Of course if you are going to suspend a $700 or $1400USD LCD display above a desk, or from a wall you had better be sure whatever is holding it up is strong, and well built.

One such solution to LCD flat panel support is the 7000 Series Radial Arm from Innovative Office Products (lcdarms.com). It goes for about $180USD and takes about 15 minutes to assemble, and setup.

With solid black power-coated cast aluminum construction, the 7000 Series is remarkably good looking, and able to support LCD display's weighing from 8-22lbs. The adjustable armature supports both 100mm and 75mm VESA mounting-point compatible LCD displays by means of two interchangeable steel adaptor plates.

The arm has a vertical range of 14". That means 7" above or below horizonal as shown in the bottom image here.

The armature features three pivots able to rotate a full 360° for greater flexibility when moving the LCD display left, right, or backwards/forwards. The entire armature can collapse into about 3" of space or extend up to 24" from the mounting point. An adjustable gas cylinder in the main arm acts like a counter balance so the 7000 series arm can be 'tuned' to support any type of LCD flat panel perfectly. With that gas cylinder properly adjusted the monitor becomes weightless, allowing the user to easily position it where they like.

The armature has a vertical range of 14" (7" up and 7" down from horizontal) and a tilt mechanism directly behind the LCD panel can tilt 200° to support even wider viewing situations. arm has a vertical range of 14", meaning that the LCD display will remain stationary if you move it up a few inches.

To keep things simple, we mounted the 7000 series radial arm, along with the very nice Samsung 191T LCD display, to the edge of desk. The unit is versatile enough to be mounted to a wall, desk, slat wall, panel system wall, or even via a thru-desk mount. The same tools and accessories are used for most of these mounting configurations which further simplifies things.

Mounting an LCD on the 7000 series arm

The unit arrives in a long flat box unassembled, but instantly ready to. Setting up the armature is simply a matter of deciding where to put it, and then assembling the four or so main components with the included allen key.

After the stand has been removed from the LCD display (a Samsung 191T in our case) it needs only be mounted to the right sized adaptor plate (100mm or 75mm). The final task is to tuck the wires from the LCD display away in the base of the armature sections and that's it. The cable ways are easy to get at and keep the monitors power and video signal cables from draping all over the desk.

One more thing makes the 7000 series radial arm the pinnacle of easy adjustment - a set screw at the base of the main arm adjusts the pressure on an internal gas cylinder which counter balances the weight of the LCD display. One that adjustment has been made, the display can be moved into any vertical position and just sit there as if it were weightless. If the screw is not adjusted the arm will have a tendency to always rise up.

Other small set screws make using touch sensitive LCD panels an easier proposition because they add more friction to the joints of the armature - increasing the amount of force needed to knock it out of position.