Best Arm Options For New 27" iMac

[OldCorpse]

It turns out that Stanley Assembly Technologies (pdf) produces a whole line of articulated arms. While the bright orange color may have to be updated with a custom paint job to suit any degree of aesthetic standard, they can't be faulted on the range of their reach and payload specs. They also give an idea of what kind of mechanical/aesthetic compromises (eg: exposed/leveraged gas shock cylinder) a potential consumer arm manufacturer would have to consider if in future they chose to expand their product line.

Outstanding, bobob. It is of course an aesthetic abomination, but I'm sure with a bit of creativity it can acquire a charm all its own. When one day I finally build the house designed by myself that I've always wanted, I will keep in mind Stanley Assembly Technologies for my articulated arm needs.

 

[NYR99]

I don't think going over the weight rating of the arm by a few pounds will hurt anything. In fact, I know it wont.

Before I got my 24" iMac, I used this LCD Arm for a 21" monitor.

That arm is rated for monitors up to 21lbs. When I got my iMac, (which weighs in at 25.4) I wanted to see if that arm would work.

Well, it does and the iMac has been elegantly hovering over my desk for months now. I did have to adjust the gas arm a bit and I really had to crank down on the tilt adjuster but it all works great. The only thing that is annoying is that the iMac will easily tilt down but needs 2 hands and a firm grip to tilt back up. But still, I never need to readjust it with an allen wrench.

Another thing that sucks is that when I ordered the arm (years ago) I forgot to choose black, so they shipped me the default off-white arm. After looking at those pictures of the 27" iMac on the black arm, I'm wondering if spray painting the arm black would be ok. I love how the black arm looks.

 

[prototype71]

I have been also looking into this subject and have come across the following potential through Innovative's European Operations (based in Denmark)

Free™ HD LCD Arm

http://www.lcdarms.eu/products/LCD Radial Arms/6609.html

This is a Heavy Duty arm spec'd with a weight range of 11.8 - 20.6 kg (26 - 45.5 lbs)

This looks pretty much like a beefed up bigger brother of the iLift 7517-1500 which spec's with a weight range of 13.5 - 44 lbs
http://www.lcdarms.com/products/LCD_Radial_Arms/iLift.html

(Does anyone have experience with the 7517-1500 version of the iLift ??)

As I am based in the Netherlands, the Free™ HD LCD Arm could be what I am looking for as a European solution.

I have contacted them for information on actual capacity to suit the iMac 27 and cost.

I will keep you posted

 

[bobob]

I have been also looking into this subject and have come across the following potential through Innovative's European Operations (based in Denmark)

Free™ HD LCD Arm

http://www.lcdarms.eu/products/LCD Radial Arms/6609.html

This is a Heavy Duty arm spec'd with a weight range of 11.8 - 20.6 kg (26 - 45.5 lbs)

This looks pretty much like a beefed up bigger brother of the iLift 7517-1500 which spec's with a weight range of 13.5 - 44 lbs
http://www.lcdarms.com/products/LCD_Radial_Arms/iLift.html

(Does anyone have experience with the 7517-1500 version of the iLift ??)

As I am based in the Netherlands, the Free™ HD LCD Arm could be what I am looking for as a European solution.

I have contacted them for information on actual capacity to suit the iMac 27 and cost.

I will keep you posted

From the photos of the 6609-1000-119i arm, it appears to be the exact same basic design as the 7500-1500 arm. The specs are slightly different (eg: 24" vs 27" reach, which may also account for the different payload range), but they are clearly close cousins.

As you may have read in this thread, there are a number of happy users of the 7500-1500 for their 27" iMacs, including myself. It is a very good product, imho, and the best current value amongst the shorter full function radial arms.

I'm looking forward to reading your posting as to the results of your contact with Innovative Europe!

 

[nullx86]

Ok, so i went and skimmed the thread so far, and I see wall mounts, but what about desk mounts? I cant wallmount cause the walls are so thin (i rent a trailer ) and would drop the iMac in a heartbeat... So any desk mounts in here that are going to support a 24" iMac and not cost 2 arms and a leg?

 

[bobob]

Ok, so i went and skimmed the thread so far, and I see wall mounts, but what about desk mounts? I cant wallmount cause the walls are so thin (i rent a trailer ) and would drop the iMac in a heartbeat... So any desk mounts in here that are going to support a 24" iMac and not cost 2 arms and a leg?

Many of the arms come with a "universal" mount (Innovative calls theirs the FLEXmount) which features six set-up configurations including a desk edge mount. This includes perhaps the most popular arm in this thread, the 7500-1500, seen being mounted in various ways here in this YouTube video. As a bonus, there still seem to be some available on Amazon for the bargain price of $99.99 (though as OldCorpse notes in this post, the tilting mechanism is an older version which may not work as smoothly).

 

[MacMojo1]

Ok, so i went and skimmed the thread so far, and I see wall mounts, but what about desk mounts? I cant wallmount cause the walls are so thin (i rent a trailer ) and would drop the iMac in a heartbeat... So any desk mounts in here that are going to support a 24" iMac and not cost 2 arms and a leg?

Check out my posts on previous pages. Desk mounted.

 

[prototype71]

From the photos of the 6609-1000-119i arm, it appears to be the exact same basic design as the 7500-1500 arm. The specs are slightly different (eg: 24" vs 27" reach, which may also account for the different payload range), but they are clearly close cousins.

As you may have read in this thread, there are a number of happy users of the 7500-1500 for their 27" iMacs, including myself. It is a very good product, imho, and the best current value amongst the shorter full function radial arms.

I'm looking forward to reading your posting as to the results of your contact with Innovative Europe!

See below for the feedback from Innovative in Europe on the Heavy Duty Arm. They confirm upto 45 lbs (20kg) ...they also talk about some monster arm that goes up to 69lbs (31kg) ....i don't even think my wall could carry that weightload.

When I find out more I will update the posting.
P71

I am writing to you from Copenhagen, the European Headquarter for Innovative, Inc., - a worldwide leader in customized mounting solutions for computer monitors, terminals, keyboards and laptops.
Innovative has been in the market for over 20 years specializing in custom design, engineering and manufacturing.
Throughout this time, Innovative has worked with worldwide partners such as IBM, Fresenius, GE, Philips, Lockheed Martin, Kodak, Hewlett Packard, NASA, among many others.
We have also been the primary partner for many of the US based console manufacturers like TBC consoles.

The monitor arm you are enquiring about is the Free HD 6609-800
Main portions of the arm are engineered to hold a 45 lbs (20kg) CRT monitor, so it is a very stable product.
As I use to say, the arm will not break but the desk might
Price range is around 200 EURO and is available in silver, black or white.

We also have a version of this arm capable of holding screens up to 69 lbs (31 kg), this is the 9105-1500.

 

[bobob]

See below for the feedback from Innovative in Europe on the Heavy Duty Arm. They confirm upto 45 lbs (20kg) ...they also talk about some monster arm that goes up to 69lbs (31kg) ....i don't even think my wall could carry that weightload.

When I find out more I will update the posting.
P71

Yow! If the arm payloads get much bigger, perhaps it will be easier to just attach the arm to your back and move yourself relative to the iMac.

The divergence in European and American models is interesting - - I wonder what the difference in markets is that demands these variations?

Also, while on the topic of superarms (for those of us who hoped for longer and stronger arms for our iMacs - - anyone reading this thread for current and sensible solutions to their 27" iMac needs can hit the back button now), here is another example of an industrial purpose arm that may show the future of home use arms:

FlexArm is a company specializing in the tapping/drilling/assembling markets. Their arms have reaches of up to 84" and payloads of up to 60 lbs. Also, they're not orange. Here is a YouTube video of one of their arms in action.

While this arm is likely not going to appeal to anyone outside the wealthy industrialist coterie, it is yet another example of the future possibilities of articulating arms if the home market ever demanded them...

And finally, here's a short article entitled Articulating arms: Tips to consider from an organization specializing in hospital operating room design that may provide some peripheral hints in setting up your own arm.

Planning for arms "is a whole different way of looking at your space," says Karen Anderson, RN, director of surgical services at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago.

 

[mystikjoe]

innovative

i just purchased the INNOVATIVE 8325-104 WALL MOUNT and the Innovative 7500-1500 arm. i like the looks of the arm on the desk but i think the wall would be much cooler. i'm not sure how to hide the power wire with the mount attaching to a stud. anyone have any ideas how to make it look good cosmetically? thanks for the feedback.

 

[OldCorpse]

i just purchased the INNOVATIVE 8325-104 WALL MOUNT and the Innovative 7500-1500 arm. i like the looks of the arm on the desk but i think the wall would be much cooler. i'm not sure how to hide the power wire with the mount attaching to a stud. anyone have any ideas how to make it look good cosmetically? thanks for the feedback.

Well, if you don't mind paying quite a bit, you can do what I'm doing - I bought this wall track, and you can run all cables inside the track. They ship it with a black cover (not shown) that slides over hiding the cables completely. In my case, since my arm is white, I'll have to replace the cover to something white, but that should be trivially easy. The advantage of the track is that not only is it very solid and distributes the pressure on the wall very nicely, but it also means you can adjust the mount anywhere you want to - just loosen the screw and slide the mount up and down along the track rails. It's pretty expensive, unfortunately, depending on length (almost $200 for the 49") - but man, is it a good solution otherwise.

 

[rmsilver7]

I purchased the 7500-1500 on Amazon, I had to order the VESA adapter from Apple since neither of two local stores had it in stock. It took about 20 minutes to decipher the image-only directions from Innovative and to get the flex mount installed (I used the grommet hole method) and the arm put on. I really had to loosen the hydraulic, that took awhile.

Installation of the VESA adapter was easy enough, though Torx screws are a pain in the butt. I do agree with everyone else that the tilt is pretty tight, I may try the lubrication method that was suggested.

I took a couple pic's for those interested. This was by far the best deal, I have been looking around for a lighter duty arm for my 24" monitor and I may end up with another one of these because they are such a great price.

 

[bobob]

Here are some pictures of yet another person's 27" iMac arm set-up via Flickr.

They are notable in that they include a very detailed photo of the whole VESA adapter kit including the flange, mounting screws, and tools, and then a close-up of how the built-in Apple stand looks when released by the card tool before removing the 8 tiny screws - - I haven't seen pics of those details online before.

Interestingly, in the comments on the Flickr page, the photos' poster notes that the rather stylish looking, though not fully radially articulated arm is from a Japanese company - - the Win Techno LA-6A-1CR, which from the specs has a payload of 15 kg (33 lbs).

 

[bobob]

For those who have limitations/issues with the usual desk and wall mounts for their arms, here's an interesting variation made by a company called CyberResearch.

The model pictured above is called the SWA 753H. It is the high capacity model of their weighted desktop stand arm (which fortunately for 27" iMac owners) has a maximum payload of 30 lbs. It's reach of 17.3" is nothing to write home about (and likely offers a fairly limited up and down range for the iMac unless you perhaps sit it on a pedestal/riser/box/shelf of some sort), but for those with restrictions on their workspace or who perhaps want a "portable" solution, this arm may offer you a unique alternative to the other products out there.

 

[rmsilver7]

FYI I called Innovative this week to talk to them about the tilter and they are refusing to warranty the arm because it was sold to me by Essex on Amazon. I am in the process of speaking with a supervisor there as that is bull crap, they cant decided who gets the warranty if you buy the product brand new.

They said if I had bought the arm through them or an "authorized reseller" then they would replace the tilter head for free. Otherwise they said I could buy the new head from them for $98.00 or through Ergomart for $51.75.

They also don't seem to accept Provantage as an "authorized reseller" even though Provantage states there is a manufacturer warranty on the arm (they sell the 7500-1500 for around $150). And FYI Ergomart sells the 7500-1500 for around $250.

 

[bobob]

FYI I called Innovative this week to talk to them about the tilter and they are refusing to warranty the arm because it was sold to me by Essex on Amazon. I am in the process of speaking with a supervisor there as that is bull crap, they cant decided who gets the warranty if you buy the product brand new.

They said if I had bought the arm through them or an "authorized reseller" then they would replace the tilter head for free. Otherwise they said I could buy the new head from them for $98.00 or through Ergomart for $51.75.

They also don't seem to accept Provantage as an "authorized reseller" even though Provantage states there is a manufacturer warranty on the arm (they sell the 7500-1500 for around $150). And FYI Ergomart sells the 7500-1500 for around $250.

Sorry to hear that you're having some tilt woes - - from your previous post it sounded like it was just the typical Innovative wrist tightness...

I do agree with everyone else that the tilt is pretty tight, I may try the lubrication method that was suggested.

...has it regressed in the interim? Did you end up trying nrubenstein's lubrication method you referred to?

As to the difficulties with getting Innovative to honor their warranty on the 7500-1500 - - some of the rationale behind this was detailed by OldCorpse in this post...

First, and most important, the 7500-1500 Innovative being sold on Amazon, has an older design tilt mechanism than the newer 7500-1500 sold. Apparently, sometime in September, Innovative slightly improved the tilting mechanism - it was a "silent" revision, in that no new model number has been associated with it. The 7500-1500 currently being sold through Amazon represents a bunch of older stock (pre-revision) 7500 that are being sold off at a ridiculous "get it out of here" price by the Essex Technology Group. This price will not last, and once the stock is gone, you won't likely find the 7500-1500 for that price again. In fact, apparently Innovative has asked Ergomart to buy up the Amazon stock, as it's messing with Innovative's pricing power until the stock is gone.

The take away: (1) if you want to go for this arm, and (2) don't mind the older tilting mechanism, get on the deal, as it won't last. Keep in mind however, that the tilting mechanism on the Amazon 7500-1500 is the older inferior one. But (3) that said, while the newer mechanism is better, it still is not very good.

I have the "improved" 7500-1500 with the new tilting mechanism, and as I have reported, it started out quite stiff but has worked itself in to a very acceptable degree of functionality with much less creaking. I haven't tried nrubenstein's lubrication technique myself because I'm afraid it will become too free.

All that being said, and based on OldCorpse's discussions with Innovative, it sounds like you may have to pony up the $51.75 to get the "improved" tilting mechanism if you're having insurmountable problems with your old one. The good news is that combined with the original Essex price of $99, your still almost a hundred bucks ahead of the full authorized reseller price (except for the bear of shipping). The bad news is that, as borne out by my experience and as reported by OldCorpse, the new "improved" tilting mechanism is "still is not very good".

Perhaps you can give us some more details on what is going on with your tilt - - there have been a fair number of posters in this thread who have purchased the older model through Amazon/Essex and they may be able to provide some suggestions for solutions or work-arounds for you.

 

[FlavioX]

See below for the feedback from Innovative in Europe on the Heavy Duty Arm. They confirm upto 45 lbs (20kg) ...they also talk about some monster arm that goes up to 69lbs (31kg) ....i don't even think my wall could carry that weightload.

When I find out more I will update the posting.
P71

I am writing to you from Copenhagen, the European Headquarter for Innovative, Inc., - a worldwide leader in customized mounting solutions for computer monitors, terminals, keyboards and laptops.
Innovative has been in the market for over 20 years specializing in custom design, engineering and manufacturing.
Throughout this time, Innovative has worked with worldwide partners such as IBM, Fresenius, GE, Philips, Lockheed Martin, Kodak, Hewlett Packard, NASA, among many others.
We have also been the primary partner for many of the US based console manufacturers like TBC consoles.

The monitor arm you are enquiring about is the Free HD 6609-800
Main portions of the arm are engineered to hold a 45 lbs (20kg) CRT monitor, so it is a very stable product.
As I use to say, the arm will not break but the desk might
Price range is around 200 EURO and is available in silver, black or white.

We also have a version of this arm capable of holding screens up to 69 lbs (31 kg), this is the 9105-1500.

I am also from the Netherlands and got some information from Innovative in Denmark end of last year. I didn't want to spend that kind of money though. I was quoted this:

Free HD arm: 486.83 Euro + Shipping costs 50 Euro
Estimated Total: 518.83 Euro
VAT not included. With 19% Dutch VAT this adds up to €617.41!

I therefore ordered the Innovative 7500-1500 from Essex Technologies at Amazon.com for $99.95 and because Essex doesn't ship abroad I had it shipped (free of charge) to an address in the USA.

Check out www.fromus2eu.com, they can help with shipping to the Netherlands for a reasonable fee.
Shipping and handling through FromUS2EU with UPS was €116.58. I had to pay UPS €40,00 for import taxes and VAT. Shipping was only a couple of days. Shipping through USPS is appr. €40.00 cheaper.
So for slightly over €200.00 including VAT I had the Innovative arm.

I only have received my iMac last week (after more than 2 months waiting!) so I haven't had time to fit it to the arm yet but I am confident it will work as other users have already confirmed.

 

[MacMojo1]

I purchased the 7500-1500 on Amazon, I had to order the VESA adapter from Apple since neither of two local stores had it in stock. It took about 20 minutes to decipher the image-only directions from Innovative and to get the flex mount installed (I used the grommet hole method) and the arm put on. I really had to loosen the hydraulic, that took awhile.

Installation of the VESA adapter was easy enough, though Torx screws are a pain in the butt. I do agree with everyone else that the tilt is pretty tight, I may try the lubrication method that was suggested.

I took a couple pic's for those interested. This was by far the best deal, I have been looking around for a lighter duty arm for my 24" monitor and I may end up with another one of these because they are such a great price.

Nice setup, don't think I will ever be able to go back to a regular stand. I love the freedom it affords me.

 

[bobob]

All the way from down under comes another arm manufacturer Integ International out of New Zealand.

Integ produces a range of arms, though only their Apollo Hercules model is muscular enough to swing a 27" iMac, in fact two of them if you so desire with a payload of 33 lbs per arm and 66 lbs for the pole. While not a full radial motion arm, the Apollo models feature a modular design which allows you to "Move from a no limb (0 limb) to a three (3) limb arm within minutes. All with a simple Allen key."

Also, while not quite strong enough for an iMac (26.5 lbs payload), Integ's Apollo6 work station arm has a feature that I haven't seen from any other arms manufacturers - - an integrated power bar at desk level.

 

[rmsilver7]

I have the "improved" 7500-1500 with the new tilting mechanism, and as I have reported, it started out quite stiff but has worked itself in to a very acceptable degree of functionality with much less creaking. I haven't tried nrubenstein's lubrication technique myself because I'm afraid it will become too free.

All that being said, and based on OldCorpse's discussions with Innovative, it sounds like you may have to pony up the $51.75 to get the "improved" tilting mechanism if you're having insurmountable problems with your old one. The good news is that combined with the original Essex price of $99, your still almost a hundred bucks ahead of the full authorized reseller price (except for the bear of shipping). The bad news is that, as borne out by my experience and as reported by OldCorpse, the new "improved" tilting mechanism is "still is not very good".

Perhaps you can give us some more details on what is going on with your tilt - - there have been a fair number of posters in this thread who have purchased the older model through Amazon/Essex and they may be able to provide some suggestions for solutions or work-arounds for you.

I havn't tried the lubrication method, I just went ahead and ordered the newer head from Ergomart today. I am really dissapointed with Innovative, the last lady I spoke with today, Marisa, she was really rude and short with me and essentially hung up on me. But becuase I hate people like that I called back 10 minutes later and went over their warranty, word for word, with her and finally got her to say if I sent her all the info I had she would see if she could trace the arm in their system. From the tone she was speaking to me in I could tell she wasn't really going to do anything. I hate companies like that. If I had another option I would gladly pay more money to get it. Jerks.

 

[bobob]

The Cygnus Arm is another radial articulated arm featuring a distinctive exposed gas shock design from British company DPG.

It's payload is 30.86 lbs (making it suitable for the 27" iMac) and it has a reach of just over 21".

A much more detailed catalog providing clear pictures and specs is available in pdf format via DPG's literature page or in a rather clunky Flash format here.




___________________________________________
Side bar: astronomy afficionados may also recognize the name Cygnus Arm as the one of the four major spiral arms of our home galaxy the Milky Way.

 

[prototype71]

I am also from the Netherlands and got some information from Innovative in Denmark end of last year. I didn't want to spend that kind of money though. I was quoted this:

Free HD arm: 486.83 Euro + Shipping costs 50 Euro
Estimated Total: 518.83 Euro
VAT not included. With 19% Dutch VAT this adds up to €617.41!

I therefore ordered the Innovative 7500-1500 from Essex Technologies at Amazon.com for $99.95 and because Essex doesn't ship abroad I had it shipped (free of charge) to an address in the USA.

Check out www.fromus2eu.com, they can help with shipping to the Netherlands for a reasonable fee.
Shipping and handling through FromUS2EU with UPS was €116.58. I had to pay UPS €40,00 for import taxes and VAT. Shipping was only a couple of days. Shipping through USPS is appr. €40.00 cheaper.
So for slightly over €200.00 including VAT I had the Innovative arm.

I only have received my iMac last week (after more than 2 months waiting!) so I haven't had time to fit it to the arm yet but I am confident it will work as other users have already confirmed.

Hi FlavioX
You are so right....the quotes I got back from Innovative from Denmark were also pretty high...however they did make a reduced offer of 200 euros after I pushed back on their prices a few times. The guy even ended up admitting he was just a local reseller and only had 5 in stock.

In the end I did the same as you and ordered via Amazon on the 99usd deal and had it delivered to a work collegue who lives in Houston. He then arranged FedEx for only 37usd with no import tax (had the box labelled as work items). So in the end I paid a grand total of 136usd (100 euros !!)...great deal

I have the arm set up and working perfectly....however to be totally honest with this whole forum, I don't actually own an iMac

I have one of the new Sony Vaio L Series all-in-one touchscreen PC's (trust me it was a hard call between this and the iMac 27, but the Vaio's combined HDTV functionality sold me).

As the Vaio L is a very new and niche maket product, I could find no other reference to wall mounting systems for it, other than this forum. As it weighs in pretty much the same as an iMac 27, whats good for you guys is good for me

I have added a few pictures of the system in place FYI (and to allow for the inevitable (and possibly deserved) iMac user mockery of a Windows based system )

Sorry for leading you all astray but hey....the whole system (arm included) works like a dream...so im a happy bunny

 

[OldCorpse]

prototype71, I too bought the Amazon arm, even though I have a $700 arm from Ergomart already... the deal is just so good I could not say "no"... eventually I plan on getting another iMac, this time a 21", toward the end of the year, and adding it on the new arm which I'll put on the same track... at some point in a few weeks, I'll upload pictures of my current set up.

Couple of points - you'll get no hassle from me, for buying that PC, the more the merrier, and competition is always good. If you were a good person though, you'd give us all a nice review of how you like that PC, what it's got that's good/great etc.

Your set up looks nice, though it seems like your full freedom of movement is somewhat obstructed for that arm. The other thing, is it looks like you got this in your bedroom. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad move. I try to keep all these kinds of things like TVs, computers etc. out of the bedroom - and even so I have insomnia. You're not supposed to have that stuff in your bedroom - the bedroom is for sleeping and nothing else. I get up in the morning, and leave the bedroom and don't come back until it's time to sleep. Please use your bedroom appropriately - also, you should not give such terrible ideas to people on the forums, it sets a bad example. Please remove that computer from your bedroom immediately. Thank you.

 

[bobob]

the bedroom is for sleeping and nothing else.

Nothing else?

 

[OldCorpse]

Nothing else?

Well, nothing else that's not bed-related. Besides, I don't need the bedroom to do some things ... also, when I do use the bedroom for that purpose, it's strictly as a sleep aid - romantic, no?