A short guide on how to choose the right monitor arm. Based on Uplifting’s experience of over 150,000 monitor arm installed in Australia.

What is the benefit of a monitor arm?

First of all, an adjustable monitor arm frees up desk space and provides much better visual ergonomics. Important when working on almost all documents. A monitor on your desk can be likened to a seat in a car. Get the right fitment and you drive better, and arrive refreshed. Get the right visual ergonomics and focal length on your desktop, and likewise, you can work much more comfortably and productively. With sit-stand desks, monitor arms can be particularly important, as when working while standing, the monitors require a greater amount of adjustment.

Are monitor arms universal?

Basically yes, up to a point. Most monitor manufacturers adhere to the VESA (Video Electronics Standard Association) standard of screw pattern fitment at the rear of the monitor. Check your monitor specifications. The most common VESA mounting pattern is 100 mm x 100 mm. There are also 75 x 75, 100 x 200, 200 x 400 etc, etc, depending on the monitor size. Some Apple and Samsung monitors don’t comply. All Uplifting monitor arms come with screws to mount the monitors, and many are equipped with “quick release” VESA brackets, that allow fast and convenient monitor swap-outs.

Which monitor arm is best for our office?

Check your monitor weight and monitor size first. 90% of monitors weigh less than 7 kg. Most monitor arms will hold that.

Is ease of use important for your staff? If yes, choose a gas spring monitor arm, with one touch adjustment. Gas spring monitor arms are counter-weighted by the weight of the monitor and effectively ‘float’ monitors above the desktop. Static monitor arms are more usually used in multi-screen configurations, where users don’t tend to move the screens around as much.

I have some quite large, heavy curved screens to fit.

Curved screens are typically more difficult to adjust and the ergonomics more difficult to manage. There are now special monitor arms designed for this. Consider Uplifting’s range of heavy duty arms

I need to add more screens…

Choose a modular mount system that allows you to add different components as you get additional monitors. The Actiflex II mount system for example can support up to six monitors in a wide variety of configurations. See details here

I want to get laptops off the desk and up at the same level as the monitors.

Simply get a dual set up and allocate one side of the dual to fit a laptop tray. Uplifting has a variety of dual set-ups to choose from, and most can be fitted with laptop trays. The arms on each side should be independently adjustable so that the laptop screen can be correctly aligned. You could also consider laptop risers.

I have limited space due to the confined nature of some of our work-points.

There are a range of monitor arms built especially for confined spaces. These specialist designs limit the movement of some components of the arm, without compromising on overall ergonomics. Consider Yogiflex, for example.

I need desks and accessories as well…

Consider our dedicated web site for ergonomic office furniture ergofurniture.com.au.  The majority of the offerings on ergofurniture are quick ship for prompt delivery.