Nah. The costs are for specialization. Anytime you buy a specialized product, you're going to pay an arm and a leg. If you want to get a proper lab workbench (for just about any scientific/engineering discipline; that's not a generic thing), a proper studio desk, or what-not, you're going to pay an arm and a leg. That's not buying you a mahogany desk, so much as something well-suited to an esoteric task.

Compared to commercial, what he's got is:

1. Lighter (2x4s are light)

2. More robust (2x4s are tough)

3. Looks better (An off-the-shelf product would look better in a showroom, but this one fits his room exactly, and fits his equipment exactly; that makes a much bigger difference).

I'll mention: That's true for most of the crude furniture I make. I have fine woodworking, and I have not-so-fine woodworking. The fine woodworking pieces tend to be generic (e.g. a bookcase). The not-so-fine-ones tend to be special-purpose. Right now, I have custom stuff built up for remote work, for example, with cameras/cables/etc. properly routed.