Tips on monitor stands, VESA mounts etc

[damorgue]

I have been thinking about replacing/adding displays for a while. I like my old Dell U2408 because of its flexibility and the minimalistic design of the foot. A lot of displays seem to be able to be mounted on VESA nowdays, so I figure as long as they can the foot and its flexibility shouldn't factor into consideration of my decision of which monitor to buy. I will most likely attempt to combine the displays in one neat stand with VESA mounts.

So, in particular to those who have them or have tried them:

-What are your general experiences with them?
-Any tips on what to get/what to avoid? Types, labels
-Are they worth it?


I will likely be using one horizontal 30" (2560x1600)  and and keep one vertical 24" 1200x1920 even though nether the dot pitch or the sizes match up.

[Lanx]

ergotron either lx or mx, not the cheapo neos

i've had my ergotron arm in the same position for 2 years, hasn't moved, but i could move it with but a finger if i wanted to.

[Hak Foo]

I bought the cheap Ergotron, the Neo-Flex, a long time ago; it was designed for "Up to 22" monitor".

I hung a 24 on it for five years.   Then the 24 died, and I got a 23 with no stand so I decided to mount it.  The tensioner seems to have been confused by the weight of the 24, and so it either stays "full up" or "full down but prone to rolling back up".

[Sniping]

This is a rebranded ErgoTron LX
http://www.amazon.com/HP-BT861AT-Single-Monitor-Arm/dp/B00455GH58/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373519083&sr=8-1&keywords=hp+monitor+arm

[PointyFox]

Any good VESA mounts that can hold a 27'' monitor?

[Input Nirvana]

I don't have a VESA setup currently, but I've had 2. One was basically big enough to get the monitor off the desk. It was ok, but didn't have much value to me, and mostly worked because I didn't know what I was missing. The second arm I used had an absolutely tremendous wide range of movement. That is the only thing that works for me. I don't sit in a static position for hours and type. My only real suggestion is be aware of your movement needs/range. I think many arms are somewhat limited in range, being limited by that is just silly.

Also, I'm a 24"-28" monitor/dual monitor kinda guy. Kicking around the idea of a 24" and a 27-28" both mounted one arm or 2 arms.

[An9e11]

I have setup multiple multi-monitor stands. My first stop would be here: http://www.wsgf.org/
Skip, the guy in charge there, has been a fountain of useful information for me. They also have a store and if you contact Skip he should be able to get you anything you might be looking for. Also the stands he sells can be upgraded, and he sells the upgrade kits too, in case you later decide to add more monitors.
The Ergotech stands are just amazing. They can easily be set up by one person, and the feature of being able to first mount the slim VESA bracket on your monitor, and THEN lock the monitor onto the stand in position with no tools, is easy to overlook but a massive help over trying to screw things in while holding the monitor up, like other brands would have you do.
-And the Ergotron units can mount 27" monitors. If you ask Skip he can probably get you a picture to show you what it would look like.

[damorgue]

Hmm, so none are rated for higher than 27" then? Do you know what limits them, the size and the arms ability to spread apart, or the weight? I would imagine a new 30" might have the same weight as an older 27" for instance, and they might be rated in size for two 27" which could make a 30# and a vertical 24" work.

[alaricljs]

The Ergotron LX is rated to 20lbs, the 30" Dell is 24lbs.  Another reason for the size limit is that the larger a screen the more likely it is to be thicker.  The farther out from the pivot it hangs the more stress is on the pivot, too much and the pivot can't work.

[damorgue]

The ones sold on WSGF are all fixed with at least three mounts it seems. I have yet to decide, but I think I will probably only use two displays and the LX offers far more flexibility. Has anyone used two LX next to each other? I imagine their arms might interfere with each other as you move the displays.

Edit: I found the dual stacking LX arm. That looks neat.

edit2: The dual LX is limited to 24" if stacked on top of one another, but by the looks of it they will handle far bigger screens when the arms are extended sideways. Their weight limitation does pose a problem still though, The MX has 30lbs limit and states up to and including 30" on the other hand.

[damorgue]

Options I have found:
2 MX stands
maximum 30 lbs each, 60 lbs total - no problem with dimensions of displays - arms could perhaps interfere with one another

1 MX stand
1 MX stand splitter
maximum 36 lbs total - problem with dimensions of displays

1 LX Dual stand
maximum 20 lbs each, 40 lbs total - problem with dimensions of displays

2 LX stands
maximum 20 lbs each, 40 lbs total - no problem with dimensions of displays - arms could perhaps interfere with one another

[alaricljs]

I have 2 LX stands.  I mounted 1 pole to my desk and use both arms on the 1 pole w/ 2x 24" Dells.  With 27's you wouldn't be able to move them all that far apart from each other unless you mounted the arms on separate poles.  For my setup the left monitor is central and the right monitor is peripheral with some angle to get it perpendicular to my head. 

[damorgue]

So you have essentially made an LX dual stand from two single LX then?

I figure one horizontal 30" and one vertical 24" is similar in distance from mount to mount as two horizontal 27", although I should probably make some quick calculation on that.  This of course as long as I find a thin and light enough 30". They probably have some extra headway on the spec too, but I don't want to risk it too much.

[Sniping]

If you want something more expensive to hold a 30" with ease, try http://www.amazon.com/Innovative-7500-hd-1500-Heavy-Deluxe-Radial/dp/B002MAWDRO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373552808&sr=8-1&keywords=innovative+monitor+arm
and  http://www.amazon.com/Humanscale-M8-Adjustable-Monitor-Arm/dp/B003T3DZPW/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1373552886&sr=1-1&keywords=humanscale+m8

[oTurtlez]

If you want to get serious with your mount, Workrite Ergo makes some beastly mounts. It says weight range is 8 - 22lbs, but when I called for support, they said a minimum of 20lbs was required for the mount to work properly. I snagged a http://www.workriteergo.com/products/monitor-arms/poise-dual/ mount (MSRP: ~$800) for $175 which included the mount and a 24" 1920x1200 Scepter monitor from the 38 Studios clearout auction. I run two 24" monitors, one horizontal 1920x1200 and one vertical, 1200x1920 on it perfectly fine. This one http://www.workriteergo.com/products/monitor-arms/poise-hd/ can support up to 42lb monitors, if you wanna go big.

[samwisekoi]

Or, for an amazingly low price, there is this for $40:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008BBPAHS/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


MonMount LCD-2130 - Dual LCD Wall Mounting Bracket

This is really a matching pair of single mounts, and they can be placed next to each other or not.  I have them mounted 6" apart so I can slide mounted monitors onto the tracks from the center.  Each one mounts to one or two studs, and as long as you want them next to a wall, they are the best I have found so far -- best at keeping monitors straight and firmly held, that is.  Mine hold an Acer V193 and an ASUS VH242H (widescreen) which I chose for matching heights and to fill the available space on my wall.

FWIW, this configuration (narrow plus wide) makes a perfect space on the desk for a TKL/60% plus a full-size keyboard.  So will yours.

 - Ron | samwisekoi

[damorgue]

I will be moving an old desk from my folks to me which can be moved up or down with a crank. I am going to check if it can reach standing height, if not, I may have to buy one that can since that is the intention. Either way, with a moving desk I think stands mounted to the desk are more suitable as a rail mounted on the wall would place the display at a unsuitable height in some of the positions of the desk. Thta is of course unless the wall mount has a similar arm solution and can change its height.

Edit: Also, holy crap are some stands expensive. It is a nice suggestion oTurtlez but I'd prefer to spend less on the stand than the displays I will be on the lookout for closing offices and liquidation sales of such however. It would seem like that is the best place to find them cheap as offices often get them and don't care much when they get rid of them.

[oTurtlez]

I will be moving an old desk from my folks to me which can be moved up or down with a crank. I am going to check if it can reach standing height, if not, I may have to buy one that can since that is the intention. Either way, with a moving desk I think stands mounted to the desk are more suitable as a rail mounted on the wall would place the display at a unsuitable height in some of the positions of the desk. Thta is of course unless the wall mount has a similar arm solution and can change its height.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=workrite&rh=n%3A172282%2Ck%3Aworkrite If you're at all interested in the workrite gear, grab it from amazon. It'll be cheaper than anywhere else. 10 year warranties with great customer support and reputation, I'd say it's worth the premium.

[alaricljs]

So you have essentially made an LX dual stand from two single LX then?

I figure one horizontal 30" and one vertical 24" is similar in distance from mount to mount as two horizontal 27", although I should probably make some quick calculation on that.  This of course as long as I find a thin and light enough 30". They probably have some extra headway on the spec too, but I don't want to risk it too much.

Yeah, it was actually cheaper the way I did it due to a sale     I just spread the monitors as far as seemed reasonable and they are 35" apart (on center).  You do need to be careful to balance that much weight spread properly on the foot.

[Jack Karneval]

Found this thread, figured I'd share some photos of how I set up my desk today! Bought a 27" LG IPS display monitor last week as well as an Ergotron LX wall-mount arm to mount the monitor to. Don't let the specs tell you this thing can't support a 27" monitor, because it surely can although I guess that has something to do with the fact that the panel only weighs like 9.5lbs. Either way I am really happy with the LX arm and the flexibility it gives me, so definitely invest in one if you get the chance!

[damorgue]

The LG monitor I got is 9.5lbs or so, so it really shouldn't be a problem for the LX to handle. It is odd however that Ergotron's website says it can handle monitors up to 27" yet every other site says when listing the specs. Oh well, I guess we'll find out if it works, if not, I'll just send it back to Amazon.

They do state up to and including 27" on their site. That said, if you mount it on the wall, the distance to the table shouldn't be an issue as it can still rotate freely without hitting the table no matter the size. The weight would be limiting then, and if your 27" was 9.5lbs, then perhaps there are 30" displays that will fit in within their 20lbs specs. Things are looking up

[Jack Karneval]

The LG monitor I got is 9.5lbs or so, so it really shouldn't be a problem for the LX to handle. It is odd however that Ergotron's website says it can handle monitors up to 27" yet every other site says when listing the specs. Oh well, I guess we'll find out if it works, if not, I'll just send it back to Amazon.

They do state up to and including 27" on their site. That said, if you mount it on the wall, the distance to the table shouldn't be an issue as it can still rotate freely without hitting the table no matter the size. The weight would be limiting then, and if your 27" was 9.5lbs, then perhaps there are 30" displays that will fit in within their 20lbs specs. Things are looking up

Yeah but it's only on Ergotron's website where they state up to and including 27", sites like Newegg just say up to 24". It would most likely support 30" as well, providing it's within weight, you might have to tighten the resistance on the arms though. Either way I love it!

[Hak Foo]

It might be a mounting hole thing.  There's no consistency there... I've seen 24" monitors with 100x100mm mounting holes, and 27s with 75x75.  Once you graduate from "monitor" sizes to "TV" sizes you start seeing bigger mounting layouts still-- like six bolts.