Customer Reviews

Moview MV17DC Elite LCD Monitor Arm For 18"x21" Flat Panel

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This unit is great and does everything is supposed to do except the 10 inches vertical travel. Mine moves up one or two inches upward but that's it. The vertical travel is nothing like the Macromedia flash example here: http://www.themoview.com/products/elite.html

Addendum Jan/03/05
It was a defective arm. Moview promptly replaced it with a new one. If I could, I'd change the rating to 5

I ordered 2 of these, realizing they would have limited adjustment range - other reviews are correct in that they are very limited in their travel. What prompts my one star rating and subsequent return of my order is that they will not hold their rated weight. This model is supposed to hold a 25 lb. monitor; it failed miserably at attempting to hold my 23 lb. iMac. There is no tension adjustment (already as tight as it would go) and the computer just flopped forward. With a light monitor, I'm sure it would be fine, but don't expect even close to the stated 25 lb. rating.

The way this works: A rigid curved upright section is monuted on a clamp base; the upright rotates 360 degrees. A flexible metal tubing section continues to a universal joint. The flexible section twists about 90 degrees in either direction. The mounting plate has slots for screws to mount the monitor.

I found one of the universal joints is too tight, the other was too loose; they could probably be adjusted. The flexible section is quite stiff. Vertical adjustment is minimal and I was concerned that I would break the monitor case when I repositioned the monitor. I bought this because I have 2 positions I routinely have to change between. I've decided to return it; I purchased an Ergotron Neo-Flex NF08LD1S (Mfr. Part #: 45-185-194) which cost $10 less and is easier to work with. I'm using a viewsonic 20.1" widescreen monitor and I'm happy with it so far.

I can't believe this arm is selling on some web sites for $180. Its not worth $20. I had to return my first arm because one of the joints was locked tight and could not be moved, even with tools i could not loosen it. There is obviously no quality control with this manufacturer, as the replacement arm needed a joint loosening with tools. The arm is supposed to be easily adjustable with the weight of the monitor.
However when i loosened the joint and got it moving i found out that this monitor hangs out about 1.5' over my desk from the clamp point, as my desk is only 2.5' in depth the monitor was too close to my eyes. Also I could not get the monitor high enough to even be at eye level. I returned the arm and my monitor is back on a pile of books, but at least it's at eye level. I will look for more of a conventional arm that has an arm style more like a conventional clamp on desk light.

This arm is difficult to move and it does not lift the monitor very high off of the desk. The best I can do with my 2001FP is 6.5" from the top of the desk to the bottom of the monitor. Only above the 1st joint is adjustable, the first section is metal and at a fixed bend. Once placed it it not really a problem, but it is certainly not an arm that you can swing around and move often.

I recently purchased this monitor arm, and now that it's set up properly, I'm quite happy with it.

First of all, the item I received (with the same model number as this listing) does not look like the one pictured. Mine is the heavy-duty, two-arm model that you can see over on [...]. (I'll look into posting a picture of it on this product page in a few days). This is quite solid, and I expect it to last the 10 years or so that the company backs it without any issues.

Your monitor arm will most likely take some adjustment, even though from other reviews I've read it seems that the company discourages end user adjustment. They certainly don't make it easy for the average user, as they do not include any info on adjustment in their brief instruction sheet which just covers mounting the monitor to the arm and the arm to the desk. Nevertheless, I would bet that most users who are satisfied with this arm had to make some adjustments as we're not all using monitors that weight the same amount. When I first set up my monitor (a 20" that weighs about 11 lbs.), the arm slowly sagged until it was about an inch or two off the desk. The problem was quite obvious to anyone with the most modest understanding of mechanics and physics: the middle joint was too loose. The ironic thing is that it seemed too tight and almost immobile before mounting the monitor. You will not be able to properly adjust this arm until the monitor is mounted. It will probably take two people to get it set up correctly: one to hold the arm and monitor in place and another to tighten all the bolts.

Very minor adjustments go a long way. I had to go out and buy a new set of hex keys (my standard folding set did not have the 8mm wrench you'll need to make the adjustments). To further complicate the process for end users, some of the bolts are metric and some are American. I know this sounds unbelievable, but I promise you it is the case. For the smaller joints at the end of the arm near the plate to which the monitor is mounted, you will need the 5/32 and 3/16 allen wrenches referred to in the email one review posted here from the Moview support staff. The bolts that require an allen wrench have the hex head on both sides, meaning you'll have to use both allen keys to make adjustments. But the larger joints, the one connecting the two arms and the one connecting the arm to the desk base, are metric. You will need an 8mm and a 6mm hex key to make adjustments. You will also need an adjustable wrench to handle the two nuts attached to each bolt. I found I needed a slightly longer one (8"?) than the small one (5") I generally use so I could get a little more leverage. Even then, I could barely move most of these bolts--I doubt I tightened or loosened any more than a 1/4 turn. But it made all the difference in the world. When I had the friend who was holding the monitor in place let go, it did not move.

Although others complain that they cannot reposition their monitors very easily, I'd assume that they too could benefit from some minor adjustment. I can now move my monitor around without too much difficult at all. Do not expect smooth action: you will feel a lot of resistance when you first push it around, and then it will start to give. I'm sure that a much more expensive one with far more complicated fluid or air spring mechanisms could move much more smoothly. Nevertheless, I do move my monitor around and don't have too much difficulty doing so. I have to say that it's very nice having the extra desk space and having the monitor at eye level so I don't have to constantly lean forward and look down at it.

At the MSRP here on Amazon, I imagine there are better products out there at a comparable price. But if you look around or buy one from the marketplace, you should be able to pick up one for a very inexpensive price (when I purchased mine there were several listed for around twenty or so dollars). At that price (less than 1/5 of MSRP) and with some minor adjustments, I would suspect you'd be very satisfied with your purchase.