anyone know where to get the velcro strips as cheap as mp without the name? or custom with my name?

Textol.com

I make zero comparison of MP and Snap. That's the biggest bunch of bull to make the comparison.

[Link: amazon.com]

I want to appologize for comments directed towards you. When looking through some old threads I stumbled upon one where you stated you were a DIYer. This being the custom installers lounge, I always assume everyone here is a CI, but I also realize there is a lot of very helpful information here for DIYers. As a DIYer I can completely understand using Monoprice items for certain things. It's going in your own home and you completely understand what you are getting. This is completely different from a CI installing Monoprice items. Our customers trust us to use quality products. I have no respect for a CI who passes Monproce products off as quality to a customer who does not know any better. As a DIYer, I understand some areas where you could save a little money with no real negative effect on the rest of the system.

You really don't get it. You think that just because it is Monoprice, that it cannot be a quality item.

For you cost equals quality. You really don't know the difference.

 If monoprice didn't stamp their name on every single item, I might use them a bit more.
My clients don't understand why I have to mark up $3 item. They don't understand that it takes time to inventory, store, order and paperwork items. 
If I was to use a $3 cable and mark it up to say $15, a quick look at the cable and subsequent visit to their website will create a sour relationship. 
It will not matter that the item performs as requested. It won't even matter that even at $15 the item is less expensive than competing one. 
This is the WalMart nation, get used to it.

Oh I understand that quality can come at a low price for certain items, but I do not trust anything for professional use from a company that, according to them, did not know the UL certifications were not valid on the products they were getting from their supplier. They should know the products they are selling. Thinking that UL certifications was the only issue overlooked would be a mistake.

A couple years ago I tried one of Monoprice's 3x1 HDMI switches for a basic system. HDMI wire was under 30' (I believe it was a 25' cable). Did not work, no matter what we tried. Ended up swapping it for a Binary switch and it worked great, with all the same cables and equipment. I had a few of the Monoprice switches, both 3x1 and 5x1, and none of them worked reliably. I have yet to have a single problem with any Binary switches.

I also had installed a few HDMI cables from Monoprice that clients bought. Had dropout issues. I ended up replacing with, again, Binary cables and have not had issues since. Sometimes price IS a clue to the quality of the product. I just cannot risk putting products that have proven, to me at least, to be less than reliable in my jobs.

I use them for tiny pieces, like RS-232 male to female converters, etc. Other than that, NEVER. Even some of their tiny pieces, ie rj45 couplers FAILED. So, its pretty much junk, even for the DYI crowd. But they have time and desire to try cheap things and fix them. That will NOT fly with a paying customer. They are paying for things that work. Monoprice is the cheapest imports crap you can buy. Deny it all you want. It is what it is. Its a gamble. Maybe it will work, maybe it wont. Worth it as a DYI, no way worth it as a paid professional with customers with higher expectations. If I was them, I would NOT put Monoprice label on it. Why embarrass themselves.

That said, their phone covers rock. Fraction of price. Phone chargers and cables? Not so much. Come to think of it, some cell phone covers don't fit right but for $3.99 vs $29.99 its worth a shot. But back to customers, we don't take "shots".

I ordered $20 or so dollars worth of monoprice connectors a few years ago. Huge mix of adapters and gender changers. About half of them worked properly. No big deal because these were for my bag of testing equipment. I tossed out what didn't work and purchased it somewhere else.

The problem with 50% failure rate when working for a customer is that it means at least 1 more trip to their home that you cant charge for. So 2 guys and a truck roll later you have spent $1000 trying to save a few bucks. But wait there's more...not only are you now working for free...your client is unhappy that their schedule is being affected and they begin to lose faith in your abilities. Say goodbye to your referral stream.

Moral of the story is that there are some things you can get at home depot or monoprice and not have to worry about it failing. Velcro, zip ties, electrical tape etc...maybe even TV mounts...probably okay to gamble with. HDMI switches and cables? Recipe for disaster imo.

As for logos and labels in general...i dont mind seeing them as long as its a simple icon with no text (think nike, mercedes). If you want your company name spelled out please hide the logo somewhere so my clients don't have to ask me to paint it black. Speaker manufacturers are the worst. It's hard enough to find a customer who actually agrees to real (non in-wall/in-ceiling) speakers...and then i have to try and get rid of the logo. Totems ship with the logos in a plastic bag so you can add them if you want to. Thats because totem has their act together.

I agree with almost everything you said, and for the most part you hit the nail on the head, but I would NEVER take a gamble on a mount. A falling TV could kill a small child. I have refused to mount TV's on mounts from untrusted sources and will continue to do so. It is simply not worth the risk.

A company i worked with in Louisiana used monoprice mounts. They installed 3 or 4 or them in a mutual clients home. None were anything special. All were twice as deep off the wall compared to mounts i typically work with but all were solid and safe.

I don't use monoprice for tv mounts but is this a known issue? I havn't heard anything about TVs falling off due to their mounts.

The problem with cheap mounts is not a lack of sturdiness typically. Well, at least not to the point they fall off the wall. The cheap ones usually have crappy tile mechanisms, horrible locking bolts or mechanisms, not enough mounting holes, and other stupid things like that. I have never seen a mount that cannot hold a TV on the wall.