How we research
The short version: we don’t own the furniture we write about, and we don’t claim to. Every measurement on this site comes from the manufacturer’s own published specification, and we name the source. What we add is the apartment arithmetic those specifications leave out.
What we do
We start from the manufacturer’s specification sheet. Not from a retailer listing, and not from another review site. Retailer listings are frequently wrong about dimensions, and roundups copy each other. When a brand publishes a cut sheet, that is what we use.
We then check the numbers that decide whether something works in a small home, and which almost nobody prints together: overall depth rather than seat width, base diameter rather than body size, open dimensions rather than folded ones, and how much floor is left once a person is actually using the thing.
We cross-check against owner reports where a specification is ambiguous or missing, and we say when we’re doing that.
What we don’t do
- We don’t run a lab, and we don’t say we do. There is no testing team, no wobble rig, no decibel meter.
- We don’t publish a number we can’t point to. If a manufacturer doesn’t publish it, the table says not published.
- We don’t accept free products in exchange for coverage.
- We don’t remove a drawback because a brand asked. Every pick lists what it fails at.
How a product gets on a list
| Step 1 | Build the candidate set from manufacturer catalogues, filtered on published footprint. |
|---|---|
| Step 2 | Drop anything a roundup calls “compact” that the manufacturer’s own page contradicts. |
| Step 3 | Record footprint, height range, capacity, noise where published, mounting method and warranty. |
| Step 4 | Work out the clearance the product needs in use, not just the space it occupies at rest. |
| Step 5 | Rank on fit first, then on what you give up at that size. |
How we’re paid
DeskFootprint earns commission when a reader buys through a link here, at no extra cost to them. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Commission never decides what makes a list or in what order. A product that fits better ranks higher than one that pays better, and several picks here earn us nothing at all.
Prices change constantly, so we don’t print them. Check the current price on the retailer’s page before you buy.
Corrections
If a specification here is wrong, tell us and we’ll fix it and note the change. Getting a dimension wrong is the worst thing this site can do, because the dimension is the whole point.