Customer Reviews

Cheetah Mounts APTMM2B Flat Screen TV Wall Mount Bracket for 32-65-Inch Plasma LED LCD TV

5 star:		(910)
4 star:		(357)
3 star:		(107)
2 star:		(43)
1 star:		(72)

 

 

I was skeptical of this mount. Why should this be so cheap compared to other mounting kits? I ordered one (due to the price), and prepared to return it if I did not think the mount could handle the weight of the 52" LCD TV (Samsung).

Once I got it, I understood the cost. Good low-cost design and built with solid heavy duty steel.
- Two horizontal bars are load-bearing, and for proper VESA spacing, they have to be parallel and relative distance must be in the right tolerances. These are made of solid steel.
- Two vertical bars (in the wall mount) are flimsey, and that's ok. it should be solid enough make a rectangle box w/ square angles. That's it.
- Two vertical mounting (to the TV) brackets are of heavy duty metal. Making this in to two parts (not one), reduction of material, but also allows free horizontal adjustment on the TV mount.
- By doing the above, the kit is small, uses less metal (and reduce shipping and material waste).

Positives
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1. Good solid and heavy duty construction.

2. Good value (low-cost). Paid less than $ 25 including shipping.

3. Easy install. Took 15 min to figure out the instruction (which is not totally clear), and 10~15 min to install and ready to watch.

4. built-in level worked well during marking of mouting holes on the wall --I tested w/ my own, and was consistent.

5. Once the mounted on the wall, and bracket on TV, you could adjust horizontal TV placement on the mount, just by sliding few inches left or right, post install. I expect this to be safe and true if the wall mount is directly screwed into the wall studs. I do not expect dry-wall install without the use of the studs to handle such adjustment.

6. The brackets on TV could also be used to adjust vertical TV placement by a few inches up and down. But for this one, you'll need to lift TV off the bracket and adjust and pull back :-).

7. There is a reasonable space (I would say, just right) from the wall to the TV to get cables/connectors through WITHOUT using any expensive 90 degree connectors. Plenty of space between two horizontal bars to put extra power outlet and data HDMI cable outlet to hide all the cables.

8. This supports tilt up/down, and works well. Amazon product description does not make it clear.

Negatives
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1. Just one. Clearer instruction so that I do not need to spend 15 min figuring things out. One could learn a lot form IKEA :-).
2. Packing/Packaging -- Not necessarily Cheetah Mount issue -- mine came w/o missing parts, although I noticed torn cardboard box edges and some parts COULD have been lost during shipping. Either double box, or have Cheetah use heavier box stock.

Helpful Hints & Comments
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1. DO NOT forget to tighten the screws (2) on the bottom horizontal bars AFTER TV is placed on the wall mount -- especially if you are in CA w/ quake. This is what prevents TV falling off the mount accidentally. But do not over-tighten (you are NOT securing from left-to-right movement).
2. Very happy w/ my purchase. Will get one more for my other TV.

The Cheetah mount is an incredible value. The mount is amazingly sturdy and very well built. It took me about 30 minutes to assemble the parts out of the box. Then another hour to mount the TV to the brick above our fireplace. I used 4 Quicktap blue masonry anchors to attach the mount to the wall, and it is so secure I could probably hang from the TV itself.

I was also pleased to find that the mount included all of the hardware (bolts, washers, spacers) that you would need to mount almost any VESA compatible flat panel. Our TV is a 52 inch Samsung (750 series) and the bolts I needed were included.

Overall, a great buy.

Just installed my 42" Plasma in our bedroom, and here's my take:

This is actually a high-quality, very sturdy mount. When I took it out of the box, I was pleasantly surprised.

Now, here is the REST of the story...

The directions that come with this kit are mediocre at best. The pictures are vague, and only after wrangling with this pile of metal did I figure out how this thing is supposed to be assembled. First of all, the included drywall anchors are NOT drywall anchors at all -- they are masonry mollies, and won't work with standard residential drywall. Thanks for telling me before I put 4 gigantic holes in my wall, Cheetah!

So if you're using this in your home, here's what you need to do: 1. Assemble the rack on the floor/table/bed/whatever, and make sure it is square. 2. Find the wall studs, and mark them lightly with a pencil. 3. Hold the mount up on the wall where you want it, and the make sure the holes (not the "obvious" 4 holes) align with the stud marks. Adjust as necessary. 3. Level the mount horizontally, and drill pilot holes into the studs (make sure you are on-center!) and drill THROUGH the appropriate holes. 4. Use the included lag bolts to affix the assembled rack to the wall with an impact driver. 5. Attach the vertical bars to the TV, and then hook them on the installed rack. 6. Slide the mounted TV left/right, and tighten the clamps once the preferred angle is achieved. 7. Carefully screw the lower set screws into place (which hold the TV in place in the event that it gets bumped). PHEW! It took some elbow grease, and some joint compound to patch the errant holes, but once I figured this thing out, it actually made sense. I'd love to re-write the instruction booklet for these guys, but now that this thing is on the wall, it's STAYING there! I was just at <a commercial retailer> today, and they have the EXACT same mount, under a different brand name, for $140.00. Had I purchased their product, I'm sure this review would be a tad more negatively biased.

There is also extra hardware included in this package, which I found distracting, and made me wonder if I was misreading the instructions. From reading other reviews, all I can say is that I empathize with those who struggled with this kit.

The bottom line: It works, it's sturdy, it's flexible. The instructions are lacking, which leads to frustration, but your average DYI person can pretty easily figure this out. Would I buy it again? Yes. In fact, I AM going to be buying another one real soon for the basement setup.

I took a chance, against my better judgment. I asked myself how can a $25 mount compare to a $300 mount? I have 2 girls and I would totally shoot myself if my 52" Sony Bravia (W series) ever fell on one of them. Well, I got this mount and I was already impressed. It is made of this extremely dense, slightly bumpy, but smooth to the touch metal. I mounted the first part to the wall and had my dad, who has owned his own construction company, to test it out. He approved by hanging his 180 lb body from it.

I did have to take a trip to Lowes because the screws to the TV were too long (20 thread). I bought 16 thread and added 2 lock washers, per screw, that already came with the mount. I also spent $30 on a good stud center finder because I wasn't going to mess around.

I feel very confident with this mount and I am very happy to have saved a bunch of money. If you buy this mount, just take your time, watch a few you tube videos about hanging a TV, and use common sense.

I ordered this mount after doing all kinds of research on mounts out there for my new Toshiba 37" - the reviews were good, and the price even better. And, as you know by now, one could easily pay $300 for a tilt mount if they didn't know any better and listened to the folks at best buy.

Missing Part:
I ordered on a Friday, and it arrived the following Thursday. The box was tattered and looked like it had been through a war. It was obviously a returned item, as the contents (hardware, etc) was not organized in any way. Also, there was a major piece missing from the kit that would keep me from being able to mount the TV over the weekend. very disappointing. Now, i don't mind getting someone's returned item, as long as all the parts are there. It drives me crazy to know that Cheetah resold this mount without first checking to make sure everything was there. On Friday evening, i submitted a 'problem' through amazon to the seller - i was sure this was going to go unresolved and i would have to find another solution. On Saturday, low and behold, i received a phone call from a rep at Cheetah who said he would send out the part, 2-day air, first thing Monday morning.

Lost, i'm sure:
On Thursday, i call the Cheetah rep back and tell him that I haven't rec'd the part yet. he tells me that UPS lost it in the shipping and he just sent another one. You know what, just tell the truth - you forgot to send it Monday. Just don't lie - it looks awful. Now, i should get it Monday and another weekend is lost.

Wrong part:
Monday comes and the package arrives FedEx. Wrong part! I had made it crystal clear which part was missing and he seemed to know exactly which one it was. I called him up and he blamed his warehouse people and said that he would go to the warehouse himself and watch the staff member place the correct part in the bag and slap the mailing sticker on there. oy - this is getting ridiculous.

Got it:
The correct part came on Wednesday and i'm good to go. I installed it on Sunday and it went up without any problems and I'm happy. the mount is sturdy, adjusts horizontally very easily, and was simple to install. The built in level is wrong, so use your own.

I am happy with the end result at the price i paid. The effort it took me to get the mount and all it's pieces was insane, but i must say that the people at Cheetah mounts were nothing but nice and responsive.

I love my new home theater system.

In fact, I love it so much that I tend to watch it a bit too much.

The wife and I got in a heated debate about my new television use. One thing led to another, and she tried to rip my 50" Samsung clean off the wall.

Thanks to this mount the TV is still on the wall, and working well.

Mount > Angry wife.

This is probably the most unexpected failure in buying something from Amazon. Reviews seem to be amazing but here is my experience.
First of all, i have installed another TV wall mount (twice more expensive) and that one was very easy, sturdy, and had perfectly matched parameters.
Regarding this one:
- Instructions are ok but not as detailed as they should be
- Some extra pieces in the package which were not described in instructions at all (confusing)
- TWO VERTICAL RODS DO NOT MATCH EACH OTHER IN SIZE AND IN HOLE LOCATIONS - no way usable, i guess i was not lucky and got defective product.
- I wish it hadn't tilting function at all. When you tilt it if the TV is heavy it starts pulling the top horizontal piece putting all the pressure on the top screws
- Instead of smart top like construction on the bottom there are screws that you need to screw in after the TV is mounted - i found extremely hard.

I wasted my Sunday evening, ruined the wall, thanks to Amazon return/refund was easy and fast.

I do not recommend buying this product but the price is unbeatable and i'm sure most of the readers will just disregard my BAD experience, that's what i would do :) Good luck!

Even though this product was really cheap in price, the reviews were pretty solid. So I bought it thinking it would be a good budget solution. The install instructions were the worst I have ever seen in my entire life. There were extra parts not even listed in the manual, the holes were drilled in the wrong spot, the washers were too small... The bracket itself wasn't strait or square, so even though I mounted the bracket level on the wall, when I hung the TV it was tilted to the side. I had to remove the TV and tweek the bracket to unlevel to make the TV hang level. All told this was a horrible purchase and an even more horrible install experience. This is what I get for buying cheap I guess. Pay the extra 15 or 20 bucks and get something from a decent brand.

Though the description says it works for 32" TVs the bracket visibly protrudes beyond all sides of the television. In addition, as other reviews have stated, washers were missing, none of the screws would fit my TV, and the wall mount is four pieces you assemble and not a solid plate. I am returning it.

I've been installing LCDs and plasmas the last 10 years, and i've seen multitude of brackets of all qualities and prices.
But i'm quite impressed with this one, as is one of the cheapest available and is a really good bracket.
The bracket is solid, and easy to mount, the build in lever is a cool feature (but not very accurate BTW).
Another handy feature is the tilt knobs, that allows you to tilt the bracket (or not) without any tools.
The bracket is relatively flat and light compared with other products and can hold virtually any LCD / PLasma on the market.
I used it with Sharp 52" LCD and works like a charm.
Very good product for the price.