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(More customer reviews)This review is being written by my husband.
This review will talk about several things that can be seen in the customer pictures I uploaded.
This review is very long. The instructions included with the wall mount are exceedingly skimpy. I want to provide as much detail as possible, including the measurements I made to install the wall mount.
I highly recommend this mount. It is the best priced mount for the capabilities it provides and is very sturdy. The only problem is the difficulty in mounting it (given the lack of instructions) - which I hope I address with this review.
Today, I mounted my 55 inch LCD TV using the Diamond PLA W6060 Articulating Wall Mount. I was concerned about this mount given its low price compared to other wall mounts. I decided to give it a try since I could get it via Amazon Prime (free return shipping if I didn't like it). I love this mount. It is a very sturdy wall mount. It swivels left and right and tilts up and down (both of which I'm currently using and I absolutely need the tilt since I mounted my TV as close to the ceiling as possible).
Upon delivery, the box was ripped and partially open. Within the box, there was the wall bracket, two folding arms, an angle plate (allows for tilt and swivel), the matched plate, two fixed plates, three boxes each containing several plastic covers, and several bags containing miscellaneous piece parts. Also, there was a single sheet of 8.5" x 14" paper that provided the extent of the installation instructions. See the picture of page 1 of installation instructions I uploaded. Page 1 is simply an exploded parts diagram. However, from this you can determine how to assemble the mount. Page 2 (see uploaded picture) provides a parts list of the different TV mounting screws provided for the different VESA mounts used by various TVs.
The TV mounting screws attach the "fixed plate" to your TV. These screws must be the proper length. A screw that is too short may not hold the TV firmly enough. A screw that is too long may damage your TV (as my TV's manual warned about). So, the first thing I did was determine if the included screws would work. My TVs manual said I needed to use the plastic spacer provided with the TV for wall mount installations. However, using that spacer and the screws provided with the mount would not work. The plastic spacer and the longer screws provided with the mount did work (see uploaded picture showing the TV screw penetration). The small screw in the picture was taken out of the TV to compare to the wall mount screw. The exposed length of both screws are the same, therefore, I knew the screws and plastic spacers provided with the wall mount would not damage my TV. Also, I compared the diameter of the plastic spacer provided with my TV to the one which came with the wall mount to make sure the plastic spacer was acceptable. At this point, I attached one "fixed plate" to my TV (see uploaded picture).
Next, on the floor, I loosely assembled the entire mount (except for the one "fixed plate" already mounted to my TV). The folding arms were very tight so I loosened them so they would allow the TV to move easily away from the wall once mounting was complete (see uploaded picture). A half turn counter-clockwise of the bolts on the top and bottom of the folding arms loosened the folding arms enough so the TV moves fairly easily toward and away from the wall. Once the tilt is set, the bolts that allow the tilt to be adjusted must be tightened. I set the tilt (as would be expected) after the TV was mounted on the wall.
Next, I had to determine where on the wall the "Wall Bracket" needed to be positioned. As I said, I wanted the TV as close to the ceiling as possible. I mounted the fixed plates onto the TV and pulled them as high as they would go before tightening. This was to allow some upward adjustment of the TV once on the wall to allow moving the TV closer to the ceiling or adjusting twist (in case the TV was not level after mounting). I measured the top edge of the TV to the top edge of the fixed plate (in my case, 6.5"), the top edge of the fixed plate to the bottom row of mounting holes of the wall plate (15.25" should work for everyone), and then left 0.75 inch of space to allow room to hang the TV (I should have left one inch). I put the bottom row of screws a total of 22.5" down from the ceiling (It should have been 22.75"). I made my measurements from the ceiling, using a stud finder to locate the studs, and marked where the lower screws needed to be put into the wall. I have 16" on center studs, and luckily, mounting to the two studs placed the wall bracket only 0.5" left of the center for the wall. The matched plate allows for several inches of left/right movement of the TV (at least for my 55" TV). I then made sure the marks for the screw holes were perfectly level (used a level and my wife's eye - she tends to be more accurate than a 4 foot level). I then marked the holes for the upper screws (3 and 7/8" above the lower screws). I used a nail and hammer to make sure the screw marks were centered on the studs and then drilled the pilot holes using a 13/64 drill bit (the directions do not tell you what size to use).
I detached the wall plate from the rest of the mount to make it easier to attach to the wall. I mounted the wall bracket and again used a level and my wife's eye to make sure it was perfectly level and tightened all of the screws into the wall studs. I then attached the rest of the wall mount to the wall bracket.
For those who care, I uploaded a picture that shows the minimum distance the TV will be away from the wall. For my TV which needed to use the plastic spacers provided with the wall mount - the minimum distance from the wall is 5.5".
I then attached the other "fixed plate" to the TV. My wife and I then lifted the TV to attach to the mount. Guess what, I didn't leave enough room from the ceiling. I needed about 1/8" more room. Luckily, by tilting the matched plate, we were able to get the TV onto the wall mount. I then, loosely, put the nuts that lock the "fixed plate" onto the matched plate, pushed the TV as close to the wall as it would go, and moved the TV left/right on the matched plate to center the TV on the wall. I tightened the nuts to lock the fixed plates so the TV would not shift left/right. Guess what, the TV is perfectly level. I was afraid the weight of the TV would cause one side to sag - but it didn't.
Currently the TV is mounted so that the right edge of the TV is about 3 feet from the wall and the left edge is next to the wall (i.e. angled left) and tilted down about 10 degrees. Once we finish moving furniture, the TV will be flat (all be it 5.5" away) against the wall.
My wife and I didn't like the plastic corner covers so we didn't attach them. However, I did upload a picture that shows the plastic cable guides (with the TV's power cable running through them) and a clip that shows what the corners would look like if we did use the plastic corner covers. It is a good thing we didn't want to use the corner covers since two were missing (a total of 12 pieces, 2 per corner and 3 corners per folding arm, are supposed to be included).
Tools needed: #2 Phillips screw driver (for TV VESA screws), adjustable wrench, 9/16 socket wrench, ½ socket wrench, drill with 13/64 bit, level, stud finder, nail and hammer used to verify that I located the center of the wall studs.
Final pictures uploaded: picture of "wall bracket" and picture of wall mount screws (I used 4 with 4 washers screwed into wall studs) - anchors are provided in case you need to mount into drywall instead of wall studs (I'd go for the studs or use toggle bolts if only mounting into drywall).
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Diamond PLAW6060 Articulating Wall Mount for 37" to 61" Displays (Black)Wall mounts provide an excellent means of integrating a Plasma TV or LCD TV into a room environment thereby freeing up floor space and enhancing the living area. Blending sturdy construction with extraordinary ease of assembly, this universal flat panel mount consists of solid heavy-gauge steel with a powder black finish.
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