Customer Reviews

SANUS SYSTEM Flat Panel TV Stand Furniture ( Platinum )

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Like most people, I was excited to buy a plasma TV just because it is wall mountable. But realistically, I didn't want to drill huge holes in my wall, nor pay $500 for it to be professionally installed. And I soon came to realize that even if I did mount the TV on the wall, I would still need to have a tacky looking AV stand for all of my other components. This stand solved all of my problems! It's sturdy, looks great, is reasonably priced, and it's easy to assemble.

When the package arrived, the box was trashed badly from shipping. I'm convinced that UPS was the one to re-tape the whole thing together because I found a box cutter inside the box. Though, to my surprise, because SANUS packaged the product so well (lots of styrofoam), nothing was damaged. Inside the package is the base, the shelves, hardware needed to mount the TV including allen wrenches (all you need to supply is a monkey wrench and a phillips screwdriver) and an extra set of black feet for the stand (the base comes with silver feet attached). The base is a glossy black, and the glass shelves are tinted.

Putting this stand together was easier than anything I've ever purchased from IKEA (takes no more than half an hour including unpacking the box). Every bolt and screw is labeled, and the manual is detailed. It looks intimidating at first, but you only end up using half of the supplied bolts/washers/etc. I recommend mounting the TV before screwing the glass shelves into the post and hooking up components for ease of mobility. An extra hand is helpful, but I was able to mount a 42" plasma by myself.

The mounting bracket and shelves are adjustable and can move vertically up and down the post, but must be done so by unscrewing the bolts that hold them in place. The TV can be tilted up and down, but not side to side (this can be done without unmounting the TV).

Just to give you an idea of how many components you can fit on the stand, I have a speaker on the top shelf, cable box and PS2 on the middle shelf, and receiver, TiVo, and DVD player on the base. I don't have room for any more though.

Considerations: There isn't much room inside the post to put all of your cables. And it's not the easiest task either - actually took me longer to thread the cables through than put the stand together. But realistically, the only cables that need to go inside are those that connect directly to your TV. The rest of your cables (ie. DVD to receiver etc.) will be hidden behind your components. Also, you should only have to do this once upon set up, so in the end it is well worth it.

Which brings me to my next topic - if you have a lot of components and a lot of wires, it becomes more difficult to hide them visibly because this is not an encased stand. It helps if you use HDMI to cut back on the number of cables you have, or if you have short cables and don't have a lot of bunched up excess wiring. Luckily, my solution was to put this stand in the corner of the room, so you can't really see anything from the side view.

All in all it was well worth every penny (and I was skeptic about spending $300+ on such a simple looking piece of furniture). The cheapest price by far was online through Amazon. I would by this stand again in a heartbeat. Amazingly, my TV looks bigger mounted on this stand than it did sitting on my old one. My only regret is that I didn't purchase this stand sooner!

EDIT: It is now nearing the end of 2008, almost 2 years later. I still use this stand and still think this stand is great. It even withstood a U-haul move. But, flat panel TV's are much more affordable and main stream than they were a few years ago. Having said that, when I was looking for a 'mountable' stand back then, I didn't have many options. Now, you can find a decent one at Walmart for $100 that even swivels. I do still think it's a great stand that looks much better than many I see today, but the steep price tag makes it less attractive now when there are cheaper alternatives.

But, you'll be glad to know I've also purchased a new TV since then, and this stand accommodated the larger size while still using the same brackets and screws from my last TV (both comply w/ VESA standards).

So I took a leap of faith and purchased this stand without seeing it in person. Let me tell you that the picture provided by Amazon does not do this justice. My orignal concerns were the shelves were too small and the stand too tall. Boy was I wrong. The shelves were ample in size. On the smaller top shelf alone I was able to place the Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360 with HD-DVD drive (all vertically standing). And place a dvd player and receiver on the bottom glass shelf. Word of warning re: glass shelving do not place anything with weight on the outer perimeter (duh) it is glass and may break. Couple of complaints. The instructions were not as simple as pictured (take your time) especially with the mounting of your TV. I used this with the Samsung LN-S4095D 40" 1080p LCD HDTV and it looks Spectacular. Other complaint Delivery was HORRIBLE. The box was tattered and the delivery took alot longer than specified. I'm a prime member and upgraded for 1 day shipping. I waited 3 days to get it. All UPS and Amazon could say was sorry and refund my $3.99. Again GREAT PRODUCT. HORRIBLE SHIPPING and execution by UPS and Amazon.

This is the perfect width stand for an 46" HDTV. It hangs it very secure and would also be good for 52" screens, although at 52", the set will be noticeably wider than the stand.

The glass shelves themselves are surprisingly strong tempered glass that can supposedly support up to 50lbs, though you probably would not to put a large size amp/receiver on it. However, it seems strong enough to support my large 25 lb center speaker, which thanks to the adjustable shelves, I am able to elevate it to only half an inch under my TV which is ideal for movie watching. I was worried at first that the center spkr might be too heavy but it has been sitting pretty on it for about 3 weeks now.

I used the wider sized glass for the top shelf to accomdate my extra wide center spkr and my dvd player on the glass shelf below it. My receiver sits at the base of the stand and I will always rest easy knowing that the receiver has PLENTY of ventaliation thanks to the open design and adjustable height shelves.

The pole itself is one solid piece of extruded alumimum that is thick and very well constructed. It is probably the strongest piece in the kit. The base also has reinforced metal framing underneath the MDF wood base, so there are no worries about either the base or pole failing. The only thing that is not impressive is the black finish of the base which is quite nice to look at and shiny, but you can tell that the layer of lacquer used is quite thin and could wear out over time or chip easily if you're not careful. Also, due to the finish and the glass shelves, there will be visible dust buildup after a week or so.

This project is mostly a 1 man project, but you will probably need 2 people when it comes time to mounting your bigscreen LCD or Plasma to the stand for anything 42" or bigger. Tools required will be a phillips screwdriver and wrench for the 6 large screws at the base where the pole sits. The rest of the screws all use allen wrenches which are provided.

Also word of advice for the glass shelves. Try not to put anything heavy that is made out of metal or ceramic directly on the glass surface. While their structure is quite strong, tempered glass can easily shatter into thousands if pieces you knock it with something made of metal/cermamic. If you want to put anything that has metal or ceramic on it, then make sure it has rubber feet or something in between.

The metal work and extruded upright are fantastic and well done, and easy to assemble. The mount between the stand and TV is great, easy to adjust and use, and could be reused as a wall mount if you get tired of the stand.

The base is thinly finished MDF with a tubular metal frame underneath. The decorative black part of the base dents easily (don't drop a washer or bolt while assembling the unit as it will dent the surface) and the edges can be caught by a vacuum wrecking the sleek look of the unit, by pulling the finish off exposing the MDF underneath.

I was looking for a way to mount my new 46" LCD without having to drill into the brick wall in our living room. At first, I was a bit wary of the price tag, but this item was cheaper than a wall installation. When it arrived, I was impressed the relative ease of assembly and the outstanding packaging. The instructions were clear and well written, and all of the items were clearly marked and labeled. All of the bolts, washers, etc came in individually sealed and labeled packets, which made it very easy to follow the instructions painlessly. I'm a veteran of countless Ikea-type assembly projects, and the Sanus stand was 400% better. I had one question during the installation and called Sanus' toll-free hotline. I got right through to a support person who quickly helped me with a minor question I had. When finished, we were really happy with the final product. The TV looks great on the stand and the components store very well on the glass shelves. I highly recommend this product.

I purchased this Sanus TV stand for my Toshiba 42HL196 LCD television. It fits most wall mountable flat panel TVs with the included hardware. The shelves and the TV mount can be moved up or down on the pole and then secured into place by tightening the hidden bolts. The TV mount its self can also pivot up or down allowing for the best possible viewing angle.

The shelves are made of tempered glass and seem very strong. This unit is sturdy as it should be to hold a large TV securely. It is a great conversation piece and it compliments my flat panel TV quite nicely.

I've had this Sanus stand for about two weeks now and concur with most of the previous reviews. It is an attractive, solid stand -- as it should be, given its high price.

It comes in a huge and extremely heavy box, but assembly is a simple affair, since Sanus does a first-rate job of packing and labeling all the parts and explaining the assembly in a clear manner in its instructions.

Two plastic washers were missing from my box, but an email to Sanus had them in my mailbox within a couple of days.

Assembly is a one-person job, but mounting the flat panel tv itself is a two-person job.

Be aware that the base is EXTREMELY glossy/shiny, so dust and animal fur show up vividly against it: this isn't a low maintenance stand, but if you want to achieve the look of wall-mounting your flat panel tv without actually drilling a mount into your wall, this is a great option.

I was a little wary about putting heavy components on the glass shelves, but they seem solid and sturdy: each tempered glass is rated to support 50 pounds of weight.

Don't know why Sanus felt compelled to paint the surface of the center aluminum tube a sparkly silver -- rather than just taking advantage of the natural beauty of the aluminum itself -- but that is a small aesthetic quibble.

All in all, this is a very nice minimalistic stand at a premium price.

JUNE 2011 UPDATE:

Time flies... and TV technology keeps getting better and better.

I'm not sure that stand technology has improved, though. This Sanus stand remains one of the more attractive options out there (especially now that the price is a little lower).

Mine has stood the test of time pretty well.

As noted in other reviews, the glossy base is far and away the weakest point. Not only is the coating thin and easily-dented, it is prone to scratching if you slide components on it (or even if you use a coarse paper towel to wipe the dust off it).

I would have stood by my earlier 4-star rating if not for one unfortunate fact: Sanus customer service has undergone a metamorphosis.

When I recently needed some replacement parts for the stand, Sanus informed me that they no longer offer ANY support for the stand -- even though they still advertise it on their www site and it is still widely available through retailers.

The exact response I received from customer service was that I "should look on eBay or Craigslist" for replacement parts.

That an expensive stand like this, still advertised as a current model on the Sanus www site, should be completely unsupported by the manufacturer is a major poke in the eye from Sanus. "Go look on eBay" is an unacceptable response from the customer service dept, IMHO.

So, if you are thinking of buying this stand, be aware that if you break a glass shelf, lose a bracket or bolt, or even if the stand is delivered to you with any missing or broken parts, you are on your own. Sanus would actually prefer that you return or trash your $450 stand, rather than send you a replacement part.

I've recommended Sanus to many people in the past, but this experience has changed that.

I'm not going to bash the stand itself, as it remains an undeniably attractive and solid piece of furniture. I have, however, lowered my rating to 3 stars, to reflect the non-existent manufacturer support.

The tv stand is excellant quality and better than described. The price was the best I could find anywhere. I am very pleased and I have had many complimants on the appearance of the system. The system was shipped very promptly and even thou it is quite heavy, it went together very easily.

If this is the type of stand you need,buy it. I have pets so this was my best option.Couldn't believe the size of the box. Thought maybe a coffin was shipped by mistake. Don't worry about possible broken pieces as this was the Best wrapped package I ever received. My fear was that if there were any problems with the product,I would never be able to repackage it. Almost had a coronary attack when the tube screws didn't fit the base until I reversed the tube (different size screws). Putting the big tube on the sofa while you attach the base should be helpful. After tube is attached,it's a breeze. Put a towel etc. around the base til the assembly is complete to avoid damage. When your finished you will have a great TV stand. My highest rating. Lawrence

We are ecstatic with the purchase. No damage during shipping. The box did the job of protecting the stand with two small punctures on different sides. I assembled it myself. However, it took a little help by resting it on our hassock to attach the base to the stand. Our 42" plasma and electronic components looks great backed up against the wall. It helps to open up our living room with the T.V. and shelves extending outward from the stand. Plenty of room for our center channel speaker, cable box, vcr, dvd and stereo receiver. The only drawback is the four hard plastic feet. I affixed felt to the bottom to protect the hardwood floor.