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Doug Mahoney is a writer covering home-improvement topics, outdoor power equipment, bug repellents, and (yes) bidets. Desk Riser For Monitor
Mounting a TV on a wall not only looks nice but also frees up space and prevents your TV from tipping over.
If you just need a simple, non-swiveling mount to securely hold your TV in place, we recommend the Sanus VMPL50A-B1 tilting mount for its solid steel construction, easy tilting mechanism, post-install leveling, and ample supply of included hardware.
If you’re seeking more mobility to position your TV toward a specific seat or even point it into another room, we like the Sanus VLF728-B2 full-motion mount.
The VMPL50A-B1 is easy to install and has a good tilt range, yet it still holds a TV less than 2 inches from the wall.
The VLF728-B2 offers a long extension, easy adjustments, and smooth motion. Its lengthy mounting bars provide a lot of flexibility for you to center the TV on a wall.
The inexpensive Monoprice 5915 mount holds a TV on the wall but doesn’t have much in the way of added features.
The Echogear EGLF2 doesn’t have the extra-long extension and advanced features of the Sanus VLF728-B2, but it’s still a solid full-motion mount.
Many of our TV picks only come in a screen size of 55 inches and up, so we looked for mounts that can support at least that size.
We placed a premium on mounts that hold the TV close to the wall. The best ones hover around the two-inch mark, or even thinner.
The best mounts offer post-install level adjustment to raise or lower each side of the TV after you’ve installed it on the wall.
UL-approved mounts have undergone independent tests to confirm they hold at least four times their advertised weight rating.
The VMPL50A-B1 is easy to install and has a good tilt range, yet it still holds a TV less than 2 inches from the wall.
The Sanus VMPL50A-B1 fits TVs ranging in size from 32 to 85 inches and holds a TV less than 2 inches from the wall. You can tilt it up or down to reduce screen glare and to give yourself a little extra room to work behind the TV when you’re plugging in cables. Installation is easy, and we like how the monitor brackets make an audible click when the TV is properly hung on the wall plate. The mount also has adjustment screws, in case you’ve installed it a little out of level. In addition, you can fine-tune the knobs that control the tension of the tilt by hand, but if you don’t have enough room, Sanus supplies a convenient hex wrench for the job. The VMPL50A-B1 is UL-approved, as well, so it’s certified to hold its claimed maximum weight of 150 pounds.
The VLF728-B2 offers a long extension, easy adjustments, and smooth motion. Its lengthy mounting bars provide a lot of flexibility for you to center the TV on a wall.
If you want the option of pulling the TV out from the wall and angling it toward your seat, we recommend the Sanus VLF728-B2 (also sold as the Sanus BLF328-B1), which works with TVs ranging from 42 to 90 inches. This mount can extend a TV up to 28 inches off the wall—farther than most—which also gives it a wide range of side-to-side pivot. To stabilize the weight of the TV, the arms are large. But when you press the mount back against the wall, it has a thin profile of just over 2 inches. The mount’s smooth extension and pivoting motion give it a high-quality feel, and the adjustments, from the tilt lock to the screen leveling, are easy to use. This Sanus mount is big, but because TV mounts need to be screwed directly into wall studs, the VLF728-B2’s 32-inch-wide mounting bars allow for greater flexibility with placement. The UL-approved VLF728-B2 is priced in the midrange for high-end full-motion mounts.
The inexpensive Monoprice 5915 mount holds a TV on the wall but doesn’t have much in the way of added features.
If you’re looking for an inexpensive wall mount that still has a forward tilt feature and UL approval, we like the Monoprice 5915 EZ Series Tilt TV Wall Mount Bracket. It has a weight rating of 154 pounds and works with TVs from 32 to 70 inches. It doesn’t offer post-install level adjustment, and it can’t swivel. But it holds a TV securely against the wall and won’t break the bank.
The Echogear EGLF2 doesn’t have the extra-long extension and advanced features of the Sanus VLF728-B2, but it’s still a solid full-motion mount.
If you’re looking for a full-motion mount but the Sanus VLF728-B2’s price is over your budget, we also like the EchoGear EGLF2. Although it doesn’t measure up to the Sanus full-motion mount on any metric (other than its lower price), the EchoGear EGLF2 stood above the other contenders in its price range due to its long, 22-inch extension, smooth arm movements, and nice aesthetic touches (such as the curved corners of the mounting bars). This UL-approved EchoGear mount typically costs between $100 and $120, in line with the other inexpensive full-motion mounts we saw.
I’ve been reviewing home and outdoor gear since 2007. I spent 10 years in construction as a carpenter, foreman, and site supervisor, working on multimillion-dollar residential renovations in the Boston area, and my deep understanding of fasteners, materials, and styles of wall construction helped me evaluate the wall mounts.
In writing this guide, I consulted with Grant Clauser, Wirecutter’s senior editor of audio/video and smart-home coverage. Grant has THX Level II home theater design training and has been writing about and reviewing home theater equipment since 2000.
If your TV is sitting on a stand or tucked in an entertainment center, you may want to consider putting it on the wall. A wall-mounted TV takes up little space, looks streamlined, gives you flexibility with placement, and—depending on the specific mount—allows you to easily direct the screen around the room or move it to reduce glare. A TV mount is also bolted to the wall, so it’s much safer than keeping a TV on a stand—an especially important factor if you have kids in the house.
It’s hard to overstate the added safety of a wall mount.
Placing a TV on a stand requires a lot of room. Many of today’s TVs have widely spaced feet, so you need a long surface to support them. Once you’ve set up a TV on a stand, you can only shift it side to side or angle it ever so slightly, and that requires actually lifting the weight of the TV or sliding the feet around on the stand’s surface. These maneuvers could potentially damage the TV or scratch the stand. Anti-tip devices are available if you’re using a TV stand (and you should use them), but they further limit the movement of the TV.
It’s hard to overstate the added safety of a wall mount. According to Safe Kids Worldwide, a nonprofit that works to reduce preventable injuries to children, each day 10 kids go to the ER because of a tipped-over TV. When properly installed, a TV on a wall mount is extremely secure. Typically you attach a mount directly to studs with large lag screws, and you then bolt the TV to a bracket that you lock into the mount. Most of the mounts we found have a weight rating that far exceeds the weight of an average TV.
You can find a variety of TV wall-mount styles—from basic, low-priced flat mounts with no TV-positioning adjustments to expensive, fully automated motion mounts that can raise, lower, or pivot the TV with the press of a button. We think the best choices for most people fall in between, in the form of a tilting wall mount or a manual full-motion mount.
A tilting mount gives the television a slight range of pivoting motion up and down. Tilt mounts offer a number of advantages over basic flat mounts. Most important, the tilt can help compensate for glare on the screen. Natural light can reduce visibility, and even a small adjustment up or down can typically minimize this problem. Because they can tilt downward, these mounts also provide more flexibility as far as TV placement—you can mount your TV higher on the wall than with a flat mount. Another major benefit is that the tilt usually creates enough space for you to fit a hand behind the TV for wiring purposes. With a standard flat mount, typically you have to handle the wiring before you mount the TV to the wall, a restriction that can make installation difficult.
Manual full-motion mounts also have their advantages. These mounts can extend the TV off the wall, usually in the range of 15 to 30 inches, and can pivot the screen to either side. They’re useful if, say, you want to put your TV in a kitchen and angle it so you can watch it from the breakfast table sometimes and from the counter otherwise. Because of their extending arms, these mounts are bulkier than tilting mounts, but some models can hold the TV as close to the wall as a tilting mount can. Full-motion mounts are typically three to five times more expensive than comparable tilt mounts.
We focused our search for tilt and full-motion mounts on models that met the following criteria:
In looking for models to test, we searched the websites of respected TV-mount manufacturers such as Monoprice, OmniMount, Peerless-AV, Rocketfish, and Sanus. We also searched a variety of retailers, including Amazon and Best Buy. For our original tests, in 2017, we evaluated eight tilting TV mounts. Understanding that there are buyers who are interested only in getting a decent mount for as little investment as possible, we ended up with a test group in which three of the units did not have the post-installation adjustment and cost as little as $25. In 2021, we expanded into full-motion mounts and tested two high-end, feature-rich models, as well as two stripped-down, less-expensive models.
On a nuts-and-bolts level, all of the mounts worked. But we also found that smaller touches separated the excellent from the simply good.
For testing, we built a wall with wooden studs at a standard 16-inch spacing covered in half-inch drywall, emulating standard wood frame construction practices. We then installed each mount on the wall and used a 2-by-4-foot sheet of plywood to simulate a 55-inch TV. We also tested most of the mounts with a 55-inch TCL 55P607 TV.
We found that, on a nuts-and-bolts level, all of the mounts worked. They all have weight ratings that far exceed the weight of the vast majority of TVs currently available, and they all tilt enough to handle most glare situations (roughly between 7 and 15 degrees) or pivot enough to point the TV around the room. But we also found that smaller touches—the quality of the materials, the ease of adjustment, the locking and unlocking mechanisms, the readability of the mounting instructions, and the inclusion of all the correct mounting hardware—separated the excellent from the simply good.
The VMPL50A-B1 is easy to install and has a good tilt range, yet it still holds a TV less than 2 inches from the wall.
After all of our research and testing, we selected the Sanus VMPL50A-B1 as the best tilting TV mount. This UL-approved mount is designed for TVs ranging in size from 32 to 85 inches, and it can hold up to 150 pounds, which is more than enough for any TV.1 This Sanus model has one of the thinnest profiles of the tested mounts, holding the back of the TV 1.81 inches off the wall. Yet, when tilted, it still gives you room to get a hand behind the TV for wiring purposes. In our tests, installation was quick and easy, and we found that the mount was fully adjustable once we had the TV in place, both side to side (in case the studs aren’t in exactly the right place) and, with two bolts, to correct the level. The VMPL50A-B1 is compatible with 22 VESA patterns and comes with 10 bolt sizes, the largest selection of any mount we tested.
The VMPL50A-B1 can tilt 9 degrees forward and 10 degrees backward. This range was similar to what we saw from the other tested tilt mounts, most of which could tilt forward and backward anywhere from 7 to 10 degrees. Depending on the size of the TV, this range can give you an extra couple of inches to squeeze your hand in to plug in a new component. Some mounts offer a little more tilt than the VMPL50A-B1, but a degree or two doesn’t make a huge usability difference. One thing we particularly like is that the VMPL50A-B1 has a nice range of tilt both up and down (some mounts allow tilt in only one direction), and you can adjust it with just one hand on the TV.
On all of the mounts we tested, knobs on the monitor brackets control the tension of the tilt; bigger, heavier TVs need tighter tension, and smaller, lighter TVs need less. The VMPL50A-B1’s knobs are unusual because they’re designed for you to turn them by hand or, if your hand can’t fit behind the TV, with the included hex wrench. With larger TVs, making this adjustment can be difficult even with the hex wrench (and most mounts have instructions to set the tilt-tightening knobs before mounting the TV to the wall plate).
Once you’ve installed the TV on the wall, you can use the same hex key to adjust the side-to-side level. The included hex key has a ball end, which makes it easier for the hex key to turn the bolt while you’re coming at it from an angle. The level-adjustment bolts are very close to the wall, so this is a nice little touch.
As with the majority of the mounts, installation of this one in our tests was relatively easy. The process is the same with all of them. First you mount the wall plate to the wall with four bolts (always into studs or solid masonry). Then you attach the two mounting brackets to the back of the TV. And, finally, you lift and set the TV so the brackets hang off the wall plate and lock them in. We like that the VMPL50A-B1’s brackets lock in place with an audible click. Getting the TV up and hooked on the wall plate is an awkward maneuver, so for us it was a relief knowing when it was properly secured. It’s also nice that the TV brackets lock in automatically. On some of the other models, the brackets need to be secured with a tightening screw, a step that’s a little more time-consuming.
The VMPL50A-B1 is compatible with 22 VESA patterns (the varying bolt patterns found on the backs of TVs), and it comes with the largest bolt selection of the tested mounts. Most tilt mounts come with seven or eight different-size bolts, but only the VMPL50A-B1 and the Rocketfish RF-TVMLPT03 come with 10.2 This simply gives you a greater chance at a successful installation the first time through, without your having to call the manufacturer to request bolts that are compatible with your TV.3
The VMPL50A-B1 can mount into a wood stud or concrete block wall. Like the majority of mounts, it is not to be used with metal studs. All of the appropriate hardware is included, which is something we can’t say about all the mounts we tried. If you’re looking to place your mount on a brick wall, Sanus recommends hiring a professional due to the natural inconsistencies of brick.
Although the VMPL50A-B1 does not come with a mounting template to assist you with the drill-hole placement, this honestly didn’t make any difference to us. The wall plate is light and easy enough to maneuver that we actually preferred directly using that, rather than the thin, floppy cardboard templates that came with some of the other models we tried.
For all that we liked about the Sanus VMPL50A-B1, it’s not without its downsides. None of them, though, offset the mount’s positives.
The low profile of the VMPL50A-B1 is one of this mount’s primary benefits, but this also means you have limited room to run wiring behind it. It’s true that tilting the TV forward opens things up a bit. But if you have a TV with rear-facing inputs, there is a chance that you will have to remove the TV from the wall if you need to change any wiring.
We also found that, once installed, the Sanus’s monitor brackets sat very close to the wall. So when we were removing the television, we had to be extra careful not to press the brackets back against the wall and mar it.
The VLF728-B2 offers a long extension, easy adjustments, and smooth motion. Its lengthy mounting bars provide a lot of flexibility for you to center the TV on a wall.
Although most people will be satisfied with a standard tiling mount, a full-motion mount offers you the flexibility to pivot a TV left or right to improve viewing from different angles. Of the full-motion mounts we researched and tested, the Sanus VLF728-B2 (also sold as the Sanus BLF328-B1) had the best combination of a low profile, a long extension, a wide pivot, and excellent placement flexibility. This UL-approved mount is designed for TVs from 42 to 90 inches and that weigh up to 125 pounds. It’s compatible with 16 VESA patterns. The arms are capable of a massive, 28-inch extension, but when you press the mount back against the wall, it has a profile of only 2 inches or so. The movement of the mount is smooth, and the adjustments, like the post-level install and the lock on the TV tilt, are intuitively placed and easy to use. Setup is a little more fiddly than with the other full-motion mount we tested, but that’s a minor point considering the VLF728-B2’s wide movement capabilities.
The mount’s arms extend the back of the TV 28 inches off the wall. With that long of an extension, the TV gets a lot of room to pivot side to side. The majority of the mounts we researched had extensions of only around 15 to 20 inches, a shortcoming that also limits the amount of pivot. When retracted, the VLF728-B2 puts the back of the TV at just over 2 inches off the wall, which is a very thin profile for a full-motion mount. Some full-motion mounts go a little closer (less than 2 inches), but they don’t have the extension of this Sanus model.
In our tests, the VLF728-B2’s motion was very smooth. The arms had only minimal flex, and they moved around with very little effort. Others we tested were “stickier” and had an uneven resistance as we moved the arms.
The adjustments all work fine. You handle the post-install leveling adjustment with two screws, and you adjust the tilt with a small knob on the mount, just behind the TV. Because it’s a full-motion mount, you don’t have to worry about having enough room to make the adjustments, since you can do them all with the TV extended.
The VLF728-B2 is large, but considering the sizes of TVs it’s compatible with (42 to 90 inches), it should remain hidden behind the TV. Compared with the smaller and sleeker Peerless SUA771PU mount we tested, the VLF728-B2 feels a little imposing in size, but it has a purpose. Because the bars of the wall mount are 32 inches wide, it gives you a lot of wiggle room to center the TV perfectly on the wall. TV mounts need to be screwed directly into studs, and smaller mounts like the Peerless have less maneuverability to end up positioned exactly where you want them.
If the Sanus VLF728-B2 has a flaw, it’s that there are more stylish mounts available. The Peerless SUA771PU, for one, is very attractive and has an almost artistic feel, but it does not have the extension or the placement capabilities of the VLF728-B2.
The inexpensive Monoprice 5915 mount holds a TV on the wall but doesn’t have much in the way of added features.
If you’re on a tight budget, and if you’re confident that your installation skills are accurate enough for you to skip the post-install level adjustment, we recommend the Monoprice 5915 EZ Series Tilt TV Wall Mount Bracket. The inexpensive Monoprice 5915 is about as no-frills as mounts get. It has a weight rating of 154 pounds, on a par with our other recommendations, and it works with TVs from 32 to 70 inches, with VESA patterns up to 400 by 400. The instructions are plain and basic, as is the unit itself. But it’s a simple and effective way to hang your TV securely on a wall.
Given that the Monoprice mount is less than half the price of the Sanus VMPL50A-B1, it’s no surprise that the fit and finish aren’t as good. The metal of the brackets is a little thinner, the tilt-tension knob isn’t as nice, and the mount has only 3 degrees of backward tilt (it can tilt forward 12 degrees). Also, the monitor brackets lock into the wall plate with screws. This is a tedious process, but not a dealbreaker.
This mount comes with a small, stick-on level vial to help with installation. Monoprice’s levels have historically been off when checked against a high-end torpedo level. Because this mount offers no post-installation adjustments, we strongly recommend that you not rely on this level during installation.
But even with these limitations, the Monoprice succeeds at holding a TV against the wall and offering enough tilt to reduce glare. It also comes at a budget price. Just make sure the initial installation is accurate, because you can’t make adjustments once you’ve installed the wall plate.
The Echogear EGLF2 doesn’t have the extra-long extension and advanced features of the Sanus VLF728-B2, but it’s still a solid full-motion mount.
If the full-motion Sanus VLF728-B2 is not in the budget, or you don’t need its extreme capabilities, the EchoGear EGLF2 is a nice, inexpensive alternative. It has none of the finesse, capabilities, or polish of the VLF728-B2, but considering the vast cost difference, this is not surprising. Still, compared with the other full-motion mounts in its price range, the EGLF2 is UL-approved, offers smooth action on the arm, and gives at least some attention to aesthetics. It also holds the back of a TV less than 2½ inches off the wall, closer than most mounts in its price range are capable of. The EGLF2 is compatible with TVs sized between 42 and 90 inches and weighing up to 125 pounds, and it supports nine VESA patterns.
The EchoGear EGLF2 can extend a TV 22 inches from the wall. Although that’s 6 inches less than the Sanus VLF728-B2 can stretch, it’s more than what you can get from most similarly priced full-motion mounts, which top out at around 20 inches. The movement of the arms is smooth, in contrast with the stiff arms of the similarly priced Mounting Dream MD2298, which we also tested.
As for looks, the EGLF2 is nice for its class, but, again, it’s a far cry from the VLF728-B2. The bolts are exposed, the welds are uneven, and overall it has a stripped-down, industrial feel. But a few minor touches help it look better than other mounts in this price range: The corners are slightly rounded over, and the mounting bars have an arc. These small details stood out when we looked at this model in direct comparison with the hard edges of the Mounting Dream mount.
The EGLF2 also has a tilt feature and post-level adjustment. As with the VLF728-B2, both adjustments are easy to reach and fairly simple to use.
For apartment dwellers and others who may not be able to drill into their walls to attach a TV wall-mount, but still need to add some degree of adjustability to their TV, consider instead a tabletop or floorstanding TV mount. There are tons of options in this category, offering varying degrees of swivel, tilt, and/or height adjustment. Just make sure you select a stand that has the adjustability features you need and supports your TV’s screen size, weight, and VESA pattern. This approach isn’t as inherently secure as a TV wall mount to prevent tipovers, but many universal TV stands come with anchors that let you tether the TV to the back of a cabinet, gear rack, or wall (which, of course, means drilling into the wall anyhow).
While we have not done direct comparison testing of products in this category, our TV reviewer Lee Neikirk purchased the AM Alphamount swivel TV stand for use in outdoor TV testing and had good success with it. This sturdy tabletop mount can hold a TV sized from 32 to 75 inches and weighing up to 99 pounds. It has three levels of height adjustment (from 18.89 to 22.83 inches), can swivel 35 degrees left or right, and supports eight VESA patterns (from 200x100 to 600x400). One drawback with this mount is that it adds almost 20 pounds to the gross weight of the TV, which can make for a ponderously heavy object when you’re mounting an already heavy TV. We’ve also noticed that while the tempered glass base looks sleek and attractive, it is an absolutely magnet for fingerprints and smudges. You should also run your cabling (power, HDMI, etc.) before you mount the TV if possible, as certain height settings can block ports, making it very tricky to finish setup after the fact.
We liked several other mounts that we tested, but one or two small drawbacks caused them to fall behind our picks.
If the Sanus VMPL50A-B1 is not available: The Peerless-AV ST650P is a good tilt mount. In most ways, it’s nearly identical to the Sanus VMPL50A-B1, but it holds the TV farther off the wall (over 2½ inches), and locking the TV into the wall bracket is not as easy.
If you want something between a tilt-only mount and a full-motion mount: A former upgrade pick (before we added full-motion mounts), the Sanus VLT6 tilt mount also allows the TV to shift slightly to each side. Like the Sanus VMPL50A-B1 tilt mount, this model can tilt up and down and offers a post-install level adjustment, but here you can also extend the TV off the wall about 5½ inches, so it’s like a mini full-motion mount. This flexibility gives you a lot of room for wiring and lets you angle the screen to the side a little. The VLT6 is the only tilt mount we tested that can attach to metal studs. The back of the TV sits 2¾ inches off the wall, 1 inch more than with the Sanus VMPL50A-B1.
If you want a budget mount with level adjustment: For an inexpensive tilt mount, we also liked the UL-approved EchoGear EGLT3. It’s very similar to the Monoprice 5915 EZ Series, but it offers post-level adjustment. On the negative side, the mount holds a TV off the wall more than 2¼ inches, about a half-inch more than the Monoprice does. If you’re unsure of your skills at getting a mount level on the wall, the EGLT3 might be a better option, but we expect most people will be happier with the more-discreet Monoprice.
If you’re looking for a full-motion mount, and aesthetics are your number-one concern: We recommend the Peerless SUA771PU. Compared with the full-motion Sanus VLF728-B2, the Peerless SUA771PU doesn’t extend as far and doesn’t pivot as much, and its shorter mounting bars may make it more difficult to center on a wall. But even with those drawbacks, we were amazed with the overall look of the Peerless. Every detail appeared to be well thought out, and the sleek, artistic look impressed us.
The AmazonBasics PBH-994 Heavy-Duty Tilting TV Wall Mount was the budget pick in an earlier version of this guide. It’s similar to the Monoprice EZ Series, but it lacks UL approval. Given that the two mounts are in the same ballpark price-wise, we prefer the model that has been approved through third-party testing.
The Rocketfish RF-TVMLPT03 tilt mount has the same general characteristics as the Sanus VMPL50A-B1 and the Peerless-AV ST650P, except that the Rocketfish is typically a little more expensive, and the monitor brackets are made of a noticeably thinner metal. It also doesn’t come with any kind of masonry anchor, as the rest of the mounts did—though Rocketfish will send those pieces to you with a phone call. On the plus side, the release clips of the Rocketfish were among the easiest to use.
The OmniMount OE150T has the slimmest profile of all the tilt mounts we tested, with only a narrow 1½ inches separating the back of the TV and the wall. To get behind the TV for wiring, you can tip the mount back and fold two “kickstands” out of the brackets to hold the TV off the wall. It’s a clever system, but the OmniMount OE150T typically costs about the same as the Sanus VLT6, and we prefer the latter’s ability to angle the screen to the side (even if it does hold the TV a little farther off the wall). Also, the OmniMount’s monitor brackets are designed to be unlocked with hanging cords, and it’s a nuisance to tuck those cords out of sight.
The Cheetah APTMM2B is another budget tilt mount we considered. Although you can adjust the Cheetah to fit almost any size TV, for TVs in the size range we were looking at, the wall plate requires disassembly so you can add an extension to it. This Cheetah mount was the only model in our test group that required any kind of assembly, and once we pieced it together, we found that the splices holding the extension got in the way of the TV’s side-to-side adjustment. The Cheetah can hold 165 pounds, but it’s not UL-approved. Also, the overall polish of the mount was lacking; some of the screws had a little surface rust out of the box.
A lot of other mounts from reputable manufacturers don’t offer post-install adjustment. This group includes the Sanus MLT14-B1 and the OmniMount OS120T.
We did not test the EchoGear EGLT1 low-profile tilting mount. It was the least expensive UL-approved model we saw, but it holds the TV a little farther off the wall than the Monoprice 5915 EZ Series, and it does not offer post-install adjustment.
We also encountered a slew of inexpensive models (roughly under $25), similar to the AmazonBasics and the Cheetah, that offer the same stripped-down, low-cost, non-UL-approved functionality. This batch includes the Impact Mounts IM809 and the Ollieroo HD05112 Tilting Adjustable TV Wall Mount. The customer feedback on Amazon for the majority of these models is usually pretty high, but we frequently found comments about cheap parts and limited customer service. Many of these manufacturers don’t even have websites. In fact, a couple of these inexpensive models disappeared in the time it took for us to write the initial version of this guide, highlighting the come-and-go nature of these inexpensive mounts.
Among full-motion mounts, we also tested the Mounting Dream MD2298. It’s similar to the recommended EchoGear EGLF2 but falls a little short in a few areas. The arm action isn’t as smooth, and the aesthetic polish isn’t as good. Whereas the EGLF2 has curves, the Mounting Dream has hard lines. It also extends to only 18½ inches yet has a profile of 2¾ inches, while the EGLF2 reaches 22 inches and sits just over 2¼ inches off the wall.
We researched a lot of other full-motion mounts, and none of them measured up to the Sanus VLF728-B2 or the EchoGear EGLF2 in capabilities.
The Sanus MLF13-B1 and VLF613-B1 extend only about 13 inches and thus offer limited pivot motion. The Sanus OLF18-B1 reaches only 18 inches. The Sanus VLF628-B1 has a thick profile of 3¼ inches.
The Sanus VLF320-B1 is notably thin, with a profile of just over 1½ inches, but it’s typically priced at more than $400 (which is a lot given what the VLF728-B2 offers at around $300). The Sanus VXF730-B2 and Peerless SA771PU each cost $400 or more but set the TV farther off the wall than our full-motion pick does.
We researched, but did not test, a number of other Peerless mounts. The SA761PU has a profile of over 3 inches. The SUA747PU offers almost no flexibility with placement due to its narrow mounting bracket. And the SUA761PU has a larger bracket but is still nowhere near the width of the full-motion Sanus model we recommend.
In the lower full-motion price range, the Monoprice 8588, 21950, and 40107 all have profiles of over 3 inches. The company’s 21961 model is not UL-approved.
The Mounting Dream MD2198 sits almost 3½ inches off the wall. The MD2296 has a small wall bracket, which doesn’t offer much flexibility in placement
Remember, 150 pounds is the advertised weight limit. UL approval indicates that it can hold at least four times that amount.
The VMPL50A-B1 did not come with the bolts that TCL specifies for my 55-inch TV. We asked Sanus about this, and company representatives said that if compatible bolts are not included in its hardware pack, it can ship them out, often as soon as the next day. They also said a longer bolt could be used with additional spacers. This may not always be possible, and there is a chance the longer bolt could get in the way of the tilt.
We found customer comments on Amazon saying that the hardware included with the VMPL50A-B1 was not compatible with many Samsung TVs and that buyers needed to contact Sanus in order to get the properly sized bolts. This is actually outdated info, from a time before Sanus started including a large hardware pack with the mount.
The best type of TV wall mount for your needs depends primarily on two questions: How much movement do you want the mount to offer, and how much money do you want to spend. Generally, the cheapest mounts just hold the TV in a fixed position on the wall, and maybe offer a small amount of tilt to help reduce glare on the screen. A mid-priced option like our top pick adds more tilt and the ability to slightly adjust the TV in the brackets to make sure it’s level. These tilt-only or tiltable mounts are fine for a smaller room or one where the seating is directly in front of the TV. But if you often watch TV (especially an LCD TV) from an angle, you may want to spend more to get a full-motion mount like our upgrade pick. A full-motion mount can be pulled out from the wall (which makes it easier to get to the cables and connectors) and angled in either direction to point it at a certain viewing area. Also, as you move up in price, you can expect the finish and build quality of the mount to improve.
If installed correctly, a wall-mounted TV is more secure than a stand-mounted TV and eliminates the need to add another piece of furniture to your room (i.e. the TV stand). A wall-mounted TV can provide a cleaner look, especially if you’re willing and able to hide the cables in the wall. But if you’re an apartment dweller who can’t drill into your walls, or if you like to rearrange your room every few years to freshen things up, then a less permanent stand-mount is the way to go. These days most of the stands that come with a TV do not swivel, but you can buy third-party floor and tabletop TV stands that swivel—and you still have the flexibility to physically move the TV in different directions to adjust the viewing angle, which is certainly a cheaper solution than buying a full-motion wall mount. But TV tip-overs are a huge safety concern, so if you do use a stand-mount, we strongly recommend you anchor the TV to a wall or a TV stand/cabinet.
VESA, or a VESA pattern, describes the spacing, in millimeters, of the mounting holes on the back of your TV. These are the holes in which you will screw the wall-mount bolts. A VESA pattern is usually a square or rectangular shape; common sizes include 100x100, 200x200, 400x200, and 800x400. Generally, the larger the TV’s screen gets, the larger the VESA pattern gets. Most wall mounts can accommodate a variety of VESA patterns, but you need to make sure the mount you buy is compatible with your TV. The TV owner’s manual should state the VESA pattern, it might be written on the TV’s back panel, or you can measure the distance between holes from center to center, in millimeters.
As we discuss in this article, it’s unsafe to run your TV’s original power cord inside a wall. To get a clean look that hides both the power and other cables, we recommend a cable bridge kit like the PowerBridge TWO-CK. It lets you put two outlets behind the wall-mounted TV (one for your TV and one for a streaming media player or something else) and includes the power cord that connects the two wall boxes. There’s also a port for running your signal cables (such as HDMI or optical audio) inside the wall. The best part is that you don’t have to turn off the room’s power to install it. If you’d rather not cut holes in your walls, you can cover the cables with a cable management system such as this Wiremold kit from Legrand. While it’s not as sleek as hiding the cable behind the wall, it’s completely paintable so you can match it to your wall color.
Doug Mahoney is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter covering home improvement. He spent 10 years in high-end construction as a carpenter, foreman, and supervisor. He lives in a very demanding 250-year-old farmhouse and spent four years gutting and rebuilding his previous home. He also raises sheep and has a dairy cow that he milks every morning.
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Single Monitor Arm Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time).