That $35 webcam mount just snapped my laptop screen hinge

I was setting up for a client call last Tuesday and leaned my monitor back a tiny bit. The cheap plastic mount cracked and the whole webcam fell forward, cracking the top bezel on my Lenovo. Now the display flickers whenever I tilt it past 45 degrees. Anyone else have a cheap accessory cause way more damage than it was worth?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_faith10d ago

Actually that's a 35 dollar mount not a 35 dollar one. I know it sounds picky but the price point matters here because cheap webcam mounts from Amazon and Walmart run like 10-15 bucks. The 35 dollar ones are usually the slightly better metal ones with the rubber grips. You probably got ripped off if you paid 35 for something that snapped like that. I had a 12 dollar mount from some random brand that held up fine for 2 years until I upgraded to a Logitech Brio. Either way that sucks about your Lenovo hinge though. Those screens are not cheap to replace and Lenovo's warranty usually doesn't cover accidental damage from accessories.

andrew_baker910d ago

Man I had almost the exact same thing happen with a 30 dollar mount from some brand called Wali or whatever. It was supposed to be metal but the little hinge pin snapped off after like 3 months and took a chunk out of my monitor bezel. That 10-15 dollar range is honestly the sweet spot for webcam mounts, anything more and you're basically paying for a name or some extra rubber that doesnt really help. I learned the hard way too, now I just use a little stack of books lol.

wade_anderson9d ago

I mean not really sure I agree that the 10-15 dollar range is the sweet spot. Ive had two of those cheap ones and both of them started slipping after a few months. The plastic just gets loose and then your webcam is sagging or pointing at your keyboard. With a 35 dollar mount at least youre getting a metal clamp that actually stays put. And that Wali brand someone mentioned Ive actually had okay luck with their monitor arms so maybe that was just a bad batch. Plus if youre running a heavy 4k webcam like a Brio or something those cheap plastic mounts really struggle to hold the weight. Maybe I just got lucky but my $30 mount has been solid for over a year now.