Home > Consumer Reviews > Cheetah Mounts APTMM2B Tilt Wall Mount for 32"-55" Plasma and LCD TVs and Displays

I was skeptical of this mount. Why should this be so cheap compared to other mounting kits? I ordered one (due to the price), and prepared to return it if I did not think the mount could handle the weight of the 52" LCD TV (Samsung).

Once I got it, I understood the cost. Good low-cost design and built with solid heavy duty steel.
- Two horizontal bars are load-bearing, and for proper VESA spacing, they have to be parallel and relative distance must be in the right tolerances. These are made of solid steel.
- Two vertical bars (in the wall mount) are flimsey, and that's ok. it should be solid enough make a rectangle box w/ square angles. That's it.
- Two vertical mounting (to the TV) brackets are of heavy duty metal. Making this in to two parts (not one), reduction of material, but also allows free horizontal adjustment on the TV mount.
- By doing the above, the kit is small, uses less metal (and reduce shipping and material waste).

Positives
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1. Good solid and heavy duty construction.

2. Good value (low-cost). Paid <<< $[...] including shipping.

3. Easy install. Took 15 min to figure out the instruction (which is not totally clear), and 10~15 min to install and ready to watch.

4. built-in level worked well during marking of mouting holes on the wall --I tested w/ my own, and was consistent.

5. Once the mounted on the wall, and bracket on TV, you could adjust horizontal TV placement on the mount, just by sliding few inches left or right, post install. I expect this to be safe and true if the wall mount is directly screwed into the wall studs. I do not expect dry-wall install without the use of the studs to handle such adjustment.

6. The brackets on TV could also be used to adjust vertical TV placement by a few inches up and down. But for this one, you'll need to lift TV off the bracket and adjust and pull back :-).

7. There is a reasonable space (I would say, just right) from the wall to the TV to get cables/connectors through WITHOUT using any expensive 90 degree connectors. Plenty of space between two horizontal bars to put extra power outlet and data HDMI cable outlet to hide all the cables.

8. This supports tilt up/down, and works well. Amazon product description does not make it clear.

Negatives
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1. Just one. Clearer instruction so that I do not need to spend 15 min figuring things out. One could learn a lot form IKEA :-).
2. Packing/Packaging -- Not necessarily Cheetah Mount issue -- mine came w/o missing parts, although I noticed torn cardboard box edges and some parts COULD have been lost during shipping. Either double box, or have Cheetah use heavier box stock.

Helpful Hints & Comments
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1. DO NOT forget to tighten the screws (2) on the bottom horizontal bars AFTER TV is placed on the wall mount -- especially if you are in CA w/ quake. This is what prevents TV falling off the mount accidentally. But do not over-tighten (you are NOT securing from left-to-right movement).
2. Very happy w/ my purchase. Will get one more for my other TV.

I hate to nitpick, but if you're going to include 2!! pictures advertising a free level then you'd better deliver it along with the mount. Mine did not come with the level. The level that was built in to the mount was OFF also. I had to use a "real" level of mine from Home Depot. Everyone should just ignore the built in one.

But the mount itself is not bad at all! I used the first mount to mount our 46" Samsung 650 series LCD. I'm on here buying a 2nd one now for our 50" Samsung 650 plasma because I thought this was one of the best mount deals around.

There is another Cheetah APTMMB mount listed for $10 more and does not include the level. I do not know why anyone is buying that one instead of this. This one claims an added 10 pounds of support for a total possible weight of 160 pounds. That's pretty darn heavy considering our 50" plasma is only 86 pounds.

I would recommend this to EVERYONE, just don't expect to get a free level and make sure to ignore the built in one. It's still worth it.

The product description does not say 'heavy duty' so disregard any review that says as much, as this is not a heavy duty mount. I got this for a 50" pioneer and ended up switching the mount that I was using on a 42" because I didn't trust it to hold the larger one. Oddly it's weight rating is higher than the mount I already have (that one I *would* consider to be a heavy duty mount -- one piece plate, thicker steel) which really makes me wonder about this one.

Some of the cons are: The plate is in mutiple pieces that you bolt together -- this will never be as stable as a one piece plate. The metal is thinner gauge than other mounts. The fasteners are limited, both tv bolts and lag screws -- you may need a trip to the harware store for bolts (I did) and I'd recommend getting longer lag screws to be on the safe side (I also did). Bad levels, yadda, yadda, but you expect that with any kit really --use your own.

The pros are the price -- You're hard pressed to find a $30 tv mount.

Just keep in mind that you are getting exactly what you pay for. If you take the gamble by buying this product make your own judgement call on whether you think it will hold the weight. I think the biggest concern is the gauge of the metal, if you can bend it, it's not the best indicator of a sturdy mount. You can bend this mount. I would describe it as adequate at best and probably wouldn't purchase it again. That being said I am going to use it on my lighter 42". But my advice would be if you've spend $1000+ on electronics, don't cheap out and cut corners on the mount. Get something you *know* is solid.

The Cheetah mount is an incredible value. The mount is amazingly sturdy and very well built. It took me about 30 minutes to assemble the parts out of the box. Then another hour to mount the TV to the brick above our fireplace. I used 4 Quicktap blue masonry anchors to attach the mount to the wall, and it is so secure I could probably hang from the TV itself.

I was also pleased to find that the mount included all of the hardware (bolts, washers, spacers) that you would need to mount almost any VESA compatible flat panel. Our TV is a 52 inch Samsung (750 series) and the bolts I needed were included.

Overall, a great buy.

Mount was shipped by Fedex and arrived 3 days earlier than I expected. The box was thinner than I expected but that was ok.

After reading all the hassles some people had with missing screws, levels missing, etc... I was pleasantly surprised to find everything there. The level was included and shrink wrapped. There was an unopened bag with all sorts of bolts, screws, drywall sinks, etc... and instructions. The only thing that I guess was missing was a wall template, but you really don't need it.

Assembly.
The wall bracket isn't the one piece unit that's in the $30 version. And the reason the box is slim is because you have to assemble the bracket. No big deal, 4 pieces, 4 screws, and 4 minutes and I was done. Once assembled the wall bracket is very strong and feels like one piece of metal.
As I said I had a complete bag of screws, and there were screws that fit my TV in the bag. To install the mounting to the back of the tv you place a hard rubber grommit on the top of the screw hole in your tv, place the bracket on top, and screw the bracket into the TV. Repeat 4 times.
Lastly I had to hang the mounting bracket on the wall, Once I found the studs (easy as the electric outlet box is mounted to a stud, and then every 16" there is another stud) I mounted my bracket on two studs 32" apart. I did a pre drill with 1/8" drill bit (to make sure I was in a stud) and then I used the 3/16 bit to make the pilot hole. I screwed the bracket into the wall through that first hole. The kit included strong wood boring screws. I then leveled the mount (I used my own level, but the included level was just as accurate), and marked where to drill my second hole. Once the fixed to the wall, I repeated for the last two holes. I pulled on the bracket to test it, and it wasn't going anywhere.
Lastly I used a 2" hole saw to cut a hole in my wall behind the TV and down by the electrical outlet (until I can get a nice trim plate) to run the wires through the back of the wall.
Had my sister in law help me mount it, and was done.

Once on the wall tilting isn't that difficult loosen the bolt on both brackets and tilt. I kept mine straight, without the tilt.

All in all this was easy, worth the $22. I don't know how a $100 bracket can hold the TV to the wall better than this one. I was very pleased.