Customer Reviews

Hercules(by Opteka) HRM-100 Super Strong Plasma and LCD TV Dual-Arm Articulating Wall Mount for 32-Inch to 60-Inch Displays (Black)

5 star:		(85)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I was a little apprehensive in buying this item on Amazon. I could only find one review on Amazon prior to my purchase. The main complaint of the review was regarding the distance between the wall studs and that fact that this distance was not being spelled out in the specs. However, the review did state that the HRM-100 was "....definitely sturdy." I couldn't agree more. The HRM-100 is sturdy as an ox. It is solid steel and built very well. I'm currently using it for a 32" HDTV. I plan to swap out my TV for a 47" and I have no concerns regarding the ability of the HRM-100 to support a larger TV. Most homes in the U.S. were built to spec with the studs that are 16 inches apart. So, this should be a non-issue for most buyers. After bolting the HRM-100 to the wall with four huge bolts, I was ready to watch TV. The install was great and directions were sufficient. I recommend this to anyone. I couldn't believe the price on Amazon compared to other articulating mounts. The HRM-100 was approx 1/2 to 1/3 the price of other options. But a lower price definitely did not mean lower quality. I couldn't be more pleased with my purchase.

THE GOOD - The mount itself I rate as a 5 and highly recommend. Like the other reviews, I agree it is a great value, solid (built like a tank), high quality, and relatively easy to install (with good hardware-see below). Mounted a 50" plasma that weighs ~80 lbs. I cannot detect a degree of sag when the TV is turned and extended from the wall.

THE BAD - I rate the hardware that comes with the mount at a 1. There is no excuse for hardware this cheap. Like a couple of other reviews, I drilled the proper 3/16" size hole in the stud to mount the lag screw. With a 1/4" rachet drive, and moderate pressure, I twisted the head of the lag screw right off 3/4 of the way in. This presents a major problem, because I measured very carefully, ensuring that the unit was centered on the wall, level, etc. With the broken shank of the lag bolt embedded in the wall, there is no way to get it out, and the hole becomes unusable. Therefore, I needed to drill 4 new holes just higher, get better lag bolts and start again. Annoying and time consuming!

THE UGLY- One of the allen screws that anchors the TV hanger clips was so bent that it would not screw in without striping the threads. Hardware is cheap, unrated junk. Too bad, I would gladly pay an extra $1 for better hardware.

SOLUTION - If planning to install this TV mount in wood studs, before the mount arrives, go to the hardware store and purchase (4) 5/16" X 3" zinc plated lag screws. Anything at the hardware store in the US will be better than what comes with the mount. Most good bolts should have numbers and markings on the head, indicating strength/use. This hardware has none.

Drill a 3/16 hole (going from memory - whatever diameter is in the installation instructions) at least 3" into the wall. With the thickness of the drywall/plaster (typically 1/2" - 3/4") you will end up with a ~2 1/2" deep hole in the stud. A trick my father taught me - get a dry bar of soap and drag the lag screws across the soap bar, getting "shreads" of soap on the threads. This will make it easier to turn the lag screw and reduce the chances of the lag bolt breaking. Don't forget to use the washers on the end of the lag screws, and the cheapies that come with the mount should be fine.

Hopefully you will not also have a bent allen screw, otherwise that will be a separate trip to the store. Good luck!

Hello I bought this product about 1 week ago. I have a 47" TV and i was a little worried about the weight of my tv. Let me say this, After i mounted the mount to the wall hiting two studs. I hung from it. I weigh 215lbs.. And the mount didnt budge. This is a great product. My dad has a omin mount and says that this mount looks better, and you can run the wires alot easier wth this rather than the omni mount. This is a great pruduct. And i would like to hank the other reviews, because thats what sold this item. Im getting a 55" for my back room. No doubt that this mount will do the job. Thank You very much. Sgt James Heinold

I bought this product for my 40" Samsung Series 5 LCD. Because I was planning to upgrade it in the future to a 52", I went with the larger size. (And the HRM-100 is definitely sturdy.) However, my apartment already has pre-installed TV mount screws at 24" apart--a stud distance that is not that uncommon. BUT, the Hercules HRM-100 mount only supports a narrow range of 11.75"-18.00". I would not be upset *had they put this info in the product description*. But they did not, and now I am paying $20 to send it back. My $0.02: go with a product that has better explanation in the product description... or know for sure that you have 16" studs in your walls.

I bought this opteka tv mount for 129 and they sent me the cheap 79 dollar am-650! They look similar and if it wasn't for my keen eye, I might have missed that the model numbers were not the same. It clearly says on my box that it is the am-650 but then they put stickers over it saying it was the more expensive hrm-100. I am disgusted. This was a blatant attempt to make me pay more for the cheaper version. When I ordered the hrm-100.....it said it was in stock and now it says that it is a few weeks out until available for shipping. SO I assume, they had no more to send me and so they figured they would try and send me the cheap version to see if I would notice. HORRIBLE to do things like this to people. I purposely ordered the heavy duty mount bc the 50 inch plasma I bought hubby for Christmas is super heavy. What if I had hung it on this mount and it fell and my Husbands new tv was destroyed? Guess that doesn't matter. Shame on you Amazon! I could understand if it was an honest mistake but it wasn't! You purposely tried to hide it with stickers!

I had a year to look before I had to pick one up. I looked online at hundreds of reviews.
It is obvious that there are many models for less money than this one but the devil is in the details. This was definitely built for the weight they quoted. From reading many complaints online the cheaper models are not. I mounted a SAMSUNG 46 inch LED which is only about 45 pounds. It should easily handle a 120lb unit or higher. The swing movement is stiff. I believe this is because the unit was designed for much heavier loads than mine. I wish I had lubed it before putting it together. I still have to take it apart again for a problem I ran into.
I mounted it on studs (required) on a 16 inch center. The studs may not be where you think they are and also might not be on 16 inch centers. The studs also might not be centered on the wall. Your TV may end up hanging a foot to the left or right of where you wanted it. My studs were off center on my wall but that was exactly where I wanted it. Check your studs before you order. You can't move the studs folks.
The instructions are poor as they are for everything these days. There are two knobs to tighten down the bracket for locking the swivel up and down function in one position. The instructions did not point these knobs out and you can't put them on later. So I have to take the TV off to put them on. Without them, the weight of the TV will slowly make the screen tilt back up if you have it tilted down. There is a mounting bubble but not sure if it would actually help. It's difficult to see. There is no indication of which way the wall mount should be mounted up or down. It appears it does not matter. My SAMSUNG came with mounting screws but these were way too short to work with any bracket. I bet they only work with a SAMSUNG mounting bracket. This wall mount came with multiple sets of screws with different lengths for different TV's. One set matched perfectly. I am tall and strong so I was able to do every step by myself except hooking the TV onto the bracket. You will definitely need another person to look behind the TV and guide you when you hook the TV onto the wall mount. My wife was not strong enough to lift the TV or the wall mount or hold either in place. Plan on two strong people to install this. It is a well thought out design and overall it was easy (for me) to install. About an hour and a half.

Let me make it clear, you have to mount this to the studs. It is heavy duty! I have a Bravia 52' hanging from it. You can position the tv brackets up or down on the back of the TV to raise or lower it which is a nice feature. the tv can also be slid from side to side by loosening the tension bolts on the bracket. This gives you extra room to play with your baseline setup. after that the extension arms allow you to pull the tv forward and twist side to side depending on which part of the room you want to view from. It also has a secure tilt adjustment. I really like this mount and feel for the money it is the best mount I could have possibly bought as I have looked at many different kinds. This one was inexpensive but definitely not cheaply built! I love the versatility and ease of use. Installation is a bit tricky and it HAS to be mounted to the studs. The directions that come with the stand tend to be tad vague. All-in-all, if you want a great mount for a great price that gives you some freedom of placemnet and still manages to hold the TV flat to the wall when not in use this is a fantastic little (understatement) mount.

As always, Amazon shipped it fast.

I am very happy with the Opteka 100 Dual-arm TV mount. I was looking for a LCD mount that was heavy-duty enough to mount my 47" LCD in a corner of a room. This worked perfectly. It took me about 30 minutes to instal. The instructions could be better. But if your smart enough to find a stud in a wall to anchor to, you can figure out what the instructions are lacking. I am very impressed at how sturdy and well built this thing is. After I put it an the wall, I extended the arms out and hung from the arms. I only weigh about 160lbs, but it didn't budge. I would recommend this to anyone.

I upgraded from a 32" LCD TV that was mounted on a Peerless mount (the popular one on Amazon) to a 52" LCD TV. The Peerless bolted to the wall in two places, whereas this mount bolts to the wall in four different places utilizing two different studs. This Hercules mount is like a Hummer compared to a Geo Tracker. It is rock-solid and I had no hesitation whatsoever allowing it to be the only thing holding my $1,200+ TV six feet above the floor. My TV has been mounted for about 2 weeks now, and there hasn't been a single problem; it is mounted as solidly as the day I installed it.

Installation is fairly simple if you're familiar with using a stud finder, ratchet, and drill to create pilot holes. The instructions are a little bit sparse, so if you aren't very handy you might want to call someone who knows how to use various tools and can do simple projects -- you definitely don't need an expert, just someone who has experience. Also, it is definitely a two-man job in terms of lifting and bolting the unit to the wall. I had mine installed with the TV up in about 90 minutes. If you have to do anything electrical-outlet wise, or for providing power/cable to the TV, you are probably looking at a much bigger time and money investment than 90 minutes, though.

Finally, the articulation feature is great, and I routinely shift my TV to view it from the kitchen and then move it back so I can watch it in my living room. It's a great feature to have and really enhances the value to having the TV mounted up on the wall. All in all, this is a great product for what it is designed to do.

I got this cause I really needed an articulating mount for my 42 inch plasma, to free up space in the living room....I had a problem with the place I was going to hang it not having 16 inch studs...but that is easily fixable...I just went and bought a piece of 2x12 at the hardware store for $9 and some extra lag bolts so I could mount the 2x12 over the studs and then just place the mount where I needed it. I didn't take the time to pretty it up with trim or anything or make a box to hide the extra wood but you could do that pretty easily. I was really impressed with the quality of the product when I pulled it out of the box it's nice and sturdy. When I got down to installing it I was impressed with just how easy it all was...the level on the back of the mount made it really easy to just line it up level it and secure it to the wall. It took me 45 min tops cutting drilling and hanging solo with the extra work of the 2x12. If you can just put it up there and hang it installation should take you 20 min tops. When I got the bracket on before I hung the TV (57.3lbs) I pushed down on it to test it out...that went well so I put my full body weight on the bracket (210lbs) for a whole minute and it didn't budge at all or creak or anything. This is a VERY solid bracket!! It has great range of motion and nice extension. For my needs this was the perfect mount and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking at an articulating wall mount for a large TV.