Customer Reviews

Sanus VMAA18B Articulating Wall Mount for 37"-56" Displays (Black)

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I got this type wall mount for the swivel side to side and tilt up / down adjustment to view. It has GREAT left / right ( side to side ) movement with OK Tilt adjustment. I have a 50" Pioneer Elite 1140 Plasma ( 80lbs )

The overall wall mount design is OK, they might have made it a bit easier to get to the connections after the mounting hardware is installed ( that cost them a star ) It appears to be sturdy and robust enough to handle the 50" plasma.

The manufatcturer does NOT reccomend this unit for brick or mason. ONLY approved for drywall with wood studs installlation

If you are going to DIY : YOU MUST HAVE 2 PEOPLE...you need extra hands to move the TV and mount it. Don't try it yourself.

Attaching the frame base to the wall: If you are NOT handy with tools and measurements, able to use drills, levels and a stud finder....PAY for installation...this is not time to experiment, a failure will be very expensive.

The wall layout and position of the TV on the wall:

My wall is a drywall and studs 8 feet high, and 8 feet wide to mount against. My TV is 28" high, 48" wide ( without the side speakers attached, 52" attached ) I decided for viewing, the top of the TV was 20" from the ceiling and the bottom of the TV was 48" up from the floor. I left 24" on each side from the TV edge to the side wall. You decide what position will work best for you and locate accordingly. Take good measurements and double check the math.

You MUST BE handy with hand tools and know how to find the studs in drywall. Use a level to be certain, the wall is NOT going to be level / square. Level to the wall frame base, not the wall. The wall frame ( base ) attaches with (4) 3/8" x 2 1/2" lag screws. 1 in each corner of the frame and MUST drill into the center of the studs. Use a good quality stud finder and mark you spots to drill. I used a 1/8" drill bit for a pilot hole to be sure I was hitting wood. I used a 18V drill with a 7/16 socket to drive the 4 lag screws into the 4 pilot holes and left the screw out a few turns. I finished tightening them down by hand with a socket wrench, to make sure it was tight fit, but not overtighten and bust the screw out of the wood as the drill might do. ( Hint put a bit of turtle wax or liquid dish soap on the lag screw threads to make them go in a bit easier )

I was a bit luck here, there was a cross piece of wood between the studs right where I wanted to mount, so I put in an extra lag screw in the frame center from my own screw supply for just in case.

Attaching the mount to the TV: YOU MUST protect the TV face / screen

You have to lay the TV on it's face to attach the hardware on the back. Lay down a nice soft blanket, nothing rough to protect the surface and screen. I used the dining room table with a soft quilt. The included instructions were OK, not great for attaching the mounting hardware. BEWARE there is a chance of PINCH POINTS as the mounting hardware can swivel.

After the mounting hardware is attached, and the base frame is secure to the wall, now is the time. 2 people to attach the TV to the frame base. It attaches easy, but the bottom screws to tighten were hard to turn. Be prepared to catch the TV after first installing to the wall incase of any screw failure or hardware issues.

Important note: Flush against the wall the TV may be level and when fully extended it may be off just a bit. As the TV get further away from the wall, the arm mount acts more like a lever than a mount and applies force to the base bracket differently than when it is a flush fit.

There are mounting adjustments to level the TV after wall installation.

All in all...it wasn't too bad a project. About 2 hours from beginning to end and watching the TV.

This mount seems to be very sturdy. Instructions are clear and easy to follow. Very easy to install, probably took less than 30 minutes. Used to mount my Samsung LSN4051D. Mount fits the LCD perfectly without restricting any of the cables. Mounted on a 40" diagonal wall in family room. Articulating arm makes it nice to rotate for best viewing anywhere in the room. The bolts used to mount the LCD to the Monitor Bracket were too short for the 4051D. It requires a metric bolt. An M6x12 is provided but barely makes contact, if at all, with the threaded holes on the LCD. An M6x18 would be better and a M6x16 may work. I could not find an M6x18 so I used an M6x20 and an extra washer so the bolt would not bottom out on the LCD but would secure it's self using all the threads on the LCD. The Wire tie clips, Wire ties Safety bolts and Preventor bolts were missing. Used what I had for now. Called Sanus and they are suppose to be sending replacements. Ordered through Amazon.com. Cost was about 1/2 of what BB wanted. Shipping was excellent. They shipped (plus free shipping)the day I ordered and I received the mount 4 days later. Have always had good experience with Amazon.com.

The good: great product, well designed and built, easy to read instructions, relatively straightforward and simple mounting, great price through Amazon (saved about $160 compared to Best Buy), free shipping - and item arrived several days ahead of earliest advertised delivery date.
The bad: some screws and cable ties were missing (I checked under my coffee table three times). I had enough of the right size and length screws to perfectly mount my 50" Panasonic, but I was given only one of two "safety" screws, and I didn't receive the "preventor" bolts or "wire clips". I have yet to call Sanus to see if they will send replacement parts (otherwise I will need to buy some screws at the hardware store, a task made a bit more difficult since the instructions don't specifiy the size or thread gage of the missing screws).

I bought the Sanus mount for my new Sony KDL40XBR6. I needed a swivel mount for my room configuration.
I like the general look and feel of the mount. It fits very well and the swivel works like a charm. The tilt is a little hard to get to and set, but it does the job.

Installing was an adventure, so unless you are a DIY type, spend the extra money and get someone to do it for you.
I did this myself and it took me a good part of the day with the back and forth trips to Home Depot for extra bits and pieces.

It's possible to do it alone, but you are well advised to have extra hands depending on the size and weight of your main investment... the TV.

I started off by measuring the outline of the TV and using the blue painters tape to tape on the wall where the TV would end up being, so I can visualize it when sitting on the couch. This helps a lot because once the TV is mounted, that's it.

The first problem I encountered was that this mount does provide appropriate bolts to fit the Sony TV because the included metric bolts are too short for the Sony TV. (Trip to Home Depot - I think I ended up buying 1.5 or 2 inch bolts with 3 or 4 washers)'.
I thought I was in trouble again when the mount covered the electric plug on the Sony. After bolting, I was able to have barely just enough wiggle room to access it).

The next issue: Be warned that the Wall Plate only fits wood studs at least 12 - 16 in. apart. Vital information that is buried somewhere in the middle of the manual. If you have studs that are further apart like I have, you have some retrofitting to do.

Thank goodness I had a 1x10 inch finished plywood board that I had to cut to size, to use as the stud bridge. I initially bolted the wall mount to my plyboard with 8 bolts and nuts and then I bolted the board to the studs with 6 longer lag bolts than provided. This thing ain't coming down anytime soon. Of course, make sure you constantly measure and use the level over and over, as this is a permanent install.

The extra inch off the wall makes very little difference and the cherry finish of the plywood matched the TV "stand" below the newly mounted and hovering TV.

Last word or advice.. If you measure the height of the TV to eye level when seated, make sure you know the measurements of the space below for your AV euqipment stand. They tend to be on the high side.

The mount looks and works very well, but I dropped some stars because of the pain of installation.

Do yourself a favor and throw away the lag bolts they give you and go out and buy 4 new ones. 2 of the 4 sheared off in the stud after pre-drilling the size hole they specified. Other than that the unit works great.Sanus Systems VMAA18B Universal Articulating Mount with Extended Reach for 30" to 50" Displays (Black)

I bought this bracket and i have a 40" and 46" Sony T.V's and the screws don't go in all the way on the left side which makes me worry about the bracket holding my tv on the wall. don't buy it if you have asony tv.

I bought and recently installed the VMAA18B Mount for my new Sony XBR46. This is a pretty difficult process for those who are not handy. Fortunately, I purchased some seperate hardware for mounting as per other reviews and comments. This mount is very well made and comes with most of the required hardware depending on your tv model. The instructions could be better but were better than average. If you will want your sreen to be an exact distance from the floor or below table you need to measure VERY carefully. I had to take the mount off the tv and reposition ( only needed an additional 3/4 of an inch) so the bottom of the tv would allow for my center speaker placement. Overall, a well made product.

I bought and installed myself the Sanus Articulating TV Mount VMAA18B. Let me start off by saying I am not a pro at this and have never done anything like this before. The instructions were very good visually but had minimal if any words describing what to do. The pictures are very good though and are relatively easy to follow.

I recently bought a Samsung 46" LN650 LCD and my wife wanted an articulating arm versus a tilt or flat mount. I am happy that she wanted this as it makes changing connector cords, ex HDMI easy by just pulling the LCD away from the wall. I have no idea how you could change HDMI hookups without having to take the TV off the wall with the tilt or flat mounts. Once installed the mount is easy to move out, tilt or swivel.

The wall mount comes in only a few pieces with the major articulating piece fully assembled. Sanus even puts things in a plastic package listed as what you need for Step 1, then a separate package for Step 2, etc. This was helpful, but some needed tools like an Allen wrench were in the miscellaneous section rather than where it was needed.

Step 1 attaching the brackets to the monitor was a piece of cake. My LCD was on a stand already and I mounted this while on the stand. Be careful if you lie it down since with pressure you could crack your LCD screen.

Step 1B for my LCD I found the screws too long or too short. I went to Lowes and bought metric bolts that were M6 35mm in length and they fit perfectly. I did not want to use the thick washers that come with the unit partially since I did not find them until I bought the replacement bolts and also because I thought the screws would be less likely to bend or break.

Step 2- nowhere in the instructions does it tell you to loosen the vise screws -part 05- but this saves a lot of time. Just loosen them a little so the screws slide through them easily.

Step 3- attaching the arm assembly to the back of the TV was easy.

Step 4-Get a stud finder. Ours cost about $11 at Lowes and worked fine. The most your wall studs can be with this unit is 18" apart, so if your wall studs are further than this, then get another wall mount. It was easy to adjust the wall mount with a level to get if very close to level. This is the most important step as the TV will fall if not done correctly. Because of other comments about the bolts breaking I went to Home Depot and bought heavier duty bolts. Set up adjustments on the articulating arm allow you to adjust the TV after if your measurements are close to level but not perfect.

Step 5-attaching arm to wall plate definitely requires two people to lift the TV. Their system of mounting is actually very nice and easy--it just is a heavy TV with the arm mount attached. Make sure the TV is mounted flush with the wall plate. We initially put it on and even though it was seated on the superior bracket, it was not even so we had to lift again and reset it. Our wall studs were off center from where we needed to hang the TV, but it slid easily along the wall bracket so it centered perfectly.

Step 6- easy to mount something so it articulates left or right

Step 7-did not use cable management system since it was just as easy to drape the wires over the brackets on the back of the TV. With my Samsung TV I can only use 2 of the three HDMI output jacks in the back of the TV. Not a defect in the Sanus, but one from Samsung.

Step 8--the instructions here leave a lot to be desired but with the visual pictures you can figure out how to fine tune the leveling of the TV as well as the ease of adjusting the swivel tension, and up and dpwn pitch. The adjustment to extend or retract the arm is a little more difficult.

Pros: -relatively easy mount. Just scary if like me you know the TV is
going to fall off the wall
-works very easily once installed
-all parts were included except the correct size screws and a
stud finder
-look for the 2 Allen wrenches--they are in different packages,
but you need both

Cons: -instructions are not written out well, but has very good pictures
-cost, but well worth it
-sticks out from wall about 3.75", but we knew that before we
bought it. We just swivel the TV a little to cover up the side view of the mount
-assume it will take longer than the times explained in other notes
It took us about 2 hours, but that included cutting drywall and
running wires through the wall so they are all hidden. Again
this was easy to do.

I bought this wall mount unit for a Sony 46 inch XBR5 which weighs about 73 pounds with the pedestal removed. it comes with a package of universal screws, most of which you will not need. As for the screws that I was supposed to use, I didn't, I bought longer screws from my local hardware store. The screws to secure the brackets to the rear of the TV were too short, they are metric and I needed screws about 5mm longer than what was supplied. The lag bolts that came with it may have worked fine, but since I had 6 inch walls, I decided to get 4.5 inch lag bolts instead of the 3.5 inch that came with the wall mount for additional strength. In addition to the above "issues" I also needed to add one washer to the mount at the point where it rotates clockwise/counter-clockwise. There is a plastic washer here I suspect for ease of adjusting, however it was tightened too much and became more of an obstacle, so I disassembled this portion, added a metal washer to the plastic washer in order to keep the plastic washer flat and in place. This made the adjustments much easier, sliding against the plastic while the metal washer behind kept the plastic firmly in place.

Also, the sections of this bracket that mount to this particular TV are closer to the center piece that extends from the wall. This leaves the horizontal tubes extending most of the length of the rear of the TV. If you grab the TV from the side to pull it away from the wall, the TV pivots in place and these tubes will hit against the wall. This is simply one of those things you need to get used to, grab the TV in center front from top and bottom and pull the TV straight forward so as not to damage the wall from the cross tubes. I honestly don't see how this could have been deigned differently since the idea is to allow the TV full functional movement, just something to be aware of.

Outside of the above, which honestly are minor, I found this mount to be strong, easy to position the TV, and superior to some other mounts I have looked at. I was/am more concerned with protecting my TV from falling off the wall with a cheaply made mount and I believe this one fits what I was looking for, as well as the multi-position options.

Sanus does not mention this anywhere in their product descriptions, specifications, or on the box, but this product can only be installed on walls with studs on 16" centers, or less. Exterior walls, and some other walls, on many houses built in the last 25 to 30 years will have 2x6 studs on 24 inch centers. Sanus only mentions this deficiency in a small note on page 5 of the installation manual. I discovered this only after I bought the wall mount and unpacked all of the pieces. I ended up having to cut a hole in the wall and building a 2x4 frame to fit inside of the existing studs. This added a extra day to the install, added extra expense, and required 2 trips the home supply center.
Other than this important omission in their product, it's an ok wall mount.