I ordered the mount to hold my new Samsung 60 inch plasma, which weighs about 150 pounds. I wanted to mount it over the fireplace in the niche that seems to be standard in most new homes these days. The TV has about 1.5 inch clearance on both sides and about 3 inches on top and bottom. So, the TV needed to be mounted exactly in the center of the opening. In addition, the niche is about 24 inches deep, so I had to get an articulating mount. I checked various websites and Wayfair had the best selection/price combination. The SmartMount mount was easy to install onto the wall, although the studs to which it was mounted were not centered on the niche opening. No problem, once the base was mounted to the studs the articulating arm plate slide left/right enough to center the arm on the niche opening. The mount uses six large lag bolts to mount into the wall studs and is rated for 200 lbs. I weigh 160 lbs and did several pull-ups on the mount before setting the TV in place. The mount is sturdy and did not flex much if at all. My only complaint is the mount hardware that attaches to the back of the flat screen. The bolts provided to attach the bracket to the TV were small and barely reached through the mount into the TV. With a 150 lb TV worth several thousand dollars riding on those six bolts, I decided to visit [...]and get longer hex head bolts. The bolts were an odd size but the helpful person at HD was able to track them down. The other issue is that the TV does not slide up/down enough. In other words, the mount does not allow enough travel for adjustments up/down. The mount is centered on the wall of the niche, but the mounting holes on the TV are off center a bit. I maxed out the travel allowed on the TV mounting bracket, but the bottom of the flat screen still sits on the bottom of the niche when the TV is tilted forward. Not a big deal and I should have compensated in my measurements for the off center TV mounting holes, but I think the bracket could have been larger. It took two of us (inexperienced at mounting flat screen TVs) approx. three hours from unpacking to setting the TV in place. It looks great, works well and I am very pleased."..." Read more
- Rich in Falls Church, VA