{
  "guide": {
    "slug": "teenage-engineering-field-desk",
    "title": "Teenage Engineering Field Desk Buyer Guide",
    "subtitle": "The modular rail desk, its fixed height and load limit, and why a shipping quote matters more than the catalog price.",
    "summary": "Field Desk is a modular design purchase with a 750 mm fixed height. Measure your setup and obtain a delivered quote before treating its $1,599 catalog price as the budget.",
    "archetype": "buyer",
    "category": {
      "slug": "hardware",
      "name": "Hardware",
      "description": "Product factsheets for computers, devices, peripherals, and buying decisions."
    },
    "tags": [
      "teenage-engineering",
      "hardware",
      "design",
      "teenage-engineering-field-desk"
    ],
    "version": "2026-10-18.2",
    "publishedAt": "2026-10-18",
    "updatedAt": "2026-10-18",
    "freshness": "Checked October 18, 2026. Specifications and catalog prices are manufacturer statements. This is a source-based buying reference, not an independent hands-on test or live offer feed.",
    "heroLabel": "Teenage Engineering",
    "vaultPath": "Research/Technology/Hardware/Teenage Engineering Field Desk Buyer Guide.md",
    "r2JsonKey": "guides/teenage-engineering-field-desk/2026-10-18.2.json",
    "stats": [],
    "thesisCards": [
      {
        "label": "Buying call",
        "title": "Buy it for the rail system and design.",
        "body": "The modular rail desk, its fixed height and load limit, and why a shipping quote matters more than the catalog price."
      }
    ],
    "sources": [
      {
        "id": "product",
        "title": "Field Desk construction and dimensions",
        "url": "https://teenage.engineering/products/field-desk",
        "publisher": "Teenage Engineering",
        "sourceType": "official",
        "role": "spec",
        "accessedAt": "2026-10-18"
      },
      {
        "id": "store",
        "title": "Field Desk quotation and shipping",
        "url": "https://teenage.engineering/store/field-desk",
        "publisher": "Teenage Engineering",
        "sourceType": "official",
        "role": "spec",
        "accessedAt": "2026-10-18"
      },
      {
        "id": "us-api",
        "title": "Official US product price and status feed",
        "url": "https://teenage.engineering/_api/mw2/products.json",
        "publisher": "Teenage Engineering",
        "sourceType": "official",
        "role": "price",
        "accessedAt": "2026-10-18"
      },
      {
        "id": "maker",
        "title": "An independent maker builds an alternative",
        "url": "https://jamesbvaughan.com/meadow-desk/",
        "publisher": "James Vaughan",
        "sourceType": "community",
        "role": "community-signal",
        "accessedAt": "2026-10-18"
      }
    ],
    "claims": [
      {
        "id": "claim-1",
        "claim": "The desk measures 1195 × 770 × 750 mm, weighs 14 kg, and lists a 75 kg maximum load.",
        "sourceId": "product",
        "sectionId": "dimensions",
        "guideLocation": "dimensions",
        "evidenceType": "official",
        "confidence": "high",
        "caveat": "Manufacturer documentation checked October 18, 2026; no independent performance or condition verification."
      },
      {
        "id": "claim-2",
        "claim": "R20 rails use a 20 × 20 mm profile and 25 mm hole grid.",
        "sourceId": "product",
        "sectionId": "construction",
        "guideLocation": "construction",
        "evidenceType": "official",
        "confidence": "high",
        "caveat": "Manufacturer documentation checked October 18, 2026; no independent performance or condition verification."
      },
      {
        "id": "claim-3",
        "claim": "Field Desk requires a quote and is excluded from free shipping.",
        "sourceId": "store",
        "sectionId": "quote",
        "guideLocation": "quote",
        "evidenceType": "official",
        "confidence": "high",
        "caveat": "Manufacturer documentation checked October 18, 2026; no independent performance or condition verification."
      },
      {
        "id": "claim-4",
        "claim": "The October 18 US price feed retains $1,599.",
        "sourceId": "us-api",
        "sectionId": "quote",
        "guideLocation": "quote",
        "evidenceType": "official",
        "confidence": "high",
        "caveat": "Manufacturer documentation checked October 18, 2026; no independent performance or condition verification."
      }
    ],
    "sections": [
      {
        "id": "decision",
        "eyebrow": "Decision",
        "title": "Buy it for the rail system and design.",
        "body": "Field Desk makes sense when its visible aluminum structure and attachment grid are part of the workspace you want. If you simply need a surface for a keyboard, monitor, and synthesizer, compare ordinary desks before spending on this system. The purchase does not add audio, power distribution, or an ergonomic setup by itself."
      },
      {
        "id": "dimensions",
        "eyebrow": "Compare",
        "title": "Check both the tabletop and the whole desk.",
        "table": {
          "columns": [
            "Measurement",
            "Manufacturer specification",
            "Buying consequence"
          ],
          "rows": [
            [
              "Overall dimensions",
              "1195 × 770 × 750 mm",
              "Map the footprint and fixed working height in your room."
            ],
            [
              "Board",
              "1155 × 770 mm",
              "Overall frame width is not all usable tabletop width."
            ],
            [
              "Weight",
              "14 kg",
              "Flat packing helps transport but does not make the assembled desk weightless."
            ],
            [
              "Maximum load",
              "75 kg",
              "Include monitors, arms, instruments, and other equipment; clamp forces need separate checking."
            ]
          ]
        }
      },
      {
        "id": "construction",
        "eyebrow": "Construction",
        "title": "Modular means attachment options, not automatic height adjustment.",
        "body": "The frame uses Hydro CIRCAL aluminum with 75% recycled content and a Formica-faced birch-plywood top. R20 rails use a 20 × 20 mm profile and a 25 mm hole grid; M5 screws provide accessory attachment points. The product is flat-packed, with keys and screws included. Follow the official assembly guide and confirm any clamp or custom accessory is appropriate for the rail, rather than assuming a generic monitor arm will fit."
      },
      {
        "id": "quote",
        "eyebrow": "Quote",
        "title": "Ask for the delivered total and a delivery window.",
        "body": "The October 18 US catalog retained $1,599, but the store page says Field Desk is available on request and requires a quote. It is excluded from the free-shipping offer. A useful quote should identify the desk, quantity, shipping destination, freight cost, taxes, expected delivery, and any assembly or damage-handling terms. The API out-of-stock label and a contact-to-order page do not establish an immediate shipment."
      },
      {
        "id": "comparison-ladder",
        "eyebrow": "Compare",
        "title": "Choose the workspace requirement first.",
        "table": {
          "columns": [
            "Option",
            "Best reason",
            "What still needs checking"
          ],
          "rows": [
            [
              "Field Desk",
              "Rail attachments and the intended industrial design",
              "Delivered quote, fixed height, load, and accessory fit."
            ],
            [
              "A conventional fixed desk",
              "A straightforward working surface",
              "Usable depth, chair fit, and monitor position."
            ],
            [
              "A height-adjustable desk",
              "A sit/stand requirement",
              "Travel range, stability, and loaded operation."
            ],
            [
              "A custom rail build",
              "You want a fabrication project",
              "Parts, engineering, assembly, and safety become your responsibility."
            ]
          ]
        }
      },
      {
        "id": "evidence",
        "eyebrow": "Evidence",
        "title": "Design commentary is not load or stability testing.",
        "body": "James Vaughan’s first-person account explains building a different desk inspired by Field Desk, partly because of price and fixed height. It is evidence for an alternative design process, not a test of Teenage Engineering’s finished desk. This source-limited guide has no independent wobble, durability, assembly-time, or ergonomic measurements. Ask to inspect a sample if those qualities decide the purchase."
      },
      {
        "id": "buy",
        "eyebrow": "Buy",
        "title": "Use the official quote route.",
        "body": "{{commerce:target|View Field Desk and request purchase details}}. No exact Amazon listing was verified. The official link is not an affiliate link. Treat the quote, not a preserved catalog number or generic free-shipping banner, as the order-specific offer."
      }
    ],
    "commerce": {
      "disclosure": "Official manufacturer link; no affiliate commission from this link.",
      "primaryLinkId": "target",
      "priceApi": {
        "provider": "merchant-observed",
        "status": "not_configured",
        "note": "No live offer feed. Confirm exact product, price, availability, seller, and returns."
      },
      "links": [
        {
          "id": "target",
          "merchant": "Teenage Engineering",
          "title": "Teenage Engineering Field Desk",
          "label": "Teenage Engineering Field Desk",
          "description": "Exact model reference; confirm offer terms before ordering.",
          "url": "https://teenage.engineering/store/field-desk",
          "relationship": "direct",
          "role": "target",
          "factCard": {
            "summary": "Field Desk is a modular design purchase with a 750 mm fixed height. Measure your setup and obtain a delivered quote before treating its $1,599 catalog price as the budget.",
            "caveat": "Identity is established; current offer, condition, delivery, and return terms require seller verification."
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  },
  "publicUrl": "https://fieldguides.co/g/teenage-engineering-field-desk"
}