ARCTIC Z1 Monitor Stand

Setup:

With this simple product, the biggest issue I ran into during the setup process was simply finding a place for yet another monitor in my office.

With already having seven monitors at my desk (four ~21-inch displays on a quad-monitor stand, two 21-inch LCDs on a dual monitor arm, and then a 30-inch 2560 x 1600 display), there was not much room available. Being confident in the two Tyke Supply monitor stands I currently use, I ended up mounting the ARCTIC Z1 on top of the existing dual-monitor stand, which in turn is clamped to a glass desk.

The monitor I ended up mounting to the Z1 was an older Acer 17-inch display that is used when testing VGA outputs on Linux graphics drivers when running into mode-setting issues. Setting up the ARCTIC Z1 was easy and just like any other well-built monitor arm on the market. It's simply a matter of attaching the arm to the VESA mount on the back of the display, clamping down the mounting column to desk or other item, sliding down a grip on the mounting column to the desired monitor height, tightening the grip, sliding down the monitor arm, and tightening the arm to the pole. It is that easy.

The swivel, rotation, and tilting all worked as one would expect.

Conclusion:

There is not too much to say about a simple monitor stand. The ARCTIC Z1 stand does its job in making any VESA-mount-supported LCD more versatile with its height, swivel, tilt, and rotation support. Using a monitor arm can also free up valuable desk space. The included USB hub is also nice but not exactly a game changer.

The ARCTIC Z1 is well built and does everything it claims. The only issue I have with the ARCTIC Z1 is its price, which is just over $70 USD. The dual-monitor ARCTIC Z2 sells for just under $100 USD. These ARCTIC monitor stands are cheaper than the well-known Ergotron monitor desk mounts, but they are more expensive than the Tyke Supply stands. Tyke Supply might not be very well known, but I have been using their dual and quad monitor stands now for one year without any issues at all. The Tyke Supply stands are extremely reliable and just as versatile as the ARCTIC products.

A single-monitor Tyke Supply stand can be found for about $35 USD while the dual-monitor stand like the one I have is just over $50 USD and the fully-adjustable quad-monitor stand is about $75 USD -- roughly the price of the single-LCD ARCTIC stand. Aside from the price, the ARCTIC Z1 is a great product.