With so many options to choose from, how do you make sure you are getting the best mount for the best price?
So you want to mount your TV bust the options at your local Best Buy seem crazy expensive and kinda crappy, then you have come to the right place! I’ll be highlighting the steps you need to take in selecting the right TV mount for your use case, as well as providing some recommendations on my favorite TV mounts that I personally use at home.
Selecting the Right Mount for your TV
There are several points to consider when selecting a TV mount for your home. The most important points of these items will be the mounting pattern and weight of your TV. Once you have identified these data points, you can begin to narrow down your search based on the type of mount you want and additional bells and whistles to add on.
Determining your TVs Mounting Pattern
Arguably the most important item on this list is matching the mounting pattern of your TV to the mounting pattern of your mount. If these don’t match, you won’t be able to secure the TV to the mount and you will have to return and repurchase a new mount.
Most modern TVs use a mounting pattern standard called VESA. This is a hole pattern measured in millimeters. On the back of your TV, you should see 4 threaded holes that look something like the image below.
There may also be a label that informs you of the width and height of the pattern. If not, measure the distance between the holes with a tape measure and convert that to millimeters. Round each distance to the nearest whole 100 millimeters. Once you know this measurement you can now look for mounts that are compatible with this measurement.
Determining your TVs Weight
Back in the days of plasma screen TVs, this measurement was the limiting factor to many wall mounts. With the rise of thinner and lighter LCD and LED TVs, this measurement matters less, but it is still important to ensure that your TV’s weight is below the maximum listed for your mount.
If the weight of the TV is not listed on the TV’s label, you can use the internet to determine the weight of the TV. Grab your TV’s brand, model number, and serial number from the label on the back of the TV. Go to the website for the brand and locate the support section of the website. There should be an area for you to put in your TV’s model or serial number and the website should pull up the related documentation for your TV. Find the Owner’s Manual and in the first few pages you should see the weight listed. Use the weight without the stand, as you won’t be leaving the stand on the TV once you mount it.
Choosing Your Mount Type
There are three main types of mounts available on the market.
Fixed mounts are the simplest and least expensive mounts on the market. The consist of two TV mounting arms and a flat plate that mounts to the wall. When mounted, the TV will sit perfectly parallel to the wall. This mount is mainly used in commercial display applications and is not really well suited for home use.
Tilting mounts are a step above fixed mounts in that they allow you to angle the TV downwards from vertical to create a better viewing angle. These are the most popular mounts due to their relatively low price and adequate adjustability.
The full motion TV mount is the gold standard of TV mounts. This mount allows your to tilt, pan, and extend your TV away from the wall. These are usually the most expensive mounts, but offer the most flexibility and customizability. My preference is to always spring for a full motion mount when mounting a TV.
At this point, selecting a TV mount is as easy as selecting a mount type and locating one that matches your TV’s mounting pattern and weight. But with the rise of e-commerce, there are so many options out there it can be hard to tell if you are getting a quality mount.
Mount Recommendations
For me, the best place and only place I buy my mounts from is Monoprice.com. They are an eCommerce retailer located in Southern California that supply a whole number of electronics and accessories, including TV mounts. I have linked my two favorite full motion mounts from them below, along with reasons why I love them.
My Pick: Commercial Series Full Motion Mount
Its a full motion motion mount for $40. This is the exact mount that I have in my living room holding up a 55″ Samsung TV and it works like a charm. I don’t really need to say anymore but I am going to anyways because this is my all-time favorite mount for the recommended TV sizes. This mount features fully welded steel construction with the ability to hold TVs with VESA patterns up to 400×400 mm that weigh up to 88 pounds. It can Rotate up to 3 degrees in either direction to help fix potential errors in mounting, 20 degrees of tilt range, and 60 degrees of swivel to either side. The mount extends up to 18″ away from the wall on dual arms. The one drawback is that it is priced so well it goes out of stock often, so you have to jump on it when it comes into stock.
Upgrade Pick: EZ Series Full Motion Mount
If you have a larger or heavier TV that you need to hang, I recommend the EZ Series Full Motion Mount. The price jumps up to $100, but this is also significantly less than similar mounts that you will find at big box stores like Best Buy and Target. For the price you get a fully welded steel mount that can support TVs with VESA pattern up to 900×600 mm and weigh up to a whopping 176 pounds! The mount rotates 3 degrees in either direction, has 20 degrees of tilt travel, and can swivel 45 degrees from center both left and right. You can also pull your TV up to 20″ away from the wall. I don’t have any drawbacks to note about this mount except that if you have a smaller size TV, you can use the commercial series mount above and save a chunk of change.
Leave a Reply