Monoprice.com Dual Monitor Stand Mini-Reivew

[TheMainMan]

There isn't a whole lot I can review on this but I thought that it would be good to share my experience with all of you as many of you have more than one monitor.

For a long time I've wanted to get my dual 19" Acer monitors off my desk and mounted on a stand. I spent a lot of time looking at really expensive monitor mounts and could never justify the cost. One day while browsing through the Monoprice site I came across this mount which I asked for as an early Christmas present. I had three major essays to write this year in university and the mount arrived between the first and second. After writing the first paper I was really sore in my neck and upper back as my monitors were a bit to low so I sat hunched the entire time I was writing. By elevating the monitors with this stand for the second paper, all the pain went away and I could type for a lot longer. The best part of this is that the mount is only $39.60 (http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=109&cp_id=10828&cs_id=1082808&p_id=5560&seq=1&format=2).

It comes in a nice sturdy and colourful box which I'm keeping for when I need to pack this up and move again.
http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo92/TheMainMan79/PC%20Pics/Dual%20monitor%20stands/DSC07279.jpg
http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo92/TheMainMan79/PC%20Pics/Dual%20monitor%20stands/DSC07280.jpg

As you can probably see from the photo this thing looks like engineering overkill was the primary objective of the designers. The arms are pretty much solid steel with the only plastic being the cable management clips. Everything has a nice textured finish to it and feels extremely durable when assembled.

In these photos I only have one monitor installed as the other one was in the basement being used to set up my new server. Having read the reviews on the site I knew that adjusting the position with both monitors on was near impossible so I set everything up before I mounted the first one. The bracket shape means that you can hang the monitor temporarily and adjust things before screwing in the bolts that hold it in place.
http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo92/TheMainMan79/PC%20Pics/Dual%20monitor%20stands/DSC07281.jpg
http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo92/TheMainMan79/PC%20Pics/Dual%20monitor%20stands/DSC07282.jpg

The three way articulated ends allowed me to overcome a revision difference between my monitors where Acer had moved the mounting holes up slightly on the newer panel. By rotating the screens slightly to the left the top edges match up and the slant isn't noticable unless you know to look for it.
http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo92/TheMainMan79/PC%20Pics/Dual%20monitor%20stands/DSC07283.jpg
http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo92/TheMainMan79/PC%20Pics/Dual%20monitor%20stands/DSC07284.jpg

One thing I didn't take any pictures of in my enthusiasm to get this installed is the C-Clamp foot that mounts it to the back of the desk. It has two individual tightening screws with rubber feet so that it doesn't damage the desk and can accomodate desks with lips underneath like mine.

In review, the pros:
-Sturdy
-Cheap
-Comes with all tools and mounting hardware
-C-Clamp foot for different desk setups

The cons:
-Hard to adjust when setup with monitors
-Heavy (only a con if you have a desk that isn't very solid)

For the price point it's really easy to deal with the major con if you plan for it and results in a very nice dual monitor setup for cheap! I give it a 9.5/10!

[d_stilgar]

Nice review. I've thought about getting a desk mounted monitor stand to clear up more desk area. A three monitor one might work well, but only if it's better than the built in stands on my dell monitors, which are pretty good, imo.

[billygoat333]

What size monitors does that bad boy support?

[NightrainSrt4]

I wanted to get a pair of those, but I've got a glass desk and most use c-clamps. I was thinking putting a block on the top and bottom would help distribute the force.

I should just get a wood block and replace the glass. I'm sure I'll think of something good eventually.

[TheMainMan]

What size monitors does that bad boy support?

They say it will do 13" to 23" monitors. I'm not going to be home until after Christmas but if I remember I'll measure out the total end to end length this will stretch.


I wanted to get a pair of those, but I've got a glass desk and most use c-clamps. I was thinking putting a block on the top and bottom would help distribute the force.

I should just get a wood block and replace the glass. I'm sure I'll think of something good eventually.

I've seen other ones that use a foot but not in this price range. Unfortunately the only multi-monitor stand at monoprice that uses a foot and holds two monitors does so vertically so unless your chair is fastened to a side wall that probably won't work :(

[NightrainSrt4]

Yeah. I don't think I've seen an inexpensive one that had a foot.

Can those move in all directions? It looks like you can do left and right, depth (front to back), and maybe tilt. Can you adjust the two sides up and down independently? How is the balance if you only have one monitor on it?

[TheMainMan]

You can't move the monitors independently up and down as the two arms bolt together and clamp the center post. It does move in all other directions you said, including tilt, as well as being able to rotate the monitors somewhat. Since the VESA standard is a square ratio you could even mount them in portrait which would probably allow for monitors bigger than 23". There was a little bounce to the one monitor when it was the only one installed but no balance issues. Like I said earlier, this thing is overkill and I'm pretty sure they left a large margin of error on weight it can hold.

[NightrainSrt4]

Cool. I really need to get a matching set of monitors. I would be happy just to have matching, nonetheless getting them off the desk. It would bug me to not have up and down adjustment on non-matching monitors, as I can't stand when they don't line up.

[x88x]

Nice, those cheaply priced stands on Monoprice have been tempting me for a while. A friend of mine got their 4-panel stand and is very happy , but it's good to know their arm-based ones are well built too.

[luciusad2004]

Just curious. Would you want to have a desk of solid wood for this or is it sturdy enough for something made of particle board. I have an Ikea desk which isn't the nicest.