OT: LCD Monitor Arm Advice? Please help

musman wrote on 12/19/2005, 1:24 AM

Checking out everyone's workspaces a while ago made me think perhaps here is hopefully too inappropriate a place to ask about this. But, I just had a birthday and my girlfriend wants to buy me a monitor arm to get my 24" Dell LCD off the ground and out of the way when it's not needed. There are actually a lot more people making these arms than I would have thought. Here are just 3 companies that I found doing a search:

http://www.ergotron.com/3_products/flat_panel/LX_arms/default.asp

http://www.lcdarms.com/products/LCD_Radial_Arms/7500.html

http://ergoboy.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=32&osCsid=9ef924c455dd689aa44ef394e55833ba

The middle option does look like the nicest, but it has no reviews that I can find and $325 is a lot of money!
Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone has any experience with these kinds of things and could offer any advice. Please, help me reclaim my desk space and not buy a lemon that may be a waste of money or, even worse, the source of the death of my Dell 24" LCD!!
As always, thanks ahead of time for any help!

Comments

farss wrote on 12/19/2005, 4:19 AM

I have a 17" on a very cheap arm and well, it's a VERY cheap arm, I'm forever retightening the thing to stop brewers droop, come to think of it with all that spam offering me cheap Viagra maybe it needs some.

But seriously, a 24" monitor is VERY heavy, I'd buy an arm that'll hold well over the weight of the monitor. And bear in mind the turning force on what the arm is attached to. With that weight and a long arm you could rip a sizable bolt right through some of the particle board used to make desks these days.

Bob.

craftech wrote on 12/19/2005, 4:55 AM

You can go to Home Depot and look at the TV wall mounts they have and judge the qualiy for yourself. Search "television accessories".

John

dcrandall wrote on 12/19/2005, 5:59 AM

My company used to re-sell Ergotron arms to go with our custom industrial LCD displays. They're expensive but of good quality. Whatever you do, don't buy a cheap arm....they'll tend to "droop".

-Dan

JackW wrote on 12/19/2005, 12:26 PM

Bob Grant: "Brewer's droop." That takes me back a ways. Haven't heard that term in twenty five years, since my English business partner left to go back to the Isles.
You may have to define the term for my U.S. compatriots.

Thanks for brightening my day.

Jack

rs170a wrote on 12/19/2005, 3:24 PM

You got me curious so I googled it.
Looks like we'll have to ban Bob from any more trips to the northern hemisphere unless he cleans up his act :-)

BTW, one anangram for it is "Pre-bed sorrow" - and I'll leave that for someone else to comment on.

Mike

musman wrote on 12/19/2005, 6:35 PM

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the help and input. I called Ergotron today and they confirmed that the LX arm will work with my Dell 2405. Apparently, the monitor only weighs 15.4 lbs w/o a stand. So, it looks like I'm going to give them a go as they seem too have the most positive feedback.
Thanks again!