I recently went on a project bender, wall-mounting three-bedroom TVs. Two of those were in teenagers’ rooms, and since their TVs were very light, I decided to opt for a single-stud mountable option. The Mounting Dream MD2413-MX got great reviews on Amazon, it mounts on a single stud, offers full-motion, supports TVs up to 60 pounds, and at $29.99, it’s a bargain. Several months of use later, I would absolutely buy one of these again for light-duty use.
Goal: Freeing Up Desk Space, Better Viewing Angles + Safety
My teenagers are gamers, and two of them decided last year that sharing a TV in the games room was too limiting. So they each bought consoles and 4K TVs for their rooms. That raised a few issues. On their stands, the TVs took up much of their desks, leaving little room for homework. Swiveling the screen to view from angles was a pain. Lack of tilt meant a different viewing experience depending on whether they were sitting on a chair or on their bed. And having a TV sitting on the desk—even with a wall-strap—was a safety issue.
I decided to wall mount the TVs. To offer as much viewing flexibility as possible, I wanted full-motion mounts. I tend to be pretty cautious when it comes to wall mounting TVs—the one I used in our bedroom weighs as much as the TV it supports and uses multiple studs for support. In this case, though the TVs are only 43-inches and weigh under 25 pounds. That seemed well within the safe zone for a single-stud mount that would presumably be easier to install, as well as less expensive.
After an hour or so of researching options, I ordered two Mounting Dream MD2413-MX full motion TV mounts from Amazon. They are rated for TVs from 26-55-inches and up to 60 pounds and fit VESA 100×100 to 400×400 patterns. They were priced at just $29.99 and had a 5-star rating on Amazon with over 5,700 reviews.
Ease of Installation
The wall mount(s) came with a full complement of bolts and spacers for attaching the brackets to the TV back. The company publishes a long list of TVs that are specifically supported, and I had verified their TVs were on that list prior to ordering. The arm, wall plate, and bracket seemed extremely solid and were nicely painted in a low gloss black. Also on the Amazon product page are official installation videos you can quickly review before starting.
Installation was remarkably easy. I just had to find a stud in the wall that was as close to the center as possible for their preferred viewing location, check for wires, figure out the correct height, then drill three holes to mount the wall plate. The company even included a bubble level in the box to aid with ensuring everything was straight and level. Once the bolts were driven in, it was a matter of hanging the TV on the arm and securing the screws that hold it in place. All told, it was under 30 minutes for the first mount and probably 20 minutes for the second (since I didn’t need to read the instructions a second time).
If you’ve ever installed a TV wall mount you know the drill, but this was notable in how simple and fast the installation was. Having just a single stud to deal with made a real difference.
Functionality and Durability
The Mounting Dream mounts worked just as advertised. It extends up to 19-inches from the wall, swivels up and down (5-degrees up and 15-degrees down), and the arm can swivel 90 degrees from side to side.
The motion isn’t as fluid as the mount in my own bedroom, the up/down tilt needs to be locked in place with a screw when adjusted to keep it from drifting back, and instead of integrated concealed cable channels, you get plastic ties to secure the cables. But this is a $29.95 wall mount—the Sanus full-motion mount in my room cost literally ten times that amount.
In terms of durability, both Mounting Dream mounts have stood up to several months of use in teenagers’ rooms. The flexibility has been constantly tested with positions changing multiple times through any given day. They remain securely fixed to the walls and there are no signs of anything weakening.
They have reclaimed that desk space, but sadly, instead of being used for homework the extra space seems to primarily being used as a footrest when gaming…
Recommendation
If you’re shopping for a full-motion mount for a small to mid-sized TV that’s inexpensive and easy to install, the Mounting Dream MD2413-MX Full Motion TV Wall Mount is tough to beat.
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