MantelMount Blog

You’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t think that penicillin is one of the greatest discoveries of our time.  Or that the inventions of the light bulb, the television, and the telephone haven’t had significant impact on the way we live, learn and look at the world around us.

But let’s not forget the “next tier” of inventions.  You know the ones: They don’t save lives.  They don’t alter the course of history.  Yet they’re important – and memorable – because they solve common, everyday problems that so many of us face.  These are not enormous problems; just ordinary annoyances that we put up with until something comes along that either eliminates the annoyance altogether or at least makes it significantly less annoying. 

MantelMount is a perfect example of this “next tier” invention.  As you already know, this Pull Down TV Mount™ not only swivels side to side but can move vertically.  This has two major benefits:

• It allows you to mount your TV above the fireplace (a very popular mounting option) but bring it down to eye level for the optimal viewing angle.
• It alleviates the neck and back pain associated with watching a TV mounted too high on the wall.

The creation of this product stems from one of those little, everyday annoyances we’re all familiar with.  The inventor, Brian (last name withheld so he can avoid the paparazzi), is an avid sports and movie viewer.  Brian was afraid his kids would knock his new flat screen TV clear off its stand (imagine, kids breaking things).  So he installed the TV high on the wall above the fireplace.  This worked fine initially, except for the glare during the day.  And then, the neck pain set in.   

So Brian set out to fix these issues – the deficiencies with all the flat screen wall mounts he’d seen on the market.  The biggest issue? There was little to no movement or flexibility to maneuver the mount to an eye-level position for the perfect view, regardless of where the viewer was sitting.  And he wanted to develop something that was so easy to move, his own kids could do it.  After working on his creation for innumerable nights and weekends, MantelMount was born. 

Like MantelMount, there are other products out on the market that help make our lives better in small but meaningful ways.  They don’t save lives or promise to end world hunger.  But, like MantelMount, they do help to eliminate the little irritations which can prove to be so…irritating.

Five of our favorites (with a nod to a cool website called Wimp.com):

The “Stainless” Coffee Mug:  You're sipping your coffee and the extra drops that run down the side create a horrible ring on the table or desk that the cup is sitting on.  This new coffee mug has a built-in slit near the bottom to catch the drops before they can do their dirty work.

The Sand-Free Beach Towel: Let’s face it – nothing ruins a day at the beach more than sand on your towel.  It ends up in your mouth, down your bathing suit, and in your food.  Frankly, we have no idea how this towel works, but the makers claim that it will keep the sand away from you so you can enjoy the day – and save the sand for making sand castles. 

The Pain-Free Forearm Holder: We’ve all seen the ergonomic mouse pads and other devices that help ease the pain of repetitive motion in your wrist.  This little gizmo helps do the same thing for your forearm by hooking on to your desk and forming a kind of “cradle.”  It’s like MantelMount for your arm. 

Soda Can Handles: Do you hate holding soda cans?  Perhaps you don’t like the feel of an ice cold can in the palm of your hand.   Or perhaps you just have butter fingers.  If so, check out this comfortable, easy-to-use, form-fitted handle. 

No More Mess Milk Dispenser: Did you ever take a full gallon of milk out of the refrigerator, open up the top, tip it over to pour it into your glass, and…it goes everywhere but the glass.  This unique dispenser that attaches to the head of your milk container is a great invention for its easy-to-squeeze handle and stream control. 

There’s so many more, but you get the idea: ingenious devices that make life just a little bit better.  As for MantelMount, a great product that makes watching TV a lot more enjoyable and a little less painful.

Now if only someone would just create some better TV shows….

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