Office & WFH · Head-to-head
Branch Office Desk vs IKEA MITTZON Desk
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Home Office Desks: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
The Branch Office Desk gets material, edge, depth, and cable routing right at the same time, and puts a ten year warranty behind it. The IKEA MITTZON Desk is the value answer and actually beats it on depth and on fitting the desk to your body, for meaningfully less money.
Branch Office Desk
Buy itA contract-grade laminate over MDF top with a beveled edge, a grommet already cut, and a ten year warranty behind it.
- MDF core with an impact and stain resistant laminate, and a beveled front edge instead of a peel-prone banding strip
- Brushed grommet is standard, with an optional in-desk power module rather than a strip taped underneath
- The 60 by 30 inch configuration gives genuine monitor distance, which most desks in any tier do not
- Ten year warranty and contract-grade construction, with powder coated steel legs and leveling feet
- Only two sizes, and the smaller 48 by 24 inch version gives up the depth that makes the big one worth buying
- Laminate cannot be refinished, so a deep gouge is permanent
- The mirror-polished leg option costs more without changing how the desk performs
IKEA MITTZON Desk
Buy itIKEA's office range, not its home range: real walnut veneer, a designed-in cable tray, the deepest top here, and the same ten year warranty for less money.
- Particleboard core with a real walnut veneer and clear lacquer, not a printed foil
- Deepest configuration in this group at 31 1/2 inches, which is where monitor distance stops being a problem
- Cable management tray with access from above and the sides, a lidded compartment, and an available plug-in power module
- Leg height is set during assembly anywhere from 25 5/8 to 33 1/2 inches, so the desk fits your body rather than the industry average
- Changing the height later means unbolting and repositioning the legs, so treat it as a decision rather than a setting
- Veneer over particleboard is still particleboard, so a chip in the lacquer that stays wet will eventually swell
- Looks like office furniture, which is fine in a work room and less fine in a living space
Side by side
| Branch Office Desk | IKEA MITTZON Desk | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | Anyone buying one desk to keep for a decade who wants cable routing solved out of the box. | Dedicated work spaces, and anyone noticeably taller or shorter than average who wants the height dialed in without paying for a motor. |
| Price tier | $$$ · premium | $$ · mid-range |
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the Branch Office Desk - A contract-grade laminate over MDF top with a beveled edge, a grommet already cut, and a ten year warranty behind it. Choose the IKEA MITTZON Desk instead if dedicated work spaces, and anyone noticeably taller or shorter than average who wants the height dialed in without paying for a motor.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Home Office Desks: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).