Best Arm Options For New 27" iMac

[OldCorpse]

Wow, bobob, that's quite a find on the death of Innovative's CEO.

I really wonder what the actual market for arms is. I mean, it seems - no offense - as if there is really not that much competition (at least for the truly long articulated arms). As if a tinkerer really could enter the market and do some business given how - not to speak ill of any company - meager the competition is. Of course, that's most likely ignorance talking, once I'd look into it, I'd find all sorts of barriers and how things are a 1000 times more complicated than it seems at first glance. And so, there will be no Arm By OldCorpse©.

 

[TheBearman]

Thanks for the pic. I think I'll go ahead and order this even though I expect you're right that the included bracket would work. Looks a little cleaner and a bit more secure.

Right now mine is mounted to the edge of a temporary desk but that's not an option on the new desk I have coming. I know I could drill a hole in the top but I hate to do that to a new desk.

 

[mystikjoe]

Thanks for the pic. I think I'll go ahead and order this even though I expect you're right that the included bracket would work. Looks a little cleaner and a bit more secure.

Right now mine is mounted to the edge of a temporary desk but that's not an option on the new desk I have coming. I know I could drill a hole in the top but I hate to do that to a new desk.

Post some pics when you get it mounted I'm trying to find some matching speakers for my setup!

 

[rmsilver7]

I have the same issue with my 7500 with the mid pivot not really pivoting, I even took the little screw completly out. I might try some lubricant.

I ended up ordering the new spring tilter head from Ergomart and it is MUCH better than the one that originally came with the 7500 from Amazon. It's still a little tight, but I can defitnatly tilt the LCD much easier now.

 

[mystikjoe]

I have the same issue with my 7500 with the mid pivot not really pivoting, I even took the little screw completly out. I might try some lubricant.

I ended up ordering the new spring tilter head from Ergomart and it is MUCH better than the one that originally came with the 7500 from Amazon. It's still a little tight, but I can defitnatly tilt the LCD much easier now.

how much did you pay mine's a bitch to move as well! what was the model number i couldn't see it on the site! thanks!

 

[rmsilver7]

I got it from Ergomart for $60-ish (it was like $52 for the tilter and $7 for shipping). Though if you do order form them they ship UPS with a DIRECT signature required, unless you know to ask for them to not request that option, you or someone will be required to sign for the package.

 

[rmsilver7]

I missed the bottom half of your post, its not listed on their website, you have to call them to order it. This is what is was on my recipet for item:

IOP 8377 NV-104 Spring Tilter Head without VESA plates.

 

[mystikjoe]

I missed the bottom half of your post, its not listed on their website, you have to call them to order it. This is what is was on my recipet for item:

IOP 8377 NV-104 Spring Tilter Head without VESA plates.

thanks!

 

[mystikjoe]

ergomart

thanks!

they stated to me in a week or two they are releasing a new tilt for the imac. it will be more expensive but work alot better than the update they currently have. i tried to preorder but pricing isn't finalized so i'll update everyone when i place the order!

 

[asciimo]

Just installed my 7500-1500

First of all, thank you everyone for this exhaustive discussion. I'm glad that I'm not alone in my tilting and elbow joint woes. I was naive to think that my 27" iMac would dance around as elegantly as this video suggests: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXBhX1g5H1g I get a core muscle workout every time I try to move this iMac into a new position. (Bug, or feature?)

I e-mailed Innovative about my disappointment. I'll post the response here. I expect the 3-in-one recommendation.

Most importantly, I'd astounded at how much of a sucker I am. I bought this thing for $444 directly from lcdarms.com. I would not say that I am enjoying a $444 experience. It feels more like $119.99.

 

[bobob]

Wow, bobob, that's quite a find on the death of Innovative's CEO.

I really wonder what the actual market for arms is. I mean, it seems - no offense - as if there is really not that much competition (at least for the truly long articulated arms). As if a tinkerer really could enter the market and do some business given how - not to speak ill of any company - meager the competition is. Of course, that's most likely ignorance talking, once I'd look into it, I'd find all sorts of barriers and how things are a 1000 times more complicated than it seems at first glance. And so, there will be no Arm By OldCorpse©.

I found Odd's obit when I was digging around on the Innovative site for the info about the heavy duty mount that TheBearman had asked about. I was surprised to see a new press release in their News section, since the previous one had been two and a half years earlier. Same goes for their Knowledgebase section on which the newest entries seem to be from 2007. It seems like their heart really isn't in the Arm business, but perhaps this has to do with the CEO being the innovator and his accomplishments and involvement fading into the past. It's sad to see their decent product line cheaply shovelled out to resellers.

I find it more encouraging to seeing Arm companies on the other side of the the curve, such as the recently discussed Flatscreen Arms, makers of the Mantis 30. (BTW, I'm interested in hearing your opinion on their product based on that video of their iMac arm in action.) They seem to be a young vibrant company listening to the market and evolving their product line accordingly. It will surely be a company like that that will ultimately fulfil our unrequited dreams of long arms.

That is, of course, unless Arm By OldCorpse© beats them to it!

(Let it be known that I want in on the ground floor - - just say the word and I'll begin setting up the first round of regional interviews with the cream of the crop of gifted young mechanical engineers.)

 

[OldCorpse]

I find it more encouraging to seeing Arm companies on the other side of the the curve, such as the recently discussed Flatscreen Arms, makers of the Mantis 30. (BTW, I'm interested in hearing your opinion on their product based on that video of their iMac arm in action.) They seem to be a young vibrant company listening to the market and evolving their product line accordingly. It will surely be a company like that that will ultimately fulfil our unrequited dreams of long arms.

Well, like I said originally, I think the cable management system is FAIL. Also, I didn't investigate it too closely, but I didn't see evidence of the head being able to rotate at all... which, if true, means you'll be able to tilt but have no rotational adjustment - a deal breaker if there ever was one - there's no surface that's perfectly level, so the ability to adjust rotation is a must. That said, the ability to use Apple's original stand mount is great and very elegant - and looks spectacular. No doubt a very handsome unit (spoiled by the cable management system) - much more handsome than the frankly old-fashioned look of Innovative arms. And I must point out - this is still not a long arm.

On the subject of tilters, I'm in discussions with Ergomart about their new tilter design, and I'm waiting for the final model before reviewing it here... endless delays, was supposed to be finished months ago, but there's always something that needs additional work.

No Arm by OldCorpse for now... busy with a film project - which necessitated designing a DIY jib camera crane suitable for very small spaces... if you want to have something work well for your specific needs, you gotta do it yourself - hey, Steve and Woz did it, and here we are on a board dedicated to their products. Unfortunately a Steve or a Woz is one in a billion, it seems.

 

[mr.thedaniel]

I was really interested in the Innovative 7500, but it looks like it's disappeared from amazon.com. Everywhere else I've looked for it, it's selling for 2x, 3x the price or more. Part of the interest was the $99 price tag...

 

[OldCorpse]

I was really interested in the Innovative 7500, but it looks like it's disappeared from amazon.com. Everywhere else I've looked for it, it's selling for 2x, 3x the price or more. Part of the interest was the $99 price tag...

This was inevitable. Several times I've advised people to jump on this deal, because it would simply not last, as it was being sold below cost - for example, back in January, I wrote in this thread:

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.

There may still be a few specimens here and there, but the grand opportunity is gone.

 

[mystikjoe]

This was inevitable. Several times I've advised people to jump on this deal, because it would simply not last, as it was being sold below cost - for example, back in January, I wrote in this thread:

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.

There may still be a few specimens here and there, but the grand opportunity is gone.

i would like to thank you for showing me the deal i jumped on it weeks ago and i love it so much!

 

[OldCorpse]

You are more than welcome, mystikjoe, I'm glad it's working out.

mr.thedaniel, it won't hurt to look over CL and ebay from time to time, as reasonable deals might appear (especially on CL).

 

[bobob]

The Innovative 7500 radial articulated arm and the 27" iMac as part of a Custom Ergonomic Workstation... a two minute and twenty-eight second YouTube video.

 

[TheBearman]

I was really interested in the Innovative 7500, but it looks like it's disappeared from amazon.com. Everywhere else I've looked for it, it's selling for 2x, 3x the price or more. Part of the interest was the $99 price tag...

Although not quite the deal that Amazon had, Provantage has it for $160 in silver, black or white. The site will show over $288 but if you add it to the cart you'll get the $160 price. I know they have increased their price by $25 since I ordered mine. I expect the number of folks looking to mount their iMac's might be the reason .

 

[Yaggo]

Innovative 7500, quick review

Got my Innovative 7500-1500 from Provantage few days ago. Here is a photo of my unfinished home office setup – as you can see, my master plan is to be able to work in dual positions: either sitting vertically behind the desk or laying down semi-horizontally in recliner:

(The plant is temporarily placed in corner to act as a counterweight when iMac is positioned over recliner.)


Good thing about the 7500 is that it works: it mounts to desk, carries the iMac without collapsing and can be moved. The bad news: with the weight of 27" iMac, don't expect super smooth movements as seen in Innovative's demo video. Especially forearm rotation and tilting are very stiff and cannot be adjusted "on-the-fly" (I think tilting is fixed in later revisions?). I was also let down by the mediocre finishing quality of the product and lack of manual / maintenance / safety instructions. That being said, it's not bad product – just don't expect any Apple-style elegancy with it. Would be interesting see a monitor arm designed in Cupertino!

Edit: The recliner with 27" screen floating in the front of you is absolutely heaven

 

[OldCorpse]

Wow, Yaggo, you're really young! It's interesting how young people have taken to the mac. Btw. I see you holding the keyboard - how do you find it? Do you miss not having the number pad?

 

[Yaggo]

Never missed a numpad (waste of space), the num keys above qwerty are anyway easier to reach. I love Apple's laptop size keyboards. I guess my daughter does too!

 

[OldCorpse]

Thanks Yaggo. Perkele, you got a nice room - I especially like the curtains!

 

[bobob]

This week's featured arm is the MightyMount from StrongArm Inc, billed as "The 'Light' Industrial Mount That's HEAVY Duty". It supports a payload of 32 lbs putting it squarely in the 27" iMac's wheelhouse, though it's range of movement is a mere 12" of vertical travel. It is available in wall mount or with a freestanding wheeled cart as pictured below.

Here is additional material on the MightyMount: a YouTube video, a pdf data sheet, and a gallery of various configurations.

(Also, while not suitably configured for the iMac, their MiniStations have a broad range of stainless steel components giving their arms up to 30" of vertical movement, plus heavy duty extension segments - - there may be some potential here for the hardcore arm aficionado...)

((...and while you're visiting StrongArm's website, why not have a peek at the world's first industrial-strength stainless steel mouse - - it's submergible!))

 

[mr.thedaniel]

Innovative 7500 available in ebay store

For anyone still interested, I did run across the Innovative 7500-1500 in an ebay store, selling for $95 plus cheap shipping. Definitely the best deal around on the 7500, so I bought mine based on the reviews and opinions in this thread. Thanks all, can't wait to set up the arm

 

[bobob]

I find it more encouraging to seeing Arm companies on the other side of the the curve, such as the recently discussed Flatscreen Arms, makers of the Mantis 30. (BTW, I'm interested in hearing your opinion on their product based on that video of their iMac arm in action.)

Well, like I said originally, I think the cable management system is FAIL. Also, I didn't investigate it too closely, but I didn't see evidence of the head being able to rotate at all... which, if true, means you'll be able to tilt but have no rotational adjustment - a deal breaker if there ever was one - there's no surface that's perfectly level, so the ability to adjust rotation is a must. That said, the ability to use Apple's original stand mount is great and very elegant - and looks spectacular. No doubt a very handsome unit (spoiled by the cable management system) - much more handsome than the frankly old-fashioned look of Innovative arms. And I must point out - this is still not a long arm.

Good call.

Apparently the Mantis' non-VESA mount does not permit rotation. I would certainly miss that element of the range of my arm's motion, as I regularly finesse it's position to the most ergonomically comfortable one to match my own current position. I don't think there's any insurmountable technical barrier to adding rotation to the wrist joint of the Mantis 30, but it is an existing weak spot in an otherwise impressive product.