DO NOT Buy A Monitor Arm Until You’ve Watched This Video
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- čas přidán 20. 05. 2024
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These are the top 10 problems you must consider before buying a monitor arm.
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Top 10 Monitor Arm Problems:
00:13 Space Requirement Behind The Desk
00:58 Monitors Require VESA Mount
02:16 Desk Mount Options
03:07 Cable Management Problems
03:58 Low Weight Capacities
04:38 Stability Issues
05:35 Monitor Width Restrictions
06:09 Difficult To Adjust
07:15 Extra Cable Length Required
07:44 Damage Soft Surfaces
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Watch Next: The Best Monitor Arm Tier List - czcams.com/video/80KBIItTMoE/video.html
got a solution 35 seconds into the video. put the monitor arms on the far ends of the table and you can fit both displays next to each other with ease. also full mobility kept. your welcome
Exactly. Installed thousands of monitor arms, I'm in the office furniture industry, slide them to the edge like you said.
Innit.
You can also have them fold onto themselves in a z pattern
Depends on the table and monitor arm, if you have a table like I do (desk which has rack shelves for rack mountable things like switches, routers and power distributors), you don't have enough room.
If you just need to keep monitors centered at same height and only need pivot function of monitor arms, all you need is good old monitor rail (table model of mounts that you can install TVs and move around). Or you can do what my friend did, and make monitor shelf by literally just making slightly customized variant of WOODEN BOX
I feel so dumb for never thinking of this 🤣
For the first problem you can just install the monitor arm to the far left/right side of your table. It doesn't have to be in the/close to the center of your table.
Don't worry, these things are very sturdy.
Just don't buy the cheap one, they are shaggy and lack movement.
I had a cheap one and it actually bent after a few weeks usage.
I was waiting for him to mention this in the video. I also have mine off to the left to flatten the arm. It has the side benefit of making the desk look even cleaner.
I prefer this anyway for cable management, even if theres room behind the desk.
when u have a 2m long table, these arms are too much small to have the monitor at the center of the table. And even more hard if you have 2 monitors....
yea lol.
i was watching the video thinking he could've just moved it to the side, problem solved.
I made the mistake of using a weak monitor arm to the side of my desk when I upgraded my monitor to a bigger (and much heavier one). It lasted a good while but the clamp ended up slipping eventually. Luckily nothing was damaged, but the added leverage of having the arm off to the side can be an issue.
7:39 😂 It was a more nervous scene than the suspense movie I saw in 2023.
This is an amazing video on the subject, I have personally experienced most of these issues when I move to a ultra wide and multiple monitor setup. I would recommend just saving up and getting mid to high tier monitor arms for large and ultra wide monitors to avoid issues.
Wonderful video, mate, thank you very much! I'm looking to buy myself a double mount, and after weeks of research still cant make a decision. You helped a lot, some of the points completely evaded me before and seller's information is definitely not descriptive enough. Also gotta say that you've put a great deal of good work in the vid, and it shows. Graphics, tempo, footage, everything is perfectly timed, on point and expressive. Thanks again!
Great coverage of all the issues and considerations.
For cable management, Velcro wire ties are my best friend. I buy the roll of double-sided Velcro and cut to the sizes I need. It's more efficient for me and results in less waste. I'm not concerned with appearance *behind* the monitor since it can't be seen in normal use.
i do this but just get the pre-shaped ones with a loop hole. probably costs slightly more but does the same job.
The quality and thoroughness of this video is amazing.
If you have the option, I would 1000% recommend using wall mount monitor arms. Its so nice to have your desk completely clear of any stands, or clamps. I had a triple monitor mount clamped on to a cheap flimsy desk, and those suckers were wobblin out the wazoo while gaming. Not a problem any more since I switched all my monitors to wall mount and never looked back.
But that doesnt work good with standing desks, does it?
@@poletooke4691They do have about a foot of vertical mobility, but your mileage may vary
+1 for this. I hate desk mount arms.. LOL
@@poletooke4691 I have a wall mount arm that can go high enough and low enough for adjustability when i raise my desk
totally agree, I use a triple monitor setup all wall mounts, excellent setup
Perfect and honest review! It is my first time that I bought a monitor arm (NB F160) and the problems that I've faced were: #1- Space Requirement behind the desk, which makes me pull the desk to the front everyday to be able to adjust the arm. #2- Stability Issues. Damn, that is really annoying. I was used to put the monitor on the wall, and of course stability is better, but I didn't know the arm monitor had so little stability. These two main issues made me buy a stand desk monitor to put on the table and leave the monitor arm. I hope I can get a better setup to do my job. Thanks!
considering a monitor arm so I can clean my desk easily. dust can easily collect under the feet of my monitor and the feet itself adds more cleaning surface that I need to clean. plus, it will provide a cleaner look.
Excellent list of things to consider! I'm noting this video for reference to staff members asking me for monitor arm/mounting recommendations. Thanks!
I just bought the Ergotron Trace mount. Threw more money at the problem and solved it.
This was a nice summary of what to look out for when installing a monitor arm. I am getting steel plate (my desk is light oak color so I am getting a white one), and I will be mounting my newly purchased 32 inch 4k IPS panel monitor. Just got a monitor delivered today and I am finding it too close to my eyes, so I am buying a monitor arm to further extend and can use a desk space more efficiently. I live in a huge city and a space means money lol. Love all the advice here. Thanks!
Ooo, what monitor did you get? I am still absolutely loving my DELL 32" 4K IPS G3223Q... such a huge (literally) upgrade!
Wish I could afford 4k! I'm rocking a GIGABYTE G27Q 27" 144Hz 1440P IPS display
I was thinking of getting a new desk and stand and wanted to know if there might be something I could have missed. Really useful video for pointing out things to take ito consideration before making any purchase.
I have a 38 inch alienware monitor and I use the amazon basics monitor arm, which is a carbon copy of the ergotron LX. I wouldnt waste money on other monitor arms unless you have a super wide boi like the G9.
I have the same monitor and arm as you and I agree.
I was recently setting up a new computer, and needed a dual monitor arm. Because of financial restrictions, I wasn't able to buy what I needed, so I instead opted to build one from scratch. I sat down in a CAD program and predetermined the height and angles I wanted the monitors to be, then used those to designate the construction. The bracket I created was constructed from wood, and has zero adjustability. It consists of a horizontal beam that has two wedges that the VESA plates are mounted to. The beam is supported by a pair of thin pedestals on either end. It was designed this way so that the entire space underneath the monitors is completely unobstructed. I additionally added a cable management system, and also installed an integrated bias lighting switching that can switch between warm white or red. I mounted a tiny toggle switch to the side of one monitor to control the lighting. For something that only cost me a few days time to fabricate, I'm very happy with how it turned out. It's very compact and minimalist. There's actually plenty of space behind it and the wall. Building something like this does require a high level of accuracy. The monitors are not exactly aligned as precisely as I would have preferred. I could have made a slightly more complex design that allowed for a bit of adjustability. This ultimately is only a temporary solution. I plan to replace the entire setup in a couple months anyways.
I've gone through several mounting solutions over the years; this video is an excellent overview.
One more consideration: Wall mounts are very nice but they must be mounted to something solid - *not* drywall. For a typical stud wall construction, this limits the places you can place the mount. This in turn limits the way that the arms can swing (as shown in the video) and thus the location of the monitors themselves. In North America, newer houses often use 24" stud spacing instead of 16", aggravating the problem. One solution is to open up the wall and install a solid cross-brace but some might find that work a bit daunting. But this does give you the opportunity to also address some cable management issues at the same time. I have a built-in desk in my library so this was the ideal solution for my situation.
Wall-mounted arms solve the problem of having the monitor bounce when you type, are very solid, and are much cheaper as well. And support heavier monitors.
Use a stud finder to find the stud to mount it securely.
If the studs don't lineup how you want the monitor positioned you can cross brace directly on the wall without opening it up, just nail a 1x4 between two studs and paint it to match the wall colour.
My setup mixes a wall mount on the main desk, and I arm mounted a second screen on a second desk (L shaped layout) so i can move it about and since its on the second desk it doesn't bounce at all.
have been using wallmounts for years for my main monitor. when i got my 2nd monitor i decided to use an arm for it and oh boy i cant forget how much i laughed-cried the first time i realized how wobbly the arm could get whenever i type.
im thankful that i ordered just one arm instead of my original plan which was to buy two and transfer my main monitor as well on the arm.
how do other people using monitor arms not get distracted by the wobbles though? just have to live through it and cope?
8:20 I don’t know why these aren’t more prevalent. I was hesitant to buy a larger monitor because I couldn’t find any monitor stands with grommet bases sturdy enough for adequate support. I drilled a hole through a 1/2 inch wood desk and used a steel plate to reinforce the base. Steel plates should come included.
great video , can you please tell me if i can stack two 49" monitors and what arms can i use ?
very useful guide, thanks!
If you're running 2x 24" monitors, theres single arm solutions that are spring loaded and have a vertical aluminum bar you mount the monitors too, and the vesa mounts install on that arm in a track. I deployed a few hundred of these at a previous org and it was by far the best solution I'd seen for a two display setup.
what is the name of it?
realised how many time you invest to show all the issues is huge, thanks for your time
For the wall problem, you can also do with the normal arms if you do a "Z" shape and do minor adjustments from the mounting point.
8:14 I was thinking of using a couple scrap pieces of 1x4 to help reinforce the particle board in my desk, but the metal bracket idea looks much cleaner (aside from the color). Where can I find one of these pre-made?
Standing desks that go up and down add even more complexity to this issue. Like make sure the area the monitors will go while the desk is up stays clear. Don't mount a new floating shelf, for example.
When using an electric standing desk, when switching from sitting to standing, is there any monitor hight adjustment require?
i have an xp pen innovator 16 display tablet it have 15 inch display and some buttons on left . my problem with it is its only 9mm thick . i thought it was very cool when i bought it but now i realize im not able to mount it on a arm stand , if you know any arm that i can use to mount it please tell , first time watchin your video btw
also those vesa adaptors have a minimum size limit which is like 2 inches amd my tablet is way thinner then an ipad , i dont know what to do
this video is a godsend for extremely detailed-oriented persons like moi, thanks so much.
Regarding point 2, you can also buy VESA adapters that hook into the monitor's foot "hole". This usually puts the VESA screws very low on the monitor, but is a far more elegant and sturdy solution than using claw brackets or supergluing a mount.
What kind of Arm have that clamp that goes over the metal frame of the table like at the 2:16 mark? I have a table like that but can't find a monitor arm like that. They all have the circle clamp instead which won't fit my table.
Just bought a dual monitor mount and good to know that I bought the correct one. 10/10 video btw
Having multiple single arms can be helpful both for flexible placement and stability. If you have the monitors pushed up against each other with the arms placed farther apart, the entire setup works as a single structure that helps to counteract/absorb vibrations which reduces wobble.
The number one issue I've had, using 3 different types of VESA mounts on my own setup, and 4 different monitors with said mounts, is that every monitor has a slightly different cutout for it, this means the screw length varies from monitor to monitor, then you've got the issue of the bracket holes that the screws go through, those holes vary meaning sometimes I've had screws with too small of a head for the hole so it goes through the bracket.
I wish monitor manufacturers would standardize some system, the VESA mounts are standard, but the mounting system changes on each monitor, so buying a new monitor and transferring the mount across sometimes doesn't go as simple as you think, requiring a trip to your nearest hardware store for different screws.
I wish you mentioned wall mounted solutions. What's the best flexible wall mount (like Multibracket flexarms?)
Also consider the minimum weight. My Ergotron HX is "too strong" for my lightweight monitor. It is always pushed way up. I haven't thought about that.
Then just attach something heavy to the arm and back of the monitor.
3. There are 2 more monitor arm mounting solutions:
- Wall mount
- Ceiling mount
Both are great if you intend to use a TV, but require you to not live in a house made of cardboard, so the wall/ceiling can take the weight. Especially a wall mount is nice since many only require 4 drill holes to install and can take a LOT of weight. Many common arms top out at 15lbs, which is too much to mount something like a 42" LG C3 or similar "larger, heavier than high-end monitors used to be 5 years ago". Even if the screen barely fits into the weight bracket of a mount, it could be causing a poor tilting experience.
Another reason to put a wall mount over a desk mount is that this decouples your screen from your table, so that means you don't get vibrations transferred into the screen (causing a tiny wobble) if your table is on the flimsier side. Also you can have your screen further away this way, which makes large TVs much more usable. A 55" 8K TV can be an insanely good multiscreen alternative, but you want to be further away from it that a standard desk depth can provide. This also lets you mount it with it's lower edge lower than you desk (since you can look over a desk you can still see everything which improves the ergonomics a LOT.
extra thing to note. most table clamps (not just monitor arms) often have a thickness limit of 5 cm, so one should make sure their table is compatible.
this is what happened to me, my table's thickness is 6cm, so I can't use any table clamps.
for grommets they usually can go beyond 5cm.
Spreading the knowledge
Hey do you know any monitor arms that can extand really long, I have a deskthat is mounted to a wall and a window behind it so I can't just but a monitor arm behind it and I have to put it on the side of the table and it needs to reach the middle of the table.
Does anyone know what monitor arm that is at 2:21? I’m looking to find one with the u shaped connector bracket on the bottom, because my desk has a metal bar
one thing to consider is curved monitors shift the centre of gravity further forward putting more strain on the arm which will be rated for weight centred on a flat plane.
0:40 what mic arm is this? it looks perfect
edit: it is the rightangle hover 2 hs1101
any recommendations for a Monitor Arm for Gigabyte M27Q-P 27.0" 2560 x 1440 170 Hz Monitor & KARLBY Countertop, walnut/veneer, 98x1 1/2?
That gromet hole was waaaay too large. Though it seems the proper size for the cable pass through thingies (whatever they are called in English), so if you decide to move the monitor, you can plug them and it will look intentional, instead of having just a 1/4" hole in your table top :D
edit: Nevermind, now I see the stand actually has a passthough built in... :D
Hey, your channel video quality is very good. Keep it up.
Thanks, will do! -Greg
I’ve been trying to find a good single arm post like the ones shown above the beginning… what is that one? Do you have a video for ones you recommend?
i would advise you not try to use plastic folding tables from walmart as a pc desk either. these tables break so easily.
Thx for the video, it helpped me understand the problems and idea a little more. Wish I saw this video earlier tho, cause right know I have mounted 2 monitors on 2 monitor arm qith desc pushed as close to wall as it can due to lack of spce and problem in 5:55 accures for me with one 27inch and one 21,5inch monitors :(.
I guess I will have to buy two 1 arm systems and somehow get them to work.
great details, thnx
Those added sound effects are a nice touch although they scare the hell out of me lol. I jumped when the monitor hit the desk 😂
Saved me some money, thanks!
Offset the base to the left or right further. Have the lower arm running parallel to the desk one way while having the upper arm running parallel to the lower arm in the opposite direction.. This is how you maintain a center monitor view while reducing the footprint of the stand without hitting your wall.. I'm running a ergotron stand with my neo g9 just find and its butted fully to the wall xD. Only problem I have is if I wan't to go further back my restraint is actually at the neck joint of the monitor zeroing out on it self..
great video, things to consider.
One thing I found out today is that some monitors might have too little space between the screw holes for the mounting plate and it's ports, in my case the vesa plate blocked the port for the power cable so it's only compatible with cross shaped plates and I couldn't use the north bayou arm I bought.
Thnks for information
Wish I had known about the steel reinforcement plates before I put a massive dent into my old Ikea table top, nonetheless glad I know about them now with my new Quiklok audio production desk. 👍
what is that table bracket thing your talking about. Can you give us some names? My table has that weird bar going all the way around my tables flip side.
How about having it against a Window on the 10th floor :v
5:30 or, if you still want to use a desk arm, you can screw your desk to the wall for it to be as stable as posible. I did that and it's like a part of the wall, doesn't move at all.
people with height adjustable desks now need height adjustable walls🤣
haha of course it wouldn't apply if you had one. I wish I had one though, they're crazy expensive in my country@@jiayilei9256
7:00, thank you:D I just moved one of my monitors to check how easy it can be done, not remembering the pain I went through during assembly. Now, after 30 minutes, I still can't adjust my monitor how they were previously and I am losing my mind, I hate it now and I do not know what to do.
Thank you!
This is why I love the "Gamerdesk" from ikea that I got, it has strong metal mesh behind the wooden desk plate built on to to frame with plenty of support points, personally I enjoy take care of my setup and make it look good so the cable management and all ain't an issue for me, I got the arms so I had more desks pace and could bring the monitors closer to me and it does the job
I cant find it on IKEA what is that the specific name of it?
@@iamproportional7478 the one i got is called UTESPELARE then there are UPPSEL and HUVUDSPELARE.
What about the wall mounted monitor arms? How good are they compared to the ones that are desk mounted?
0:13 - 1. Space behind desk
0:57 - 2. Require VESA mount
2:16 - 3. Desk mount options
3:07 - 4. Cable management
3:58 - 5. Low weight capacities
4:38 - 6. Stability issues
5:34 - 7. Monitor width restrictions
6:08 - 8. Difficult to adjust
7:15 - 9. Cable length required
7:43 - 10. Damage soft surfaces
The hero we need.
OMG how the cables are attached on Ergotron? Do you know that you have 2 ergo and 2 colson to attach the cable under the arm? you don't have the install manual?
The last item, the thing to spread the tension... I need that.
In my case, I folded, no kidding, around 150 A4 copy paper in 4, packed it and used as a fix to my desk.... I need a new desk, mine sucks... if you think hollow core is bad, I invite you to try mine. lmao
Yup had to get extra long cables, to handle the monitor arms
Nice video ! i had the N°1 problem : very annoying ! so, what kind of arms do u considere for purchase ? ( i have 1 DELL 32 inch + 1 DELL 24 inch ( vertical disposition )
I love the white build at the very beginning of the video. Does anyone know what monitor and arm those are? Please, anyone!
What about wall mounted monitor arms, though?
great video
Great stuff, thank you. I was considering transitioning to monitor arm on my next workspace update. But now I am not so sure anymore. :)
Glad it was helpful! I love my my monitor arms -Greg
I bought a bigger desk to fix the problem of the arm hitting the wall. It didn't only give me more desktop space but also space to move my monitor still.
I kinda wish that I watched this video 2 years ago before I bought a monitor arm. I am not planning to change my set-up at the moment but I did plan to do it, then I am gonna go back to watch this video again.
hey man i have the same speakers as you and I think that's pretty cool
Monitor wobble can also be reduced by using a quality stiff desk that doesnt wobble on its own when leaning on it or using your input devices.
nice video bro
Great video, very useful! Grommet clamps is sucks - just destroys desks
Triple monitor user here. Unfortunately, I learned a lot of these tips the hard way. Great vid!
Watching these guys struggle with their monitors was unnecessarily frustrating. Like watching the old tv ads with people struggling with basic tasks like eating popcorn.
I love youtube for fucking comprehensive overviews of problems & solutions like this one 👍
First problem isn't really a problem, if you don't want to adjust your horizontal position. My monitor, in it's ideal position has the pieces of the arm on top of each other. Height adjustment works and if I bring monitor closer to me, I can do many different positions.
As in, the issue is real, but also heavily avoidable by the choice of the mounting point on the table. It never even occured to me that I'd need to move my table further from the wall to have the full motion that I currently lack. It's not needed for me personally at all.
having a monitor with VESA mount does not guarantee compatibility. the vesa plate is often recessed on the monitors and the stands mounting plate is wider than the recession, simply not reaching the plate.
This is basic due diligence which is a heavily lacked skill of the new generation of people thanks to the consumerism and markering bs as free returns / change of mind/ ete etc. Also companies tend to make 100 different varients for a given product that increases complexity when buying even the most basic things.
i would like to add, using superglue on plastic, like at 2:13 is not a good idea for anything as heavy as a monitor, as the glue will usually just make the plastic on the back of the monitor more brittle and more likely to break off
been using monitor arms for the past decade and yeah, its crazy anyone still makes monitor without VESA mounts. I will actually just ignore monitors that don't come with that at all, which is a shame cause there are some out there with some great specs that for some reason don't include this as standard.
Had to jump in the comment to say you just saved me 2 hours. Thank you
What’s the name of the arm on 0:25 ?
With height-adjustable tables, always hang the PC on the lower edge of the table so that it moves with the table. Otherwise you run the risk of solder fractures on the mainboard if you move it frequently!
I bought a north bayou h100, only problem is my power cord is not long enough. Bought a 5 meter power cord, it is on shipping. Also i think i am lucky, it has no wobble even when i am punching my desk.
From an installers point of view, Ergotron and Humanscale make the worst monitor arms. When selecting an arm, make sure you pay attention to the size of the fixing hardware that holds it all together. The smaller the bolt or grub screw, the harder it is to get it tight enough to hold heavy loads. Over tightening will soon lead to stretching cheaper bolts or screws or ripping out the thread in the mated part, especially in cast alloy parts. A bolt (or grub screw) needs to have 4 threads depth in contact with the mating threads surface. This is regardless of the diameter or length of the fixing hardware. 4 threads of contact provides the maximum holding strength, anything less places greater stress on the few threads that are making contact and will likely lead to their failure.
for the first problem can't you just overlap the two little arms extending from the post?
that's literally how I have mine
So, the issue actually lies with the desk setup. It might be worth rethinking the arrangement of the desk, especially when typing on the keyboard and moving around. Would it be feasible to design a sort of separate table between the monitor and the keyboard? This table could be elevated to provide more space for the keyboard, and at the top, speakers, LED lights, and other accessories could be placed to make the most of the available space.
Literally encountered this problem 1:13 with that EXACT monitor!! XD
thank you for saving me the pain of figuring out that stuff alone, just gonna not buy a monitor arm
8:20 Those with a single arm do NOT need to pull their desk out. All you need to do is realign your mount so that the arm is parallel with the wall when the monitor is centered and fully pushed back. This is akin to the solution that @BanditPandapewpew posted. Gotta pass on this video. Thanks YT.
The arm not being able to move back because the wall is in the way behind it is exactly my issue with switching to arms and was something I did not at all think about or plan for. My issue is exacerbated by that fact that I bought a two-in-one stand which is a single base with two arms coming from it. In short, this means I cannot move one monitor base further down the desk to get the same position as the arm moving back since both monitors are locked together. Wouldn't recommend.
nice video 10/10