center, unlike the Topo mat. While the TerraMat may have more features for you, it also shows more dirt, which we found was a large turnoff, especially since you’re encouraged to use these mats sans shoes. We really didn’t like putting our feet onto a clearly dirty mat. The Ergodriven mat hides dirt and slides more easily across the floor than the TerraMat. If you prefer a mat that hides the dirt, but still comes with the main stretching features, we recommend the Ergodriven. However, if you want all the bells and whistles to a standing desk mat, we think the TerraMat would be the better choice. For a standing desk mat with some exercise features, the Ergodriven Topo is a fairly decent choice. While we think there are other, better mats out there, but the Topo does hide dirt better, and the deep rear wedges stretch the hamstrings more than most other models on the market. If you want a solid stretch, then the Ergodriven Topo is the best choice for you.
