Customer Reviews

Neo-Flex LCD Arm

5 star:		(88)
4 star:		(43)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The Neo-flex stand might seem pricey to some, but this is a case of getting what you pay for as it is well worth the money. This stand is versatile: You can remove the extension to shorten it and it comes with parts for either a surface edge or grommet mount. The machined aluminum parts and overall aesthetic of this LCD panel VESA mount are beautiful -- and made to last. The directions have no text, but surprisingly the drawings are so well done that I understood every step of the disassembly and reassembly process (I only did this because I shortened it and then changed my mind later: It comes packaged with the extension and surface edge mount version installed and ready to go). Every joint either pans, swivels or tilts. Nothing but praise for this item (my only minor complaint is that there are no spare parts included, so don't lose any unpacking).

I absolutely love this LCD arm. When I was looking for a new LCD monitor, I was shocked to find that most of the LCDs on the market today do not have the ability to rotate to portrait mode. That feature is really only found on the Dell ultrasharp LCDs, which cost much more than most LCDs on the market today.

After doing some research, I came across the Ergotron website and found the "new" model of this arm for double the cost of the one listed above. The model listed above is last years model, but the only real difference is the style/looks. I still say this arm is very stylish.

In the box, you will find all the parts needed to mount the arm a variety of ways. The most common way is to clap it to the rear of your worksurface, but a grommet is also included so that you could drill a hole through your surface and clamp it to the hole.

The arm is very strong (the manufacturer says it can hold up to a 20", but I am using a 22" samsung 226BW widescreen LCD with no problems). The arm can be lowered or raised 6-8" (maybe more), and the LCD can be tilted up/down, and rotated. All this can be done without having to move any cables.

If you are looking for a great way to easily turn your LCD from landscape to portrait mode, this is a great choice. It makes reading documents (PDFs, websites, etc) much easier (especially if you have a widescreen LCD).

I bought 2 of these - one for my little 17" secondary monitor and one for my wifes 24" primary montor.

On the 17", everything went very smoothly and setup was simple. The one issue you should keep in mind with this arm is that it's tight - very tight, so when you attach a lightweight monitor to it, you'll need more than average force to move it into place.

On the 24", things were more interesting. Technically, this arm isn't rated for a monitor this large, but as I've discovered with other arms, the size of the monitor is mostly irrelevant - it's the weight you have to keep in mind and the 24" monitor fell under the weight this arm is rated for, so that wasn't the problem. The issue we ran into with this montor arm is not really a "full range of motion" arm. Its range of up/down movement is much more limited than you find on other, more expnsive arms - at a guess, I'd say you only have 20 or 25 degrees of motion you can move it through. This meant that we couldn't actually mount the arm where we wanted to on her desk and had to find an alternative, which, after an hour of futzing around, we did and all was well.

So, while this is a fine arm for the money and definately better than any others I've seen for this price, you do get some limitations that come with it. Overall, it's perfect for my small 17" secondary monitor, but if I were buying for my wifes monitor again, I'd probably buy another Ergotron LX like I use for my 28" main montor because of the overall range of motion it gives.

To stop the monitor from drooping and suddenly dropping during use, I've had to tighten the bolts so tight with the allen wrench that theyre beginning to strip. I'm assuming they're going to need further adjustment as time goes by, from the monitor weight and rotation use. It's probably only a matter of time before they're stripped beyond usability, and I'll have to exchange it for another one.

It also didn't come with long enough screws to fit the back of my monitor, so I had to buy some longer ones. Not that big of a deal in itself, but overall this product doesn't work as well as I'd hoped.

I bought this arm extension to be able to adjust the monitor in a proper position and to move it out of my way if I don't need it. The device is made out of solid metal and looks nice. However if you are planing to have an arm extension that allows you to move the monitor around, this is not for you. I think it is intend to be in a fixed position and then it is fine.

For me it is not working. After a half week of using this extension moving the monitor in and out my way several times the day the screws are getting more and more loose and it's just a matter of time till this thing falls apart.

Also one of the plastic cable fixer broke the very first day. Regarding the extension height, I had set it to max to adjust it properly to my height. I mounted this device on my desk.

I have been using this unit for about 3 months now and have been pleased in its performance... I purchased this at the same time as a 22" wide screen from Samsung (226BW, the stock stand is terrible), and was a little leery of the combination. I knew the screen was around 10 pounds and the arm could handle up to 18, but the screen was much larger than the 19" that the manufacturer recommended.

Thankfully this combination fits my needs quite well. I can use the screen in portrait and landscape mode (using NVIDIA's software) which makes document typing a much more pleasant task. Also I am 6' and my girlfriend is 5'6" (again the Samsung did not have height adjustment) so we can lower and raise the monitor to both of our needs. The lift arm locks into place, which ensures that your LCD investment won't go crashing to your desk.

Not allot of complaints about this product but like everything it's not perfect... The unit came with all of the swivel heads tightened down extremely tight, I actually broke the included allen wrench. Also the routing clips are made of cheap plastic while the rest of the unit is cast metal.

Like it or not I spend quite a bit of time on the computer and this product has made that time a little more pleasant.

I find the monitor arm did exceed my expectation:

1. Robust construction (strong enough to hold my 22" LCD monitor in place)
2. Convinient and reliable way to attach to the different surfaces
3. Elegant look

I use this for a 22" LCD, and I would not use it for anything larger than a 24" screen. The weight of the monitor requires you to tighten the hinges (or the monitor will fall) fairly tightly and then you will have to force the monitor (or loosen the hinges) to get it to move which will cause you to cringe as you hear the monitor shell bend.

The cable clips are worthless. Just throw them out and use zip ties. They are two parts that don't stay together, are too small to fit a high quality VGA, (or HDMI or DVI) cable and power cord, and even if they did are not strong enough to hold them in place (as they are slotted at bottom).

The arm offers desk-side and though hole mounts. Both are very easy to use and effective.The Top of the mount is rubber, so it won't mar your desktop.

The vesa plates fit well and are good quality (I've seen some cheap arms that need some drill work for the vesa plates to fit). There is also not too much extra metal, so they will fit in older style recessed dell monitors (again a problem with some other vesa plates) vesa mounts.

I think it is perfectly fine for people who don't adjust a monitor often. For single users who may adjust it once a day, This should be fine. I would put some loc-tite on the hinge screws. (as they will back out with normal use). If you do that you will be all set.

For public computer stations where multiple users may be moving the monitor on a daily basis, I would invest in a higher quality, and more intuitive to use arm(I say that because the hinges get at weird angles and then it rotates strangely, as well as the fact that you have to press the center hinge to get it to release). It really is a 3 star product for a good price. For the price, its hard to beat and it offers some good adjustment options for infrequent adjusters. If you plan to adjust it a lot definitely tweak the screw tension and set it with loctite. (when you get a setting you like, mark the position with a marker... apply the thread-locker, and tension until the marks line up again)

Pros: High Quality Fit & Finish, Swivels 180º Effortlessly, Low price considering overall package.

Cons: Would have liked a better/cleaner cable management solution.

When I first removed the assembled arm from the box, my first impression was wow this is heavy and very well made. The more I've used it that impression is only reinforced.

I have this mounted on the corner of a coffee table, it then swings the monitor in a 90º, 135º or 180º arc depending on where I have my recliner positioned. I swing it back to its 0º rest position each time I get out of the chair or when not used. I have a 22" Acer widescreen on the arm which I selected to be under the maximum permitted weight. In order to clamp on the coffee table, I had to drill two holes in the bottom L-bracket and flip it over. This increased the clamp opening to ~3", now very secure.

I have both a VGA and DVI cable, plus power and audio running through the two cable clips. Works but a bit unsightly. I'd like to see a more enclosed cable solution.

As others have stated, the screws are TIGHT. I couldn't rotate the monitor around the VESA bracket w/o first loosening the nut. Since this nut is hidden behind the VESA mount, important to get it right.

Edit: (April 2008) Removed the 22" LCD and put on a 24" KDS LCD. The KDS at 16 lbs is near the arm's limit of 18#. Still works well, just wouldn't want to go any heavier.

Edit: (Dec. 2009) After rotating the arm 180º several dozen times a day for 2-years it got so it would barely move. I downloaded the PDF from the Ergotron website, then disassembled the pivot, bone dry. I cleaned the steel pin and aluminum socket, applied stem grease and viola, like new again.

If you need to put your monitor in one position and leave it there then this works great. If you only need push it back and pull it forward, then it will probably work ok. If you need to frequently raise, lower, tilt, or rotate your monitor, then look elsewhere. Raising and lowering is awkward, but workable. Tilting and rotating requires you to get out the allen wrench and loosen/tighten the joints every time. This is difficult to do by yourself and works a lot better if someone else can hold the monitor while you loosen/tighten the joints.