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Venezuela, Caracas
1 Level
705 Review
73 Karma

Review on πŸ”§ StarTech.com 8U Open Frame Wall Mount Network Rack with Built-in Shelf - Adjustable Depth (12" to 18") 2-Post Equipment Rack, 75.2lbs - Black (WALLSHELF8U) by Peter Boisvert

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Good enough to satisfy the needs of a female techie ;-)

You won't find something like this in the average household. But it's the kind of product you'll find in a special breed of techies and self-taught, and there's a small but growing minority of us who are women. So this review is written from the point of view of a technician who needs things that meet very specific needs. The StarTech 8U wall unit (WALLSHELF8U) is very well made overall, I was impressed with the overall quality (down to the included screws). . This is especially good if you have limited space to work and your needs are modest. Unfortunately, without creative modification, the device will not work with most servers as the maximum depth is only 18 inches when fully extended. However, in my case, this rack has proven to be perfect for my needs and exceeded my expectations. small wall racks before finally settling on this one. The turning point for me was that the depth of the rack is adjustable, which helped in my case as I have multiple rackmount units ranging from 12" to 18" deep would have. 3/4 of the entire rack easily adjusts in depth from 12" to 18", the rest of the rack is limited to a depth of 12". Installing the rack can be a bit tricky if you are working alone and are a bunch of short people like me. However, I was able to safely wall mount it on my own by placing it on a stepladder while I mounted it on the wall. The mounting template came in very handy and made the installation a lot easier for me. It may be a small touch, but assembling this stand by yourself is very useful.The stand is heavy.You still need a bubble level,but it's much easier to use a bubble level with a light template than to try later "To get a heavy wall scale. Can't say enough about the little touch of adding a template to help with installation. The only thing I didn't like was the size of the fasteners mounting screws which I felt were too small for my mounting needs. So I bought larger anchor bolts than the ones included in the kit (the ones included in the kit seemed too small for the weight I wanted to put on them. I chose not to use a support board as I didn't see any real benefit. Instead I bought some polyurethane and nickel plated washers to put between the stud and the wall, which ended up looking a lot cleaner than the pad, little lady, but it held my full weight after it was installed, exceeding the manufacturers specs for the spacing and placement of the mounting points I'm very picky about cable routing and the placement of the mounting points definitely makes cable management easier for me, but it would be nice if there were some mounting points on the side inside and out rather than just the inside back.

Pros
  • Confident
Cons
  • Out of fashion