…

I am NOT the most handy person, but I’m also not the least. I’d say I’m a regular Joe. So I decided to forego my TV retailer’s $100 installation and do it myself. I visited two different stores to examine and play with displays and read about 50 different reviews online for mounts, so I feel qualified for this write-up. I originally wanted a “full motion” mount that could extend and pivot sideways, but every review I read had bad comments about sagging/instability, so I stuck with the simple tilt. I had just bought a brand new Vizio flatscreen that I saved up MONTHS for and it was far from cheap, so more than anything I wanted a mount that protected my investment.

And I got it. This thing is solid as a rock; I bet it could hold me (180 lbs) if I hung on it. Installation took longer than I wanted (about an hour), but only because it was my 1st ever TV mounting, I was nervous, and I had to make a couple trips to Home Depot down the block to get things I didn’t realize I’d need. So, in that spirit, here is some advice/hints for you.

1) FIND THE STUDS. If you don’t know how, ask someone who does. I asked the guys at the Home Depot and they set me straight. My studs were 19″ apart (regular is 16″) because I mounted over a fireplace so they were irregular. You will 100% most definitely want to do this.

2) – It comes with a level! When drilling into wood paneling like I was, you want to get it right the 1st time, because you can’t just spackle and re-paint bare wood. You have to be 1 and done, and the built-in level was really helpful for this.

3) – You need a power-drill, 3/16″ bit, and a socket wrench. Drill is for pilot holes for the lag bolts, and socket wrench is to save you a lot of time and effort with the lag bolts. The lag bolts (bolts that go into the studs) are huge, and it takes some serious effort to get those puppies in – a good thing, but I did it with a small monkey-wrench and it was time consuming and tiring. When I go to remove, I will use a socket wrench.

4) – It comes with a ton of hardware you won’t use. But that’s a good thing, too – different TVs take different hardware to mount, so they cover all their bases. Handy.

Now my TV is up and looking great, and I have 0 concern about its sturdiness. Seriously, when installed correctly, this thing is no joke.

Overall – extremely sturdy mount, but be prepared with everything you need before starting the install to save a lot of time.

Hope this helps you, Amazonians!