Why are some Glass TV Stands more expensive than others?
Like most consumer products sold in the UK and the rest of the EEC, the vast majority of Glass TV stands are manufactured in the Far East, more than most are actually made in China. Many stands although differently branded, can originate from exactly the same factory. Typically, a stand from a well known High St. retailer that costs £200 can be bought from another retailer for £79, albeit re-branded. That said then, shouldn’t everyone go for the cheapest option? Well, although there may only be a few factories supplying the vast number of retailers, there can be a significant difference in the quality of products being supplied. Typically an importer may go to a factory with an idea of a price he is willing to pay per unit, the factory may then produce a product to match that budget.
The single most expensive component of any glass tv stand is of course the toughened safety glass. From a manufacturing perspective, the thicker the glass the more expensive the stand will be. If you’re paying ‘top-end’ pricing, make sure you’re not being palmed-off with cheaper 6 or 8mm top-shelf glass. If you’re paying £200 from a retailer for a ‘top-quality’ stand, don’t accept anything under 10mm top glass. Don’t forget, the top-glass shelf has to support the weight of the TV, the bottom and middle shelves don’t have to be the same thickness. Along with being physically stronger, the thicker glass actually looks nicer, clear glass shelves start to get that greenish tint, the thicker the glass gets.
The very low-cost stands have drilled holes in the top glass shelf to allow a threaded screw bolt to be passed through it, effectively a top screw pad is then fitted to clamp the glass and legs together. This results in the top clamp pad sitting proud of the top glass. Higher-end stands should have a totally flat top, with no protrusions. On true higher-end glass stands, a UV (Ultra-Violet) bonded pad on the underside of the top glass shelf means that there is no need to drill the top glass during production.
More expensive tv stands should have better cable management, ideally if a stand is more ‘top-end’, the cable panel should have a back-cover to hide all the cables from sight. If you’re paying ‘to dollar’, don’t accept a stand that just has a panel with access holes in it.
Another item that can affect the price of a glass stand is the quality of the metal tubing used for the legs. The tubes used for the legs can be manufactured from chromed steel, sprayed steel, aluminium or some other alloys. The more expensive stands should have well finished (cut) tubes, the cheaper ones tend to be rough-cut with sharp edges. During assembly, the more expensive stands should have caps that fit to the ends of the legs to prevent the metal from touching and scratching the glass.
The final area of cost savings during manufacture can be the product packaging, which although may not be first on your list of priorities, can be very important. There is nothing more annoying that waiting in all day, perhaps taking a day off work to receive a delivery of a smashed TV stand. Take it from us, TV stands do get broken during transportation, however it’s no coincidence that the more expensive stands tend to suffer fewer breakages. Clearly it is the responsibility of the supplier to resolve any shipping damages, however you may still have to take more time off work to arrange the exchange of the damaged and replacement products.
There is absolutely no doubt that in the UK and the EEC there is a place for low-end budget, mid range value and top-end exclusivity, by using the information above, you should be able to decide whether you’re paying for a good quality glass stand or merely a well known brand name applied to a less well made stand.
