Ask Engadget HD: Which wall mount should I choose?
"I'm thinking of buying a 42-inch LCD TV soon, and I'm looking at wall mount options. I'd love something that can move left / right / up / down at least a little if possible, and I want one that's relatively easy to install. Cost is a concern, so I'm trying to get one that won't kill my savings. Does anyone have recommendations?"
For you brave few out there that have overlooked the traditional TV stand in order to slap your flat-panel upside the wall, what apparatus did you use? A DIY contraption? A pre-built unit? How was the experience? Sound off below!
Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Andrew911tt @ Mar 25th 2009 12:10PM
Monoprice all the way!! My 50in Plasma (~100lbs) works great on there 3725 (Adjustable Tilting/Swiveling Wall Mount)
Andrew911tt @ Mar 25th 2009 12:13PM
forgot the price
$78.37!!!!!
Ivan @ Mar 25th 2009 5:34PM
I agree, I have helped 2 of my friends mount the monoprice wall mount units and they are just like what you buy at best buy for 2x the price.
cynicality @ Mar 25th 2009 12:11PM
Monoprice.com - they manufacture their own mounts and you have a choice of hollow steel or solid aluminum for very reasonable prices.
seanmnaes @ Mar 25th 2009 8:09PM
Monoprice.com has some pretty good deals on mounts. They list them by size and weight so its easy to match up to your tv. I don't think your gonna find a better deal on the intorwebz.
-Sean
Claudio @ Mar 25th 2009 12:15PM
http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10828
lordoddoubled @ Mar 25th 2009 12:17PM
Please check out Monoprice before you waste your hard earned money at any of the big box stores. I bought the most basic flat panel wall mount from them and it was less than $20.00 - it works perfectly and I couldn't be happier.
Galicki @ Mar 25th 2009 12:21PM
My question is, 'whats a good cable management system'? I know you can get those tubes for wires from ikea for
shaitien @ Mar 26th 2009 6:51PM
Same question here, lets get some talk about cable management. With a PS3, Cable box, and Home Theater System there are a lot of cables going to and from the TV.
Aedile @ Mar 25th 2009 12:22PM
++ To monoprice.com mounts. Excellent quality and reliability at a fraction of the price. I have heard people complain that the lag bolts are not the best. Still have stock lag bolts on mine and not a thing wrong.
-aedile-
Jason @ Mar 25th 2009 12:41PM
I got a good deal on a name brand non-articulating mount from an online reseller. I then purchased 2 monoprice articulating mounts for roughly the same price and the build quality was equal if not better than the name brand. I will always use monoprice from now on!
Blake @ Mar 25th 2009 12:37PM
I bought mine from Fry's with the TV because the salesman gave me a 50% discount on it with the purchase of the TV, otherwise I would have gone to Monoprice. I recommended Monoprice to a co-worker when he bought his flat panel and he couldn't be happier.
++ MONOPRICE
Michael @ Mar 25th 2009 12:47PM
I'm a big Monoprice fan, but I do suggest a Sanus mount that you can buy from buy.com. I have used it in 3 separate installations (38" LCD, 40" LCD, and a 52" LCD) with no problems at all and it is very stable.
$77.99 with free shipping.
http://www.buy.com/prod//q/loc/101/90131941.html
josh @ Mar 25th 2009 12:59PM
I hung this ultra slim mount (only .4 inches thick) from Peerless. My Panasonic 42 inch plasma really hugs the wall. It requires that the wires be run through the wall and that the holes in the wall are aligned with the ports on the back of the tv. i know they had an accessory that was a rough in box that fit between 2 studs (gigidy) so you don''t have to use your own ingenuity. long story short tvs are thick enough without the mount adding several inches to the total. (5 inches) !!! and this is worlth the consideration. going to google shopping and search the peerless SUF640P, SUF650P or SUF660P. three different sizes. i got mine for around 70 bucks. call peerless and ask them if your tv is compatable with these mounts.
http://www.peerlessmounts.com/dyn/Products/BrowseProduct.aspx/tn/23/u/t/categoryID/195
questions????
Chad @ Mar 25th 2009 1:24PM
I use Ergotron products at work so when I went for a mount I knew I couldn't go wrong with one of their products. I have this mount supporting a Vizio 50" Plasma (very heavy)
http://www.ergotron.com/tabid/59/ctl/Product/mid/389/PRDID/5/language/en-US/default.aspx
The nice thing about this mount is the ease of install as well as the ability to tilt and slide the display without taking it down.
ProVantage has it for $62.79
http://www.provantage.com/ergotron-60-572-003~7ERGT03R.htm
theinformaticist @ Mar 25th 2009 1:26PM
I like the ones from Ergotron. We have an older house with studs spaced at 18" on center (as opposed to the current 16"), and were I wanted to place the TV was not really centered between studs. The Ergotron wall rail allows for 4" - 8" of horizontal positioning (depending on TV / wall construction / position on wall), and the brackets tilt to allow the TV to be placed higher on the wall. Construction is extruded metal alloy for the wall rail and TV brackets. Has different screws, spacers, etc. to fit most, but not all TVs.
I bought mine from Amazon for $100 - $125.
I've used Ergotron products in the commercial realm for over 10 years and have never had a structural failure of one of their parts.
Total installation time (moving furniture, finding studs, leveling mount, marking / pre-drilling holes, mounting wall rail, installing brackets to TV, and hanging TV) < 1 hour. Taking the TV back down to mark for wiring plates, cutting holes, running wiring, installing plates, hooking up TV took another 3-4 hours, but that's a different discussion (rant, etc.)
TK @ Mar 25th 2009 1:46PM
Grammer-Nazi:
"We don't dabble too heavily in HD furniture and the like here, but this question just seemed to far-reaching to pass up."
I know you meant "too", not "to".
thedudeabides @ Mar 25th 2009 1:55PM
I haven;t used the Monoprice mounts, but I am a frequent customer of theirs and their products are good. As for the "best" i personally like Chief products overall. They're not the cheapest but they have excellent build quality. Peerless I've used a lot as well and have never had issues. I use this stuff commercially so I've seen quite a few busted mounts and quite a few stand up to a beating.
Declan @ Mar 26th 2009 1:32PM
I second the Chief recommendation, I have Fusion flat panel tilt mount. Excellent quality amazing selection especially if you have a tricky install.
http://www.chiefmfg.com/
comptr @ Mar 25th 2009 2:12PM
you all here have recommended the monoprice mounts but if you are mounting a larger screen the monoprice mounts will not be supported. So then what you recommended ??
zargon @ Mar 25th 2009 2:40PM
A larger screen such as? Monoprice has a mount that supports up to a 71".
comptr @ Mar 25th 2009 3:16PM
I thought that monoprice mounts don't support tv sizes over 60inches. That is what I heard on avs.
Sean @ Mar 25th 2009 2:18PM
For most applications, Monoprice mounts. Period. Good price and good quality. Lots of choices, too. For more specialized applications, e.g. mounting a Polk Audio SurroundBar under a Plasma on a pivoting wall mount, Peerless is the way to go. Pricier, but great build quality and very easy to follow instructions. Only drawback was having to sift through all the screws I didn't need to find the ones I did.
MadMike @ Mar 25th 2009 2:23PM
Chief Manufacturing: http://www.chiefmfg.com/
They are pricey, but not obscene - and also revered as the best in the market by many high-end home theater installers and around AVSForums.
Kurt @ Mar 25th 2009 2:25PM
Where I work we use a lot of screen mounts, several thousand a year. I have to say that Chief has a cool new mount that addresses a lot of the concerns of earlier style mounts. The Fusion series is worth checking out integrating some of the features of the Peerless mounts (now the same company).
Monoprice is not bad either. Worth checking out if you want to save a few $$$
glenn s @ Mar 25th 2009 2:29PM
I got a good deal on a mount from Costco. About $80 for a tilting wall mount with some horizontal flexibility. This was about 3 years ago now.
Definitely a tilting mount is desired if you ever plan to be able to swap out some connections. I imagine it would be a real pain to get your hand behind a non-tilting mount. But with the tilt mount, I can tilt it to its limit pointed "up" and get enough room that I can actually work with the connections between the back of the TV and the wall without removing the TV from the mount.
NoAndThen @ Mar 25th 2009 2:33PM
Just traded my 32" 720p insignia LCD and $50 for a 50" 720p Samsung DLP. It's a few years old, but compared to the insignia this thing is like WOW. Will not be upgrading again until I can get something that is at least as good as today's top of the line for cheap. Probably 2-3 years if OLED gets out there, I'm hoping.
But yeah, I've never really wall mounted a TV. But judging by the copious monoprice ads...
Severance Schwan @ Mar 25th 2009 2:56PM
+1 for peerless. I'm using a tilting mount for my 5080 Kuro and the quality is great!
ben @ Mar 25th 2009 4:21PM
MonoPrice.com
I have bought 4 of them so far (some for friends).... completely satisfied for the price... Installation is a breeze...
Joel @ Mar 25th 2009 4:06PM
monoprice.com is the only way to go. Cheapest mounts available, really. I'm more concerned in the picture that all the speaker lines are behind the TV! Never seen a receiver mounted behind the TV as well to power the speakers. Ridiculous.
jlednum1 @ Mar 25th 2009 4:22PM
Sanus mount for 50" Samsung plasma - approx 97 pounds. The mount is rock solid and itself weighs probably 20 pounds or so with a rated capacity of 200 pounds - though I'm pretty sure it'd handle well in excess of that from how solid it is.
Upthewazzu @ Mar 25th 2009 4:39PM
Does monoprice offer a mount with an open back like the one pictured so I can place my HDMI and Component wallplates behind it? If so, I can't find it...
TiltMe @ Mar 25th 2009 5:03PM
I STRONGLY second the Ergotron recommendation.
http://www.ergotron.com/tabid/59/ctl/Product/mid/389/PRDID/5/language/en-US/default.aspx
This baby is SOLID and the tilt mechanism is sweet. Price comes in near the cheapo monoprice ones as well.
Trust me this things is super heavy duty, comes with a ton of different mounting hardware for every conceivable installation and looks fantastic.
Lazarus Dark @ Mar 25th 2009 7:05PM
I just can't trust my tv to any wall mount (unless I had a steel beam I could mount it to.)
I use one of the stands that has a built in VESA mount so the tv looks kinda like it's hovering over the components on the stand. I like the way it looks better than wall mounting actually.
Casey @ Mar 25th 2009 7:14PM
I do not see an open back option on monprice either. That's a deal breaker for me, it severely limits your margin for error and flexibility in cable routing options. If I need to take the TV down and pull a new wire through the conduit, it is a PIA with a close back like monoprice. With an open back design as illustrated above, you can have a large spacious recessed backbox mixing high and low voltage offering plenty of room to pull new wire through.
I have used both in my home, and regret using the solid back design as seen at monoprice. If you don't intend to run all your wires through the wall and don't intend to change said wires in the future and don't intend to change the display and the possible connection locations,and your measurements are 100% spot on accurate then the inexpensive options at monoprice are worth every penny.
Casey @ Mar 25th 2009 7:39PM
A few more reasons to not get the type from monoprice (again, I LOVE monoprice)
If your tv is in an area where you may pass by it and are able to see behind the TV you will see the unattractive solid backplate on the wall. I have this problem at home.
You'll notice the unit above has a functional yet decorate end cap. Trust me it does make a difference.
calstudios @ Mar 26th 2009 10:05PM
Monoprice, Monoprice, Monoprice.
Got a non-movable wall mount for a 50" plasma, works just like the $200 models. Except from Monoprice it was $19.
normychas @ Mar 26th 2009 3:46PM
does anybody have any thoughts on whether or not to do a tilt mount. I am wondering how much it matters to be able to tilt a plasma. I am thinking of picking up a 111fd and wonder whether it matters enough to get a till wall mount
Jeremy @ Mar 31st 2009 1:14AM
I picked up the LevelMount kit from Sam's Club and hung my new Sammie 52". I was very pleased with the components out of the box, a very sturdy, all metal tilting wall mount with some limited side-to-side capability.
There is actually a bubble level built into the unit. I kinda thought it was just a gimmick, but it reassured me as I drilled the holes in my living room wall that I wasn't going to end up with a TV sloping one way or another. The kit comes with a stud finder as well, but it truly is just on the edge of being practical and you should probably invest in a real one prior to install.
I picked up the kit for right at about $100. If your TV is 50" or less, the kit runs about $45.
Chad @ May 10th 2009 10:50PM
I also bought my wall moung kit from Sams I got the one for the smaller version as I just bought a Samsung 46 Inch. I love both the kit and the Television.
http://www.squidoo.com/lcd-tv-comparison