21" monitors... bad experiences, really sad

[mfavin]

I figured it was time to upgrade my 5-year old Viewsonic P810 21".

The first one I got... Samsung 21" 1200NF, supposedly one of the best monitors around. The convergence wasn't that great and the upper left 25% screen was blurry and lower left 1/8 too, even at 1280x1024. This monitor has a recommended 1600x1200 resolution. I sent it back..

The second one.. Iiyama Vision Master 505 21". Upper middle 33% screen blurry at 1280x1024.

Amazingly, both these monitors are worse off than my 5 year old.

It's really sad that after all these years that quality control is still crappy. The only reason I hesistated in upgrading for so long was my memories of "monitor hell"- it took like 4 or 5 before I settled on the Viewsonic P810.

Given that most companies now claim their 21" monitors do 1600x1200 well, I don't see how this can be. I used 3 video cards, and am very familiar with all the settings.

Anyone else here actually gotten a good 21" monitor lately? Mail order is typically the best way to go for pricing, but when they are below par quality, all the shipping adds up. Guess I just have to take whatever paltry selection I can find that in my local town.

 

[tigerbait]

I've heard good things about the Sony G520. Maybe it is time for you to try a Trinitron tube?

 

[dkozloski]

The best 21" monitor money can buy is an F980 Eizo/Nanao. You can read 1 point type in the corners and the geometry is flawless. About $1800.

 

[Stark]

If you're spending that much, why not go for a nice flat panel?

 

[dullard]

When it comes to convergence, I've seen nothing that can top the Cornerstone professional models. My p1600 is quite impressive ($850 shipped). There is one step up and one step down from that if your budget is different than mine was.

The only drawback is that the Cornerstone company favors the Micron company over other brands. I perfer my monitor makers to be unbiased when it came to other computer parts that have nothing to do with the monitor. Anyway I digressed.

The monitor has made me quite happy, check out their models at bigmonitors.com or you can purchase them at monitorsdirect.com.

 

[MplsBob]

It has been my experience that the air freight companies have a rough time with big monitors.

The boxes are big, awkward, and weigh a ton.

The end result is that very good monitors get "realigned" by being dropped a lot.

This may not be a problem for 99.999% of the material shipped via air freight. It can be a problem for monitors.

The monitors you sent back may well have started out as excellent display devices and been dog doodoo by the time they arrived.

Frankly, I don't know what the answer is to this one. Unless you buy your monitors from local vendors, see them in operation before buying them, and take them home yourself, you can end up on the short end of the stick.

Anyone have any ideas?

 

[tigerbait]

<< The end result is that very good monitors get &quot;realigned&quot; by being dropped a lot. >>




I agree with what you are saying, and know that it does happen. But how do these monitors make it to the retail stores without getting mangled?

 

[helikon]

The monitors delivered in any reasonable quantity to the retail stores more than likely come by truck (as in stacked on pallets and unloaded by forklift).And if shipped by airfreight they probably came on a pallet also.It's the single monitor,as everyone is aware,that is more likely to get beat up in shipping.Another reason I didn't get a monitor at a small computer shop because their smaller stocking quantity came via UPS/FEDEX etc.It cost me about 70 dollars more than web prices for my monitor at a large computer store but it had no damage and would have made a return much easier.

 

[MallowJr]

I've ordered from dell a few times and as far as I can tell the trinitrons are flawless...guess UPS and fedex didn't screw up that time huh.

 

[Gosharkss]

<<

The only drawback is that the Cornerstone company favors the Micron company over other brands. I perfer my monitor makers to be unbiased when it came to other computer parts that have nothing to do with the monitor. >>



Dullard

Not certain what you mean by &quot;favor Micron&quot;??? We have no relationship with Micron, no do we favor any particular brand of CPU.

Thanks for the kind words.

Jim Witkowski
Chief Hardware Engineer
Cornerstone / Monitorsdirect.com

 

[Salvador]

I'm awaiting my replacement for a G420 Sony from Dell. It should be here this afternoon. The original had a brown area in the lower right hand corner, which I didn't find acceptable. Also, it had a few geometry issues that I shouldn't have to deal with on a monitor that is supposed to be pretty good. And to think that I thought the AG lines would bother me being a first time Trinitron owner.

What I've heard is that the brown area was probably caused by shipping damage, so I'm hoping for the best with my replacement. I'm really glad that I dealt with Dell now because they are covering the replacement shipping. Though, they've been a little less than an ideal company to get ahold of, they are living up to their excellent CS rating in my eyes.

Hehe.. I'm sure you all will find out if my replacement is any good.

Sal

 

[TunaBoo]

Yah, we get monitors by the Palet (Stetch wrapped together). They come on air-ride trucks, and we forklift them to the warehouse.

 

[MallowJr]

Heh, perfect example when an opinion became his fact...and the truth comes out. =]

 

[MallowJr]

SALVADOR,
Did AIRBORNE EXPRESS ship the monitor to you (from DELL)?

~ELmO

 

[LuciferHaze]

Why do you want to get rid of your 21&quot; Viewsonic P810? I've got the same one and it is excellent. Keep it.

 

[dullard]

<< Not certain what you mean by &quot;favor Micron&quot;??? We have no relationship with Micron, no do we favor any particular brand of CPU.

Thanks for the kind words. >>



Thanks for the best 21&quot; monitor I've ever seen. However I perfer not to do business with a company that sends me this:

&quot;Crucial Technology, like MonitorsDirect, is a factory-direct source for computer memory. Crucial is a division of Micron and is one of the largest memory manufacturers in the world. Crucial's web site is very easy to use and their customer satisfaction ratings are extremely high.&quot; - Greg Harris, Vice President, Marketing

As we all know Crucial will not sell memory for certain computers. I find this type of endorsement biased and unwelcome. Crucial memory is great memory at a low price, but I'd rather not buy a monitor and have that company force this type of info on me.

 

[andalas]

It's really hard to say about good quality of manufacture or image.
ie:
2060u have an excelent text and graphics, but some people
have to exchange the monitor because of convergence problem, but once you get
a good one it's a good monitor.

 

[Gosharkss]

Dullard

I understand you are referring to is an E-mail you recieved from Mr. Harris. I don't think we are endorsing Crucial as much as we are endorsing their &quot;Factory Direct&quot; bussiness model. With a factory-direct model, much like our own, we can skip two tiers of middlemen. We were certainly not &quot;pushing&quot; you to do anything. Please feel free to ignore the offer.

Sorry if it offended you, we have received many positive responses to this offer to save 15% on RAM.

Jim

 

[LXi]

I dont understand what this dullard guy is complaining about. Buy a monitor from Monitorsdirect.com and get a discount from the best memory maker in the world, I couldnt be happier.